Battle of Saint-Omer - Robert's Campaign

Robert's Campaign

Saint-Omer especially was given special attention by the French commanders as Robert failed to make the slightest precaution to conceal his destination, conducting a campaign of destruction almost in a direct line towards the French town. As he did so, Philip dispatched a force of approximately a thousand men to Saint-Omer under Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy and then followed this a week later with another sizeable force under Jean I, Count of Armagnac. These men soon put the town onto a war footing, evacuating much of the non-military population, demolishing the suburbs and fortifying the town walls. Contrary to the beliefs and claims of Robert of Artois, there were no pro-Flemish supporters in the town and Robert's plan of simply marching up to the gates and being admitted was thus impossible and foolhardy. Nevertheless, he continued to close on the town and on the 25 July razed the neighbouring town of Arques to the ground before spreading out across the eastern fringes of Saint-Omer prior to attack.

Behind Robert, the lumbering French army of Philip VI was making slow progress towards his position and it became immediately obvious to the Anglo-Flemish commanders that there was no time for a siege and that in just a few days their army would be crushed between the French Royal army and the garrison of Saint-Omer. Aware that he might be forced to withdraw, Robert drew his forces up in front of Saint-Omer offering the garrison the chance of battle. Robert's dispositions put his best troops, the English longbowmen and men from Bruges and Ypres, in the centre, with the left wing made up of men from Ypres, Veurne and Mons and the right with further soldiers of Bruges. Behind this force was a large mixed force of men from across Flanders and the allied army's camp.