The Battle of Poitiers, 1356 A.D.

Witzel, Morgen, and Marilyn Livingstone.  The Black Prince and the Capture of a King, Poitiers
           1356.  Oxford: Casemate Publishers, 2018.  ISBN: 978-1-61200-451-8

During the One Hundred Years War between England and France, three battles stand out - Crecy, Poitiers, and Agincourt - as great English victories over larger French forces.  When Edward, the Prince of Wales was 16, he stood in the front lines at Crecy.   Ten years later, now known as the Black Prince, Edward led English and Gascony forces on a series of extended raids in southern and central France.   The battle of Poitiers resulted in the capture of the French king and temporary ascendance for England.

Witzel and Livingstone provide an excellent sense of context and importance to the campaigns that lead to the battle of Poitiers.  They carefully set the stage for the battle with a look at opposing forces, the terrain, the fighting the preceded the battle, and then a look at the result of the English victory. 

Witzel and Livingstone provide as much detail as is available in regard to the battle itself..  They look at the layout of the terrain, the position of forces, the way that French attacks developed and the counterattacks of the English. They discuss and speculate where details are sparse, but are careful to cite what sources are available while examining the validity of those sources. 

If the reader is looking for a readable yet scholarly examination of the Battle of Poitiers in context, The Black Prince and the Capture of a King is the book to read.