Battle Timeline - Battles of France

Battle Timeline 486 - 1983

676 visible battles

Battle Timeline

Browse French military history through an interactive timeline of major battles.

486 Battle of Soissons Victory · Soissons, Gaul (today France) · Extension of the Frankish kingdom – fall of the last Roman stronghold in Gaul In 486, in the fifth year of Clovis I's reign, the Salian Franks — supported by Ragnachar, king of Cambrai — fought near Soissons against Syagrius, son of Aegidius, whom Gregory of Tours calls 'king of the Romans' (Romanorum rex). Syagrius then held the last enclave of Roman authority in northern Gaul, between the Loire and the Somme, often called the 'Kingdom of Soissons' (a contested historiographical label). Defeated, he fled to Toulouse to Visigothic king Alaric II, who handed him over in chains to Clovis's envoys; the victor had him secretly killed and seized his territory. The battle marks the end of the last remnant of Roman power in northern Gaul and nearly doubles Frankish territorial reach as far as the Loire.

496 Battle of Tolbiac Victory · Tolbiac (Zülpich), Germany · Frankish expansion in Germany Around 496 (traditional date; some revisions place the clash in 506), Clovis I, king of the Salian Franks, intervened near Tolbiac (Latin Tolbiacum, modern Zülpich, North Rhine-Westphalia) to aid his ally Sigebert the Lame, king of the Ripuarian Franks of Cologne, against an Alamannic invasion. According to Gregory of Tours, Clovis, seeing his warriors massacred and the battle slipping away, invoked the God of his wife Clotilde (married 493) and promised baptism if he won; the Alamanni fled after their leader was killed with a francisca. The Frankish victory ended Alamannic autonomy on this front and, in Gregory’s narrative, preceded Clovis’s baptism at Reims — foundation of the alliance between Frankish monarchy and the Catholic Church, even though chronology and causal link remain debated.

500 Battle of Dijon Victory · Near Dijon (castrum), Ouche river; traditionally placed around Saint-Apollinaire (Côte-d’Or), Burgundian Gaul · Burgundian Civil War (500–501) – Frankish intervention by Clovis In 500 (dated by Marius of Avenches), near the castrum of Dijon and the river Ouche, Clovis I intervened in the Burgundian civil war alongside Godegisel, brother of King Gundobad. Dissatisfied with his share (Geneva versus Lyon/Vienne), Godegisel had secretly promised Clovis an annual tribute and territorial cessions. When Gundobad, deceived, marched with his brother against the Franks, Godegisel turned and joined Clovis: their combined army crushed Gundobad’s, who fled to Avignon through the Rhône marshes. Godegisel proclaimed himself king and went to Vienne. Clovis then besieged Avignon, lacked siege engines, negotiated a heavy tribute and raised the siege (Visigothic mediation by Alaric II). In 501 Gundobad, allied with the Visigoths, retook Vienne, executed Godegisel and restored his power — Burgundy remained independent, but under Frankish pressure.

507 Battle of Vouille Victory · Vouillé (Campus Vogladensis), near Poitiers, Vienne (Gaul) · Franco-Gothic War (507) – conquest of Aquitaine In spring 507, on the plain of Vouillé near Poitiers, the Frankish army of Clovis I and his son Theuderic faced the Visigoths of Alaric II, reinforced by Auvergnat militia under Apollinaris of Clermont. The Franks crossed the Loire toward Poitiers; Alaric marched north to stop them, without hoped-for Ostrogothic support and while part of his forces was engaged in Hispania against the Eastern Romans. According to tradition Alaric was killed in battle (Gregory; the detail of Clovis’s own hand is sometimes debated), triggering Visigothic flight, while the Auvergnats resisted to the last man. Victory opened Aquitaine to the Franks: capture of Toulouse (508), Bordeaux, vassalage of Auvergne; the Visigoths kept little beyond Septimania and part of Provence. From 508 Clovis made Paris his capital. Anastasius granted him the honorary title of consul.

524 Battle of Vézeronce Defeat · Vézeronce (Viserontia), Isère — plain near Vézeronce-Curtin · Burgundian War (523–524) – second Frankish expedition On 25 June 524 near Vézeronce (Isère), Chlodomer faced Godomar III in the second Frankish expedition against Burgundy. After Sigismund and his sons were executed on Chlodomer’s orders (523), Clovis’s sons resumed the campaign in spring 524: Chlodomer took Lyon without a fight, pursued the Burgundian army toward the Alps and met it on a vast plain. The Franks first gained the upper hand, but Chlodomer, thinking he was joining Frankish horsemen, threw himself among enemies who killed him and displayed his head. Sources diverge on the outcome: Gregory of Tours (close to the Franks) claims a Frankish victory; Agathias credits the Burgundians; Marius of Avenches only notes the battle and Chlodomer’s death. The Burgundian kingdom survived another decade — strong evidence of a Frankish defeat — until the conquest of 534.

