The Combat of the Thirty was a famous battle fought on March 27, 1351, during the Breton civil war (part of the Hundred Years' War) between Jean de Montfort (supported by the English) and Charles de Blois (supported by the French). The combat was an emprise, an arranged passage of arms, between thirty men of the pro-Blois garrison of Josselin, led by Robert de Beaumanoir, and thirty men of the pro-Montfort garrison of Ploermel, led by Robert Bemborough. March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (87th in Leap years). ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Suko of Japan, third of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders Start of the reign of Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan, fourth of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders May 1 Zürich joins the Swiss Confederation. ... The Breton War of Succession was a conflict fought between 1341 and 1364 over the control of the Duchy of Brittany, opposing the Houses of Blois and Montfort. ... A map of Europe in the 1430s, at the height of the Hundred Years War The Hundred Years War was a 116-year-long armed conflict between the Kingdom of England and France, beginning in 1337 and ending in 1453. ... John IV of Montfort (in French Jean IV de Montfort) (1295 - September 16, 1345), was duke of Brittany, from 1341 to his death. ... Charles of Blois (died September 29, 1364), was duke of Brittany, from 1341 to his death. ... Josselin is a commune of France, in the Morbihan département, in the region of Brittany. ... Ploërmel is a commune of France, in the Morbihan département, in the Brittany region. ...

The combatants used axes and daggers, and continued until a break was called. Two English and four French were dead at that point, and de Beaumanoir was bleeding and exhausted. He is said to have called for a drink, to which Bemborough is quoted as replying, "Drink your blood, Beaumanoir, your thirst will pass soon enough." Once the combat resumed it did not stop until Bemborough and eight of his party were dead, and the rest had been taken for ransom. De Beaumanoir and the French were victorious. Firefighter with a fire-axe An axe (also spelt as ax) is a tool with a metal blade that is securely fastened at a 90 degree angle to a handle, usually of wood, while a blade fastened horizontally is called an adze. ... For the typographical mark, see dagger (typography). ...

While the combat did not have any real effect on the war, or the political issues surrounding it, the legend it created, and the renown attached to those who participated were such that twenty years later Jean Froissart noticed a scarred survivor at the table of Charles V, where he was honored above all others. Jean Froissart (~1337 - ~1405) was one of the most important of the chroniclers of medieval France. ... Charles V the Wise (French: Charles V le Sage) (January 31, 1338 – September 16, 1380) was king of France (1364 to 1380) and a member of the Valois Dynasty. ...

External links

• A Verse Account of the Combat of the Thirty (http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/muhlberger/chroniqu/texts/AINSWORT.HTM)