Battle of Moncontour
French Wars of Religion · Moncontour, Vienne (France)
Summary
On 3 October 1569 at Moncontour (Vienne), the Catholic forces of King Charles IX, supported by Spanish troops under Pierre-Ernest de Mansfeld, inflicted a heavy defeat on Admiral Coligny's Huguenots. Despite this victory, the religious conflict continued until the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1570.
Historical context
The Battle of Moncontour took place on 3 October 1569 during the third French War of Religion, in Poitou, a few kilometres from Poitiers. Admiral Coligny, coming from the south, had besieged Poitiers for seven weeks before lifting the siege before the advance of the royal army. The Protestants number about 18,000 men against about 25,000 Catholics.
Tactics
The battle featured prolonged artillery exchanges, then a Catholic cavalry charge led by Méru against a hill held by Huguenot arquebusiers. Swiss infantry broke through the overwhelmed Protestant infantry; the Catholics took no prisoners. The prior defection of unpaid German mercenaries had weakened the Protestant army.
Consequences
On the Protestant side, historians count between 6,000 and 10,000 dead and prisoners; Catholic losses do not exceed 600 men. Coligny fled south and later won successes leading to the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (8 August 1570), before being assassinated in the St Bartholomew's Day massacre (24 August 1572).