The Battle of Coutras, fought on October 20, 1587, was a major engagement in the French Religious Wars between an army under the current Henry of Navarre (future Henry IV) and a royal army led by Anne, Duke of Joyeuse. Henry of Navarre was victorious. The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, including civil infighting as well as military operations. ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV; December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610), was the first monarch of the Bourbon dynasty in France. ...

On the night of October 19-20 the Royal (Catholic) army under Anne, Duc de Joyeuse had trapped Henry's Huguenot army: In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, or historically as the French Calvinists. ...

Henry, in his usual daring fashion, had been leading a Picked (Elite) army, the flower of the Huguenot cause, in a dangerous game of cat-and mouse with Joyeuse, trying to lead the royal army south, into Huguenot-controlled lands, and destroy it through attrition; fighting a hundred petty skirmishes over the summer.

In October, Henry's intelligence failed him: He led his army to the small town of Coutras, hoping to slip across the bridge there. Coutras then, as now, was a small twisty town of one cobbled street, a fortified chateou(Somewhat run-down) with a park and warren attached, and one narrow bridge across the river Isle.

Believing the Royal army twenty miles away, the Huguenots failed to cross, but encamped for the night, sleeping in the chateou's park or the small buildings of the village, leaving the light horse under Tremuille for Pickets.

The Royal army, a mere ten miles away and including many lords and their armed servants, the flower of the court, marched through the night along back-roads and bridle paths, often single-file to arrive at Coutras just before dawn.

Lavardin, the Catholic second-in-command, led the Catholic light horse in the pre-dawn, driving in the Huguenot Pickets with little difficulty.

The Huguenots, meanwhile, had just begun crossing the Isle river; their artillery(Three bronze guns) and some of the infantry were already across, the rest of their army hurriedly assembled for battle: Their main line was cramped and broken, with the right flank on the chateou, their left in the Pallard marsh, and infantry fortified in the town across the center.

King Henry, upon awaking, was faced with a desperate situation: there was enough time for the cavalry, a few infantry and the Princely Huguenot leaders to escape(whether anyone would follow them afterwards was another question entirely), or to gamble all in battle against the far stronger Royal army now decamping onto the field in front of Coutras.

If Henry felt dismayed, he concealed it from his subordinates, and gave the impression that he couldn't have chosen a better fight: he said to the Prince de Condé and Count de Soissons: 'You see, my cousins, it is to our family that everyone turns. It would not be reasonable for this fine dancer [Joyeuse] and the darlings of the court to chop off the three principal heads that God has guarded in order to protect the others and the state. This quarrel is the same for us all; the outcome of this day will bring down on us more envy than maliciousness; we will share mutually in its honor.' He led the army out from the village onto the field opposite the Catholics.

Both forces were in great disarray, and, as if by mutual consent, virtually ignored each other until both armies were in order:

The Huguenots were well-disposed: Henry had 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 chateou where it mattered less that they short of pikes. Across the center were the Huguenot cavalry; on the right, attached to the warren; the light horse, under Turenne and la Tremuille, and across the center, the Huguenot medium cavalry, drawn up in three columns and companies of arquebusiers between.

The Catholics were drawn up in a similar, though simpler line: Joyeuse placed two regiments of Royal infantry on each flank, the force on the left at least as strong as the Huguenot force in the warren, the one on the right much stronger than the scratch regiment behind the brook. Lavardin's light horse opposite Tremille's, and opposite the Huguenot horse, the Gen'dermes: the royal heavy Cavalry, deployed 'en Haye': in one long glittering line.

There was a pause, an unexplainable period of quiet while the opponents eyed each other: Catholic heavies were bright and glittering like some medieval host: The Gen'dermes wore every item of armor imaginable, from cuirass and morion to Gorgets, and every surface covered with gold leaf.

The Huguenots opposite them, by contrast, wore greasy leathers and grime-encrusted armor: Cuirass and morion were their armor and sword and pistol their arms. The Catholic line rippled and shrank as the lords(Many of whom served in the front rank) jockeyed for position like jockeys before the race; by contrast, the Huguenots, tough partisan troops, veterans of a hundred petty skirmishes sat in their compact squadrons as still and steady as a rock.

It was at this time that the Huguenot artillery, after the royal guns on the field but first into position, opened fire: They were ensconced on a small knoll of minor elevation, but placed so as to command the entire field. Served by veterans and commanded by a master gunner, the huguenots managed eighteen deadly shots for six ineffectual ones from the royal battery: hitting the Royal cavalry almost at an enfilading angle, they caused near-chaos in the Catholic ranks.

Lavardin, cried: 'we lose by waiting!' and joyeuse called for the charge: the trumpet was sounded and the Catholic host surged forward.

Lavardin's light horse was first off the mark: they crashed into Tremuille's light troops opposite, bowling them over and sending some fleeing through the town; eighteen recently joined scotch volunteers formed Tremuille a solid core and aided by the artillery, quickly brought Lavardin to a halt.

The Catholic townsfolk, seeing the light troopers fleeing, began cheering and crying 'Victory!'

The infantry on the left, hearing the cries and believing they might as well die attacking as attacked, charged forward over the brook, falling on the Royal troops before they knew, dragging pikes aside or rolling under, they closed in hand-to-hand and that side of the field dissolved into melee.

The Infantry on the right were hotly engaged, but not too badly they couldn't spare a volley or two for Lavardin's horse, the Royal infantry continued attacking until the battle was over, bravely charging the warren again and again.

But it was in the center that the battle was decided: at the trumpet-call, the entire Catholic line, still rippling and unsteady, lowered their lances and went to the gallop.

The Huguenots began walking their horses, conserving them for the fight; as they speeded up to the trot, they raised their voices in the battle hym of their party: "This is the day which the lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad n it. . ." One lord, on Joyeuse's right cried: "Ha! the cowards! they are confessing themselves!" To be replied to by lieutenant Vaux, a veteran with much experience against the huguenots: "M'sieur, when the Huguenots make those noises, they are prepared to fight hard."

It couldn't have been long after that that the Arqubusiers between the Huguenot squadrons fired and the Huguenots spurred to the gallop.

The Catholic line was shattered into fragments and Joyeuse took to his heels: cornered by a group of Huguenot cavalry, he threw down his sword and called: "My ransom is a hundred thousand francs!" his reward was a shot in the head: for the commander who had ordered Huguenot wounded killed in the field and had butchered garrisons that had surrendered relying on the laws of honest warfare, there could be little quarter.

Indeed, until Henry intervened, little quarter was given any of the Royal army, and dozens of nobles and over three thousand common soldiers were killed.

Totaling up the day's work, Henry said: "Well, at least now no one can say we Hueguenots never win a battle."

References

The Armada by Garret Mattingley