1356

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political events

The Battle of Poitiers (or Maupertuis) in Poitu September 19 ends in defeat for France's Jean II, whose army is cut to ribbons by English forces under the Black Prince of Wales, Edward. The Black Prince has 2,000 archers and 4,000 men-at-arms; the French 3,000 crossbowmen, 500 cavalry, and 17,000 infantry. But Sir John Chandos sees the French cavalry in disorder, cries out, "Sire, charge, and the day is yours," the English charge, and they do carry the day, sustaining only moderate casualties while the French lose 2,500 killed and 2,000 captured. Sir John sets an example of courtesy and mercy toward the vanquished, but the Black Prince of Wales Edward Plantagenet takes Jean as a hostage to England along with a crowd of French aristocrats who include 16-year-old Enguerrand de Coucy, plus wagonloads of booty, leaving France to the regency of Jean's son Charles, 18, who is unable to prevent civil chaos (see 1357).

Sweden's Magnus II Eriksson encounters opposition from Pope Innocent VI (see 1352); having abdicated his Norwegian throne last year, he will be forced to make concessions to the nobility, cede about half of his Swedish kingdom to his son Erik, and make peace with Denmark's Valdemar IV Atterdag (see 1359).

The Golden Bull issued by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV fixes the form and place of the imperial election and coronation of electors, it establishes the duties and privileges of electors, and it transforms the empire from a monarchy into an aristocratic federation that will endure for 450 years (see 1338). Charles makes no secret of his view that the empire is an anachronism, but he values the emperor's right to nominate vassals to vacant fiefs, and he makes sure that the king of Bohemia is given first place among the empire's secular electors.

The Laotian king Fa Ngoun (Fa Ngum) of Lan Xang conquers the kingdom of Vientiane as he continues to battle his neighbors (see 1353; 1373).

Korea lapses into a 36-year period of disorder. The Koryo kings who dominated the country for 235 years until 1170 have intermarried with the Mongols and become mere satellites of the Mongol imperial family; they stage a successful revolt against the Mongols, but they have depended for their authority on Mongol prestige and are unable to suppress their vassals, who create chaos with help from Japanese pirates (see 1369).

commerce

The Black Prince of Wales Edward Plantagenet sells prisoners captured at Poitiers to his father, Edward III, for £20,000. The ransom demanded for Jean II is £500,000, and many English lords obtain substantial fortunes from the sale of prisoners and property taken in France. Virtually every English manor house is soon stocked with French bedcovers, clothing, cutlery, furs, linens, tablecloths, and wooden or silver bowls.

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