Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The memorial of the Battle of Formigny, erected in the municipality of the same name, pays tribute to a decisive confrontation of the Hundred Years War. On 15 April 1450, French troops led by the connétable de Richemont (Arthur III of Brittany) and the count of Clermont (John II of Bourbon) won a major victory against the English. This battle allowed Charles VII to regain control of Normandy, then occupied. The monument, carved by Arthur Le Duc, was threatened with destruction under the Vichy regime to recover bronze, but was spared because of its anti-English symbolism.

The Battle of Formigny marked a strategic turning point, permanently weakening the English presence in Normandy. The British soldiers who died in the field were buried in a place called Tombeau aux Anglais, reflecting the scale of the fighting. To commemorate the victims and celebrate the victory, the Count of Clermont built the chapel of Saint Louis in the 15th century, still visible today. The present monument, inscribed with historical monuments, perpetuates this collective memory.

Formigny, now integrated into the commune of Formigny La Bataille since 2017, has preserved several traces of this past. The church of Saint Martin (15th century) and the chapel of Saint Louis, linked to the battle, complete this heritage. The region, marked by centuries of Franco-English conflicts, highlights this site as a symbol of Capetian reconquest. The monument, spared by the mobilization of metals under Vichy, remains a national memory.

External links