Black Monday Hail

On what became known as “Black Monday” in 1360, a hailstorm hit Chartres, France, and killed an estimated 1,000 English soldiers in Chartres, France. The storm and the devastation it caused would go on to play a part in the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. It’s an odd thing to think that a hailstorm could have an effect on a war, but we have seen other times when weather played a big part in a war or a battle. This storm would prove to be another example of that.

The Hundred Years’ War began in 1337, and by 1359, King Edward III of England was actively fighting to conquer France. That October, he took a great force across the English Channel to Calais. The French refused to fight the English and so stayed behind protective walls throughout the winter. Edward had free reign and pillaged the countryside for months. Then, in April of 1360, the English forces burned the Paris suburbs and moved on toward Chartres. While the army was camped outside the town, the “Black Monday” storm began. Lightning struck, killing several people, and hailstones began pelting the soldiers, scattering the horses. One soldier described it as “a foul day, full of myst and hayle, so that men dyed on horseback [sic].” Two of the English leaders were killed and panic set in among the troops, who had no shelter from the storm. I’m sure they were terrified and knew that they were going to die that day, and it wouldn’t be in battle. As the hail began, I just can’t imagine what must have been going through their minds. The kindest way to die would have been a direct hit to the head, but many of those soldiers were hit over and over to the body. The pain must have been excruciating, and death would only come after many horrific blows to the body.

The substantial losses sustained by the English were interpreted by many as punishment by God. King Edward was persuaded to seek peace with the French, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Bretigny on May 8, 1360. That treaty spelled the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War. Edward consented to relinquish all to the French throne, though he was given control over territories in the northern part of the country. Hostilities resumed nine years later when the French king declared war, alleging that Edward had violated the treaty. The final phase of the Hundred Years’ War did not conclude until 1453.