Thanks for downloading the Inartime podcast. For more details about Inartime and for our terms of use

Please go to bbc.co.uk forward slash radio for I hope you enjoy the program

Hello in 1422 Henry V warrior hero on his way to Conquer France died as did King Charles the Sixth of France

The French aristocracy were at war with each other English soldiers occupied Paris and Charles's crown was disputed

contested by Zon son the dofa and the infant king of England Henry the Sixth, but as the English army in 1428 pressed down through France

The only thing that seemed to stand between the English king and the French crown was the city of Oliol

Looking back on the events that followed the Duke of Bedford wrote to King Henry the Sixth and declared that all things

Prosperate for you till the time of the siege of Oliol taken in hand God knows by what advice and in 1429

Joan of Arc made her entrance into Oliol and into history

But what happened at the siege of Oliol did Joan of Arc really rescue the city and how significant was the battle in change in the cause of the

Hundred Years War and the subsequent histories of England and France with me to discuss the siege of Oliol are Anne Curry

Professor of medieval history at Southampton University

Malcolm Veil fellow and Tutor in history its in Johns College Oxford and Matthew Bennett senior lecturer at the Royal

Emerging Academy at Sandhurst and Curry in 1428 the English army were camped outside only

It's a city as big as London was then 20 or 30,000 people were towed with great walls and fortifications

How how well equipped were the English? Can you give us some idea of the army that got there and what shaped they were in?

Well, it may not seem very important to us, but the English had raised about 4,300 men for this campaign

This was if you like the big push. They'd guard about 2,700 recruited in England who'd sailed across in July

1428 and they'd raised another 1,600 from the garrisons within Normandy and France

Because by the time they got to Olians they'd taken a few other places so they'd had to install garrisons in those

But we're probably talking about at least three and a half thousand English soldiers camped around Olians

You didn't need it that number because Olians, as you said, was a pretty big place

...