by Piyumal Wijeratne

Created on: March 01, 2009

The Battle of Coutras was one of the major battles in the eighth and final war of the French religious wars which were fought between the Catholics and the reformist Huguenots. The Catholic Royal army was led by Anne, Duke of Joyeuse and the Huguenots were led by Henry of Navarre. The reformists were victorious.

Henry wanted to lead the Royal army south into the Huguenot controlled areas in order to destroy it by attrition. In October Henry led his army to the town of Coutras

which had a small street, a fortified chteau with a park and a warren attached and one narrow bridge across the river isle. Huguenots expected the Royal army to be 20 miles away and the Huguenots encamped there leaving the light horse under Tremuille as pickets. The Royal army was much closer and they arrived at Coutras just before dawn. Lavardin, the second in command of the Catholics could drive the Huguenot light cavalry with little difficulty.

The Huguenots were already crossing the river and their artillery and some of the infantry were already across. The rest quickly prepared for battle. Their main line was cramped and broken, with the right flank on the chateau, their left in the Pallard marsh, and infantry fortified in the town across the center.

The King Henry was not facing a favorable situation as the much stronger Royal army was decamping into the field in front of Coutras. Henry might have felt dismayed but he has put up a brave face and has led the Huguenots from the village to the field opposite to the Catholics. Both armies waited until the two armies were in order.

Henry deployed his men very well and this was truly superb planning. Henry placed his infantry on the flanks: a scratch regiment on his left flank, drawn back behind a marshy brook, and on the right, three battalions; they were placed in the warren attached to the chateau where it mattered less that they were short of pikes. Across the center were the Huguenot cavalry; on the right, attached to the warren; the light horse, under Turenne and Tremuille, and across the center, the Huguenot medium cavalry, drawn up in three columns and companies of arquebusiers between.

The Catholics drew up a similar line but it was much simpler. The Catholics had two Royal infantry regiments on their flanks, the Royal army flanks were much stronger than the Huguenot flanks. Lavardin's light horses were deployed opposite the Huguenot light horses of Tremuille and The Royal cavalry was deployed in one line.

The Huguenot artillery which were deployed after the Royal artillery started to fire first and they were able to shoot eighteen deadly shots. The Royal army was not able to shoot any accurate shots. The Royal army decided to charge and charged they did. Lavardin's horses crashed into the cavalry led by Tremuille and were able to make some horsemen flee. But they were stopped by a group of strong Scots in the Huguenot army. The Huguenot infantry of the left flank were panicked and they charged the Royal infantry without minding the enemy pikes.

The Catholic line which was still unsteady lowered their lances and went to gallop and the Huguenots were walking their horses ready for the fight. The arquebusiers between the Huguenots fired and the Huguenot horses were encouraged to gallop.

The Huguenots were able to destroy the Royal Catholic army and they killed the Duke of Joyeuse in the battlefield including thousands of soldiers of the Catholic army. This battle crushed all the hopes of the Catholic league to eradicate the Huguenots.

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