532 Battle of Autun Victory · Autun, Burgundy, France · Frankish conquest of Burgundy – siege and capture of Autun (532) In 532, after a year-long siege, Frankish kings Childebert I and Chlothar I captured Autun, a major stronghold of Godomar III’s Burgundian kingdom. Without Theuderic I’s support — linked to Sigismund by marriage to Suavegotha — the two brothers alone resumed the struggle opened since Vézeronce (524). Godomar fled; Autun’s fall dealt a decisive blow to Burgundian independence, completed two years later (534) by a final campaign joined by Theudebert, Theuderic’s son. Sources (Godomar III, Burgundian War, Childebert I) speak of siege and capture rather than a detailed pitched battle.

534 Final annexation of Burgundy (534) Victory · Grenoble, Burgundy (modern France) · End of the Burgundian kingdom – Merovingian partition (534) In 534, after Theuderic’s death (533) and Theudebert’s accession, the Franks launched the final campaign that ended the Burgundian kingdom. No major pitched battle is reported for Grenoble in particular: Lyon, Geneva, Grenoble and other places fell within a general submission after Autun (532). Godomar III was captured according to some notices and disappears from the sources. Territory was partitioned: Theudebert received the North (including Autun), Childebert the Centre (Lyon, Mâcon, Vienne, Grenoble, perhaps Geneva and Tarentaise), Chlothar the South to the Durance. Burgundy became a region of the Frankish kingdoms.

578 Capture of Vannes and Waroch’s war against Chilperic Defeat · Vannes and the Vilaine (Pléchâtel / Port-Neuf), Armorican Brittany · Franco-Breton wars – expansion of Bro Waroch In 578, a year after Macliau’s death, Waroch seized Vannes (episcopal seat) and imposed his rule over Bro Waroch. Chilperic I raised an army (Touraine, Poitou, Bessin, Maine, Anjou, etc.) that camped along the Vilaine. The Saxons of the Bessin were beaten by the Bretons at Pléchâtel (near the Roman bridge of Port-Neuf). Waroch then negotiated peace: recognition of the conquest of Vannes in return for an annual tribute, guaranteed by his son as hostage — then denounced the treaty via Bishop Eunius, who was deposed and imprisoned. Unlike an earlier version of this entry (Frankish victory c. 560), the sources (Gregory via the Waroch article) indicate a defeat of Frankish troops and Waroch’s hold on Vannes. The dating “c. 560” does not fit: Waroch is attested as chief only from 577.

593 Rout of Wintrio (campaign of 593) Victory · Place not specified in ancient sources (attribution to Tiffauges, Vendée, is not attested on Wikipedia) · Merovingian faides – Neustria against Austrasia-Burgundy In 593, after Guntram’s death (592) and the application of the Treaty of Andelot, Childebert II, already king of Austrasia, also became king of Burgundy and charged Duke Wintrio with invading Neustria. Fredegund and young Chlothar II routed Wintrio: Neustria prevailed. Wikipedia (Fredegund; cited chronicles) does not locate the clash at Tiffauges; this entry’s Vendéen attribution is not sourced on the encyclopedia. An earlier version of the entry inverted the outcome (Neustrian disaster / Austrasian victory): available sources instead indicate a Neustrian victory over Wintrio.

687 Battle of Tertry Victory · Tertry (Somme), between the Somme and the Omignon marshes · Frankish faides – Austrasia against Neustria and Burgundy; rise of the mayors of the palace In June 687 at Tertry (Somme), Pepin of Herstal, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, defeated the forces of Neustria and Burgundy led by Berchar and King Theuderic III. Pepin had crossed the Somme and the Omignon marshes. Austrasian victory dictated Neustria’s political future: Berchar was removed; Pepin was recognized as mayor over Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy, took the titles dux et princeps Francorum, without yet seizing the crown. He entrusted Neustria to Nordebert (after Berchar’s death, October 688) and betrothed his son Drogo to Anstrudis, Berchar’s widow. Tertry is a Pippinid/Carolingian turning point (Ferdinand Lot; Rosamond McKitterick), two generations before Pepin the Short.

