Battle of Castillon: The last battle of Hundred Years' War, the French under Jean Bureau defeat the English under the Earl of Shrewsbury, who is killed in the battle in Gascony.
The Battle of Castillon took place on 17 July 1453 in Gascony near the town of Castillon-sur-Dordogne (later Castillon-la-Bataille), between England and France. Historians regard this decisive French victory as marking the end of the Hundred Years' War.
On the day of the battle, English commander John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, believing that the enemy was retreating, led his army into a fortified French encampment without waiting for reinforcements. Talbot then refused to withdraw even after realizing the strength of the French position, causing his men to suffer extensive casualties from the French artillery. Castillon was the first major battle won through the extensive use of field artillery.The battle led to the English losing almost all their holdings in France, especially Gascony (Aquitaine), an English possession for the previous three centuries. The balance of power in Europe shifted, and political instability ensued in England.