"Old" Battlefield Suggestions and Advice

Thanks for the response. We will have a car, and we will be restricting ourselves to France proper (thus no Waterloo this time). The sites we hope to visit will be sidetrips, not the main purpose. So, for example, as long as we will be touring the Loire Valley, I would like to see where Charles Martel defeated Abdul Rahman in 732. That battle (100 years after the death of Mohammed) marks the first major defeat of an Islamic army anywhere. It also marks the high water mark for Islamic conquest in Europe. From then to 1492, the Caliphate was rolled back (its restoration is one of the primary goals of bin Laden). And from that event arises Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire, the definitive cultures of Germany and France...in other words, Europe as we now know it. So, a really, really important event in world history And while in the Champagne region, we hope to visit the Chalons battlefield where the western Roman Empire had its last great victory, defeating Attila, and opening the way for the Germanic tribes to be the ones who became the Europeans. If Aetius lost to Attila, it seems to me that European history would be vastly different. Crecy and Agincourt mark the rise of "the common foot soldier" (in the form of the archers) over the mounted nobility, the end of the Age of Chivalry and, in fairly short order, the rise of France and England as defined nations pretty much as we know them today. Agincourt makes as good a place as any to mark the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the "modern world."

I have found that the most effective way to visiting battle sites, when that is the objective of the day, is to be motorised, either be driven or driving youself. What you have listed, Agincourt is in the Nord Pas-de-Calais, rather far from Poitiers, Other suggestions I have are Waterloo (if you're going to limit yourself to France and Belgium), definitely helps to have a car getting and seeing the sights connected with it, Gravalotte, (near Metz) not just the battle field but the Prussian-German military cemetery, Montmirail, (east of Paris) where Napoleon was on a roll,...these are the ones I've been to, aside from Deutsch Wagram, outside of Vienna. I would suggest Sedan (1870), most definitely, and Rocrois,..but have yet to see them. The main question is how far of a geographic range you want to go...France, Germany, Cz, Hungary?

If you´re expecting something like a Civil War battlefield, prepare for dissapointment. There´s often nothing but a few historical markers, and in many cases, the landscape may have completely changed. I´ve looked for some remains or markers about some less well known battles that occurred near where I live... I can´t find anything.

Go to Languedoc-Roussillon and visit the important sites in the the early 13th century Cathar Crusade of the Catholic Church which exterminated an entire population of "heretics." Beziers, Minerve, and the Cathar castles are interesting to visit today and chilling to contemplate what occurred there.

Since you're going to Tours where the decisive battle in 732 AD took place and are motorised, you're not that far from Saumur. See the large tank museum there...Musée des Blindes. If you're going east of Paris, I would make it point to see Valmy, site of the eventful engagement in 1792.

I've just been re-reading all of your posts as we are now making our plans "real." Let me thank you for all of them. They've been very helpful in honing our itinerary.