721 Battle of Toulouse Victory · Toulouse, Aquitaine (modern France) · Umayyad invasion of Gaul – siege of Toulouse (721) On 9 June 721, Odo of Aquitaine broke the Umayyad siege of Toulouse under Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, wāli of al-Andalus. After taking Narbonne (719), the Umayyads besieged Toulouse; Charles Martel, busy against the Saxons, sent no help. Odo returned three months later with Aquitanians, Gascons and Neustrian/Burgundian recruits. The besiegers, overconfident, neglected outer defenses and scouts: flank/rear attack and sortie from the walls. Al-Samh fled with a fraction of his forces and died soon after. Major Aquitanian victory (sometimes called Balat al-Shuhada of Toulouse), checking westward expansion from Narbonne — without ending all raids (Carcassonne and Nîmes 725, Autun 22 August 725).

732 Battle of Bordeaux / of the River Garonne (732) Defeat · Bordeaux, Aquitaine (modern France) · Umayyad expedition of 732 – raid into Aquitaine In 732, after suppressing Munuza (Cerdanya, Odo’s ally) and mustering at Pamplona, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Ghāfiqī crossed the western Pyrenees (Roncesvalles/Navarre), ravaged Auch and Gascony, stormed Bordeaux (garrison commander killed), then crushed Odo’s forces along the Garonne (or Dordogne). Unlike Toulouse 721 (surprise against a siege camp), Odo faced Umayyad cavalry in the open and was destroyed. The Umayyads looted northern Aquitaine’s monasteries then marched on Tours/Saint-Martin. Odo submitted to Charles Martel and joined the Frankish left at Poitiers.

732 Battle of Poitiers (732) — also called Tours Victory · Between Poitiers and Tours (exact site unknown; multiple hypotheses, e.g. Moussais) · Umayyad expedition of 732 – Franks and Aquitanians against ʿAbd al-Raḥmān In October 732 (date and place debated; English name Battle of Tours; Arabic Balāṭ al-shuhadāʾ), Charles Martel, summoned by Odo after Bordeaux, stopped ʿAbd al-Raḥmān’s army between Poitiers and Tours. A week of skirmishes, then clash: Umayyad cavalry against Frankish infantry “like a wall” (Mozarabic Chronicle). Odo’s Vascones threatened the camp; ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was killed; night flight. Victory strengthening the Pippinids and weakening Odo, without “definitively stopping” Muslim presence north of the Pyrenees (Septimania until 759; Rhône raids from 734).

737 Siege of Narbonne Indecisive · Narbonne, Septimania / Arbūna (modern France) · Charles Martel’s campaigns in Provence and Septimania – siege of Narbonne (737) In 737, after Avignon, Charles Martel besieged Narbonne, the strategic Umayyad port held since 719 (taken by Al-Samh). The city still had Roman walls (Sidonius Apollinaris, 465). A relief army from al-Andalus was intercepted and crushed at the Berre; the garrison nonetheless held. Lack of siege gear, winter, Hunald of Aquitaine’s hostility and Maurontius’s revolt in Provence: the siege was lifted before the end of 737. In withdrawal the Franks devastated Nîmes, Agde, Béziers and Maguelone. Narbonne remained Umayyad until 759. Partial Frankish military success (relief broken, region ravaged) but politically inconclusive as to capturing the city (French/English Wikipedia).

737 Battle of the Berre Victory · Mouth of the River Berre (Bages-Sigean lagoon / Pech Maho), near Narbonne, Aude (modern France) · Charles Martel’s campaigns in Provence and Septimania – siege of Narbonne (737) In 737, during the siege of Narbonne (Umayyad since 719), Charles Martel intercepted a relief army from al-Andalus near the mouth of the Berre (Bages-Sigean lagoon). After success at Avignon the same year, the mayor of the palace of Austrasia besieged the city; ʿUqba ibn al-Hajjaj sent reinforcements under ʿUmar ibn Khalid. Arriving by sea, the Umayyads tried to row up the Aude, hit Frankish river fortifications, then approached Narbonne overland. Guided through the Corbières by villagers, the Franks attacked by surprise before any enemy reconnaissance. After an initial clash, the break followed ʿUmar’s death; pursuit into the lagoons, booty and prisoners (French/English Wikipedia). Decisive Frankish victory over the relief army — Narbonne itself fell only in 759 under Pepin the Short.

739 Battle of Tet Victory · Provence / Marseille (attested campaign) — the “Têt valley near Perpignan” is not attested as a pitched battlefield in French/English Wikipedia · 739 campaign in Provence against Maurontius (not an attested pitched battle on the Têt) Major correction: no French/English Wikipedia page attests a pitched “Battle of the Têt” near Perpignan in 739. What is documented for 739, notably via English Wikipedia (Battle of the River Berre) and Paul the Deacon (Historia Langobardorum), is a second Frankish expedition to expel Maurontius from Marseille and regain Provence after the 736–737 campaigns. Martel allied with the Lombards; per Paul the Deacon, the Arabs withdrew on learning of that alliance. Invented strengths and the tale of intercepting a Muslim army in the Têt valley are removed for lack of Wikipedia source.

