Editing 1453 (section)

==== England and France ====

The [[Parliament of England]] met at [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] on March 6. The members of the parliament were highly receptive to King [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]]'s rule due to the crushing of [[Jack Cade's Rebellion]] in 1450 and the reconquest of Gascony by [[John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury|John Talbot]] in 1452. The parliament approved a grant giving Henry the ability to raise an army of 20,000 archers for a period of six months, likely intend for a future reconquest of Gascony or [[Normandy]].{{Sfn|Wolffe|2001|pp=264–266}}{{multiple image
| image1            = Français 5054, fol. 229v, Bataille de Castillon (1453).jpg
| image2            = 15th-century painters - Surrender of the Burghers of Ghent in 1453 - WGA15789 (cropped).jpg
| width             = 200
| caption1          = 1484 depiction of the [[Battle of Castillon]]
| alt1              = A colorful illustration of a group of English and French knights fighting outside a castle. The French have several cannons
| caption2          = 1450s depiction of the surrender of [[Ghent]] to [[Philip the Good]] after the [[Battle of Gavere]]
| alt2              = A group of burghers are kneeling on the ground outside a castle on a starry night. They are surrendering to a group of men on horseback, including Duke Philip the Good, holding a sword
}}

A reinforcement of over 2,000 men led by a number of prominent noblemen was sent to Gascony in March, increasing Talbot's forces to upwards of 7,300. However, the French navy was able to cut off English access to Bordeaux via the [[Gironde estuary]], preventing further reinforcement. On July 17, the French routed the English army at the [[Battle of Castillon]], killing Talbot. Charles VII's forces moved further into Gascony, [[Siege of Bordeaux (1453)|laying siege to Bordeaux]] in August. The city, alongside the holdout of [[Rions]], surrendered on October 20, ending the English presence in the region and bringing a close to the last phase of the [[Hundred Years' War]].{{Sfn|Vale|1969|pp=132–133}}<ref name=":0" />