September 19 - Battle of Poitiers 1356

The Battle of Poitiers was fought in the Hundred Years war. It was the second of the three well-known English victory of the war, the others being Crecy and Againcourt.

Earlier in August of the same year, Edward the "Black Prince" landed in France on another chevauch�e (raid). Eventually, he had on his tail the army of John II, King of France who had built a force to oppose the Prince. After days of maneuvering, the two armies met for battle near Poitiers. The two armies were roughly evenly matched on paper.

Edward positioned his infantry at the center, flanked by longbowmen and reared by knights hidden in the forest. The French opened with a cavalry attack against the English left flank, but again the longbows proved devastating against the Knights' horses, dismounting them as they charged home. With the cavalry failing, the footmen closed in to melee. Amist the hard fighting, Edward sent his hidden cavalry around a hill to outflank the French. Taken by surprise, the confused line fled in panic before the English cavalry. John II was captured.



Other Events

1777 - Battle of Saratoga, decisive of the American revolution, begins.
1955 - Juan Peron, president of Argentina, is deposed



Edited by Imperator Invictus

I think the 'other' battle of Poitiers was more important.

Had the invaders won at Tours it would likely have just delayed the inevitable. The Franks would have regrouped and swept out the invading forces from their feeble hold on the hostile countryside.