759 Capture of Narbonne Victory · Narbonne, Septimania / Gothia (modern France) · Frankish reconquest of Septimania – siege of Narbonne (752–759) From 752 to 759 Pepin the Short waged the long siege of Narbonne, the last Umayyad stronghold in Septimania since 719–720. After a first siege in 752 (lifted while leaving pressure), renewed c. 756, then negotiations with the Gallo-Roman and Visigothic population: Pepin promised to protect their laws and customs. In 759 the Visigoths seized the interior, massacred the weak Muslim garrison and opened the gates to the Franks (French/English Wikipedia). End of organised Muslim presence in Gaul north of the Pyrenees; pursuit into Roussillon; Milo received the government; confrontation with Waiofar of Aquitaine.

778 Battle of Roncesvalles Defeat · Pyrenean pass / defile (exact site uncertain; memorial at Roncesvalles / Orreaga; Valcarlos sometimes suggested) · Carolingian campaign of 778 in Spain – Roncevaux ambush On 15 August 778, as Charlemagne withdrew from Spain after failure before Zaragoza and the razing of Pamplona’s walls, Wascones ambushed the Frankish rearguard in a Pyrenean defile (exact site debated: Roncesvalles / Valcarlos). The Revised Royal Annals and Einhard describe the attack on the extremum agmen, disorder across the army, deaths of several aulici (Roland, Eggihard, Anselm) and plunder of the baggage; the enemy vanished at once. Charlemagne’s only major personal battlefield setback. Two centuries later the Song of Roland (11th c.) turns the episode into war against Saracens and epic myth — distinct from the historical event.

788 Battle of Bidossa Defeat · Aquitaine / Gascony (exact capture site not fixed by Wikipedia; the “Bidasoa valley” as a pitched battlefield is not attested) · Basque troubles after Roncevaux – capture of Chorso (787/788); no attested “Battle of the Bidossa” Major correction: French/English Wikipedia knows no “Battle of the Bidossa” in 788. What is attested: in 787 or 788 Chorso (Torson), duke of Toulouse and former regent of Aquitaine for Louis the Pious, was captured by the Gascon Adalric and forced to swear allegiance to Duke Lupus of Gascony before release (French/English Wikipedia Chorso; William of Gellone). No pitched-battle narrative on the Bidasoa. In 790 at Worms Charlemagne dismissed Chorso and replaced him with William of Gellone; Adalric was sentenced to exile.

790 Battle of Llívia Victory · Aquitaine / Toulouse (Worms assembly) — Llívia in Cerdanya is not an attested pitched battlefield for 790 in Wikipedia · Basque pacification and Toulouse succession (790) – no attested pitched “Battle of Llívia” Major correction: no French/English Wikipedia page attests a pitched battle at Llívia (Cerdanya) c. 790 between William of Toulouse and an Umayyad column. What is documented for 790: at Worms Charlemagne dismissed Chorso, exiled Adalric, and appointed William of Gellone to Toulouse; William then imposed peace on the Basques (linked French notices; English Wikipedia: rebellion dissolved after capturing/exiling Adalric in 790). Urgell had been integrated c. 789. The entry is recentred on these attested facts.

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Overview by Era

Early Middle Ages

~476 – 987

Birth of the Frankish kingdom, Clovis's conquests, and major battles such as Poitiers (732), marking the decisive halt of Muslim expansion into Europe.

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High Middle Ages

987 – 1328

The height of feudalism and the Crusades, marked by emblematic battles such as Hastings (1066), Bouvines (1214), and French military expeditions to the Holy Land.

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Late Middle Ages

1328 – 1492

The Hundred Years' War between France and England, marked by the heroic epic of Joan of Arc and emblematic battles at Agincourt (1415), Orléans (1429), and Castillon (1453).

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Renaissance

1492 – 1610

A period of cultural renewal and major conflicts such as the Italian Wars, marked by emblematic battles at Marignano (1515) and Pavia (1525), affirming the power of Francis I.

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Classical Era

1610 – 1789

Consolidation of absolute monarchy under Louis XIV and landmark battles such as Rocroi (1643) and Fontenoy (1745), affirming France's military power in Europe.

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Revolution & Empire

1789 – 1815

An era shaped by the French Revolution and Napoleon's Empire, revolutionising the art of war with famous battles at Austerlitz (1805), Jena (1806), and Waterloo (1815).

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Modern Era

1815 – 1914

Colonial wars, campaigns in Africa and Asia, and European conflicts such as the Crimean War (1854) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870).

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Contemporary Era

1914 – today

From the First World War to the present day, this period covers the great world battles (Verdun, Bir Hakeim, Colmar) and France's modern engagements in international conflicts.

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