The popular perception of the Middle Ages is of knights and castles. The knights followed a code of conduct known as chivalry. Knights were to fight fairly (unless they were facing foot soldiers). The code encouraged courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak (if they were nobles). In 1351, an incident occurred that would become part of the myth of chivalry. France and England were in the Hundred Years War. English kings were attempting to increase their land in France and the French were attempting to expel the English devils. Five years earlier, the English had badly defeated a French army at Crecy. The unchivalrous English used peasant longbowmen to slaughter the cream of French knighthood. The Combat of the 300 occurred during a sideshow in the war known as the Breton War of Succession. The English backed one of the claimants to Duchy of Brittany and the French the other. One day, after a period of boredom because there had not been any fighting, Jean de Beaumanoir (the leader of the castle in Josselin) rode over to Ploermel to challenge the English captain Robert Brandebourch to a duel. Brandebourch thought it would be more fun if they had a tournament between 30 of each side. Beaumanoir agreed and the melee was to take place near an oak tree between the two castles.
On March 26, 1351, the two sides met in front of spectators. The knights fought with swords, daggers, lances, and swords. It was a battle to the death. When they stopped to take a break, four French knights and two English were killed. The time-out allowed the men to get some wine, adjust their armor, and bandage their wounds. When the fighting was renewed, the English got in a phalanx formation and dared the French to break it. A French squire named Guillaume de Montauban mounted his horse and smashed into the formation. This was unchivalrous act, but it won the battle as several of the English were trampled. In the end, the English lost 9 men killed including Brandebourch. The rest were taken prisoner. The French lost a total of 6 and several died from their wounds. The battle had no effect on the war, of course. But it was so glorious!
https://www.medievalists.net/2022/06/combat-thirty/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_of_the_Thirty
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