10 Years after the English victory in Crecy an Anglo/Gascon Army led by Edward of Woodstock won a great victory at Poitiers on 19 September 1356. Once again a French Army was decimated by the despised English but what made this victory different was not only the capture of the French King, John II, but the fact that was a victory won by all arms, not just the longbow.In the 10 years since Crecy, the Black Death had ravaged Europe and England in particular. As a result, there had been a halt to hostilities between the two countries. In the respite, the French King carried out many much needed reforms to the French military system; in particular in the training and equipping of crossbowmen and the defenses of towns.In 1355, the English launched a series of Chevauchees against the French. The Prince of Wales’s Chevauchee, known as the Great Chevauchee, ravaged the south of France as far as Narbonne, causing immense damage to the French economy.On 19 September 1356, the French encounter the rearguard of the English Army. Edward and his generals are planning to retreat but they see a chance to strike. The battle that ensues is both bloody and decisive. By the end of the day, a large part of the French aristocracy was dead, dying or prisoner, including King John II. The Anglo/Gascon army was enriched beyond its wildest dreams with the ransoms that would be paid.This campaign was a masterpiece of strategic warfare. In 3 months, the Anglo/Gascon had carried out a devastating campaign of economic warfare that undermined the French State and destroyed the wealth of a major area of France. The final gloss on the campaign was the victory battle and the capture of the French King.In this program, the BHTV team uses their experience as soldiers and guides to bring this iconic campaign to life. The team examines the political, military and economic background to the campaign and brings the subject to life by visits to all the major locations, skillful use of maps and complimented by re-enactment footage and vignettes of life and combat in 1356.