Combat of Rouvray or the Battle of the Herrings in 1429

This engraving, titled “Combat of Rouvray or the Battle of the Herrings in 1429,” depicts the clash that took place in 1429 near Orléans during the Hundred Years’ War. The scene shows a violent struggle around a fortified supply convoy, in a dense composition filled with overturned wagons, fallen horses, archers, and men-at-arms. The image emphasizes the confusion of battle and the dramatic nature of the event, which became famous under the name “Battle of the Herrings” because of the provisions being transported to the English forces. Created in the nineteenth century for the book Histoire de France en cent tableaux, the illustration belongs to the tradition of French historical imagery, which sought to give spectacular form to major military episodes of the national past.