Siege of Tartas

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Siege of Tartas
Part of the Hundred Years' War (1415–53 phase)
King Charles VII of France entering Tartas on 24 June 1442. Miniature from the Vigiles du roi Charles VII by Martial d'Auvergne, c. 1484
Date 31 August 1440 – 24 June 1442 Location Tartas, Gascony 43°50′01″N 0°48′27″W / 43.8336°N 0.8075°W / 43.8336; -0.8075 Result French victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England • Gascony	Barony of Albret Kingdom of France
Commanders and leaders
John Holland Thomas Rempston	Charles II of Albret John, Vc. of Lomagne
Strength
500	garrison unknown 12,000 (relief)
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

The siege of Tartas (31 August 1440 – 24 June 1442) in Gascony was an engagement between English and French forces in the late stages of the Hundred Years' War. It was undertaken by English forces and their Gascon subjects against Charles II of Albret, a powerful nobleman in southwestern France. Albret was hostile to the English and his presence in Gascony caused much trouble to the English in the region, thereby raising the need to strike against him. The bulk of hostilities only lasted up until early 1441: the siege had dragged on inconclusively, and peace terms were agreed between the attackers and defenders. The ceasefire was extended several times until mid-1442 as both sides awaited further support from England and France.

The conduct of this affair became an important subject as one of the arrangements concluded in 1441 stated that Albret had to switch his allegiance if his suzerain, Charles VII of France, failed to aid him against his enemies. This had in fact raised the possibility of the entire nobility of southwestern France switching their allegiance to the English. Nothing came of it, however. Undermanned and outnumbered, the English withdrew in face of an approaching French army on 24 June 1442.