Editing Battle of Poitiers (section)

===First attack===

The English had slept in or near their defensive positions and just after dawn{{snd}}which would have been at 5:40 am{{snd}}the French drew themselves up in battle order with their leading men about {{convert|500|yd|sigfig=1}} from the English positions.{{sfn|Rothero|1995|p=11}} After the two armies had been facing each other for about two hours the French detected movement among the English, and believed the Black Prince's personal [[Military colours, standards and guidons|standard]] was withdrawing.{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|p=180}} There is modern debate as to what movement took place.{{sfn|Nicolle|2004|p=56}} Some scholars have proposed that the movement was of wagons, escorted by cavalry from Warwick's division; the wagons may have been empty and returning to their [[Laager#Variations|laager]] in the rear, or full and moving to a safer position away from the front line, or both and the start of a staged withdrawal by the English. If the latter their escort may have been most or all of Warwick's division and the movement of the standard was possibly his being mistaken for the Prince's or the Prince moving back as the second part of the disengagement.{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|pp=180–181}}{{sfn|Green|2013|pp=39–40}} Another proposal is that the Black Prince deliberately had his troops move to simulate a withdrawal and provoke a French attack.{{sfn|Rogers|2014|pp=376–377}}{{sfn|Jones|2019|p=187}} The commanders of the leading French division took the movement to be a full-scale English withdrawal and ordered their men to advance, thinking this movement would effectively be a pursuit, thus starting the fighting.{{sfn|Rogers|2014|pp=376–377}}{{sfn|Jones|2019|p=187}}{{sfn|Green|2013|p=42}}

Audrehem's cavalry attacked Warwick's division on the English left, while Clermont charged Salisbury's on the right. In both cases the French plan was that they clear away the English archers, while given [[fire support]] by their own crossbowmen.{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|pp=186–187}}{{sfn|Rogers|2014|p=378}} However, the archers in Warwick's division were positioned in the edge of a marsh and this terrain prevented the French cavalry from getting to grips with them. The archers in turn found that the French armour and barding prevented them from firing effectively. To get close enough to penetrate the French armour, the longbowmen would have had to leave the protection of the marsh, which would have exposed them to the risk of being ridden down by the French. Instead, they turned their fire on the supporting crossbowmen and, having a superior rate of fire, were able to [[Suppressive fire|suppress them]].{{#tag:ref|Some modern historians interpret the sources to indicate that some of Warwick's men-at-arms mounted and attacked the crossbowmen in the [[Flanking maneuver|flank]], driving them off.{{sfn|Rogers|2014|pp=377–378}}|group=note}} Oxford realised the French horses were mostly only barded on their forequarters. He led some of the archers along the edge of the marsh to a position from which they could shoot into the horses' unprotected hindquarters. The French cavalry took heavy casualties and withdrew; Audrehem was captured.{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|pp=186–187}}

On the English right Clermont advanced more cautiously, not far ahead of Brienne's dismounted troops.{{sfn|Nicolle|2004|p=61}} He discovered that Salisbury's men were defending a thick hedge with a single passable gap, wide enough for four horses abreast. Already committed to the attack, the French attempted to smash through the men-at-arms defending the gap. The English archers positioned in trenches near and to the right of the hedge are calculated to have fired 50 arrows per second at Clermont's group of cavalry.{{sfn|Sumption|1999|p=241}} Gascon crossbowmen joined in; although they had a much lower rate of fire, they could penetrate plate armour at longer ranges.{{sfn|Nicolle|2004|p=61}} Despite this fire, the cavalry were able to reach the gap in the hedge with few casualties. Here a fierce melee broke out. With the French now halted and at close range, the longbowmen were more effective against them. The French were also heavily outnumbered by the English men-at-arms and were forced back with heavy losses, including Clermont killed.{{sfn|Livingstone|Witzel|2018|pp=211–212}}

The sources contain only details concerning the rest of the attack by the first French division,{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|p=186}} made up of a mixed force of French and foreign men-at-arms, and [[commoner|common]] heavy infantry.{{sfn|Rogers|2014|p=380}}{{#tag:ref|That is, non-men-at-arms, who would have been, at least slightly, less well-armoured.|group=note}} The [[Crossbow bolt|bolts]] from their supporting crossbowmen were recorded as falling thickly, but with the cavalry repulsed the longbowmen turned against them and, having a superior rate of fire, were able to force them to withdraw despite their use of pavises. The division's leader, Brienne, the constable of France, was killed, as was one of Talleyrand's nephews, [[Robert of Durazzo]], who had accompanied the Cardinal during his negotiations. Douglas either fled to save his life{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|p=187}} or was badly wounded and carried from the field.{{sfn|Sumption|1999|p=239}} Given the heavy French casualties, it is assumed the attack was strongly pressed.{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|p=187}} As some contemporary sources summarise this phase of the fighting with "the first French division was defeated by the arrows of the English" it is also assumed by many modern historians that the longbowmen, still well supplied with ammunition able to punch straight through armour at close range, played a prominent part in the attack's repulse.{{sfn|Rogers|2014|p=379}}{{sfn|Green|2013|p=43}} The Black Prince was infuriated by the participation of Talleyrand's relatives and companions, and when told that a relative of the Cardinal, the châtelain d'Emposte, had been captured he ordered him beheaded; he was rapidly persuaded to withdraw the order by his advisers.{{sfn|Hoskins|2011|p=187}}