Day Three: Bergerac, Castelnaud, and Blagnac

Day 3 blog

Today we started the day off with breakfast at our hotel and then we were off to what we believed to be one of the possible sites for the Battle Bergerac. The battle could have taken place in three possible locations on the map. The site that we went to first was in a large open field that is now a pasture and an orchard. A small ditch/creek and woods mark the boundaries on each side of the field and the pasture has a huge decline from the road to the tree-line. The battle is said to have been a cavalry charge with archers shooting from the tree-line on both sides forming a “kill box”. The English waited for the French at the South side of the field and upon the French arrival from the North they allowed them to form up and charged while English archers hammered the French as they rode. In order to have a complete understanding of the terrain and the area that is available for a cavalry charge, we walked the field. We walked along the edges of the field along the wooded area and got a better look at the ditch alongside. It is possible that the English could have dug it themselves, but it wasn’t that wide and a horse could have easily just jumped over it. We also wanted to note the significance of the drop off in the cattle pasture on the other side of the rode, so we all climbed through the fence and went to the bottom of the pasture at the bottom of the decline. Looking back up at the road, you cannot see the road, the field, or any of the trees in the orchard so we concluded that the archers could have used the cliff as a possible firing point along with the tree-line in the opposite direction.
Initially when we were all over the fence the cattle in the pasture did not seem to be bothered by our presence and they simply just stayed where they were, ignoring us. Then as time wore on and we continued to analyze their home they apparently became increasingly angry about it because they started to form up into one big group. We were talking and then we turned to see a large group of cattle starring angrily at us. They just stood there….waiting….and starring….waiting….and starring and we didn’t really move any faster because we were almost done. Then, as we started to move back up from the bottom to the road, the cattle group moved again, and they too went up to the top. Dr. Rogers, Josh, Marie, and Marc were already to the fence when I heard Marie yell “Allie RUN!!!!” (note: she apparently didn’t care about the well-fare of the guys who were close behind…haha) I turned to my left and the cattle were running at us full speed, “CHARGE!” The rest of us started sprinting for the fence and we made it just as the cattle thundered past us. Once we got to the other side of the fence we all had a good laugh about it, but I have a feeling it would have been a bad day for us if we hadn’t have made it.
After we left the field we set off towards Chateau de Castelnaud. While we were driving we saw a few Chateaus that were breathtaking, and we even agreed to visit one of them on the way back from Chateau de Castelnaud. The Chateau was located at the edge of a cliff overlooking a river, a beautiful bridge, and the French countryside. It also had a fabulous view of the surrounding castles (chateaus) which we later learned played a huge role in their history. The two chateaus that were located on opposite cliffs were Chateau de Castelnaud and Chateau de Beynac. Castelnaud was owned by an English lord starting in 1405 and Beynac was owned by a French lord and they feuded for years until 1442 when the French crown besieged Castelnaud and took it back from the English. The Chateau itself it privately owned, but it has been restored and now functions as a medieval military museum. The weapons collection and other pieces in the museum are unmatched by any medieval collection in the world. Also met us at the museum. He is a French historian and has just completed his Ph.D. on The Hundred Years War.
After we finished our tours of the two Chateaus, we were off again to another possible site for the Battle of Bergerac. When went to Champ de Roque as the second site for the battle. This was the site that we had decided was the most likely place for the battle last week when we were just looking at the maps. The map gives a fairly accurate depiction of what the terrain actually looks like on the ground however, the problem with this area is that there is not an access way for the French pursuit or the English to enter into the field. The first site was fit the description and the road that flows through it would have been the perfect access point for the two armies to enter into the field. The second site also did not have a place that would have been perfect for the archers. We know they would have had to hind in the wood-line, but had they been lined up there along both sides as the literature suggests, they would not have been able shoot to the center of the field even with maximum range. While we were there we also re-examined the map for the third site, la Croix, and once we looked at it again we decided that it couldn’t have possibly been where the battle had taken place. The opening at the top was too narrow for the cavalry to enter into the field and the only place that had sufficient room for the French cavalry to form up was so large that the English would have never have chosen to defend it. The longbowmen would have never been able to reach the French forces from their position in the trees.