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18th-century map showing Bergerac and its defences

The Battle of Bergerac was fought between Anglo-Gascon and French forces at the town of Bergerac in Gascony, in August 1345 during the early phase of the Hundred Years' War. In early 1345 Edward III of England launched a major attack on the French from the north. He sent smaller forces to Gascony, which was economically important to the English war effort, and to Brittany. Henry of Grosmont, Earl of Derby, arrived in Gascony in August; breaking with the previous policy of cautious advance, he struck directly for the largest French concentration at Bergerac. He took French forces under Bertrand I of L'Isle-Jourdain and Henri de Montigny by surprise and defeated them. The French suffered heavy casualties and the loss of the town, a significant strategic setback. This defeat, along with the Battle of Auberoche later in the year, changed the military balance of power in the region and led to the collapse of the French position. (This article is part of a featured topic: Gascon campaign of 1345.)

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