[1] Saint-Denis, the traditional burial place of the kings of France, was located in the outskirts of English-held Paris, and had been captured by the French a couple of months earlier.

The town of Saint-Denis was important not only as a strategic outpost positioned in the very outskirts of Paris, but was also recognized by both sides in the conflict as a symbol of France,[2] as it was the traditional burial place of French monarchs.

[4] In late 1434, England's ally Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, began signing a series of truces with the Armagnacs, leaving the English on their own.

The French did not fail to take advantage of the disrupted English defences, and on the early hours of 1 June, Armagnac troops led by the captains of nearby of Melun and Lagny seized Saint-Denis.

[2] From their newly established position, the Armagnacs proceeded to afterwards harassed the surroundings of Paris, attacking and killing its inhabitants and ruining plantation fields around the city.

[12] Even with peace being discussed, the war around the French capital continued; the Anglo-Burgundian army successfully relieved Orville, and moved to reduce the rest of the area to their obedience.

[15] Upon noting the approach of the English, the garrison took their measures to defend the town, remaining alert day and night to be always ready to mount the defence.

Pierre de Rieux ordered his men at the ramparts not to quit their positions under any circumstance, and had at his disposal a backup force in case any area faced difficulties.

[16] On 21 September, the Duke of Burgundy signed the Treaty of Arras with the disputed French king Charles VII, by which he permanently abandoned his English allies.

He was unable to gather a sufficiently powerful force to challenge the English at Saint-Denis, and Rieux, being aware of this, entered into negotiations with the besiegers for the conditional surrender of the garrison.

The capture of Saint-Denis, the traditional place of burial for French monarchs, allowed her to be buried alongside her deceased husband Charles VI of France.

Much of English-ruled France began to collapse; Pierre de Rieux, recently relieved from the siege, surprised and captured Dieppe in Normandy on 29 October 1435.

[21] Saint-Denis itself was besieged anew by the French and captured in February 1436, with an English relief army of around 800 men[22] led by Sir Thomas Beaumont[b] being almost destroyed.

Among the commanders of the French force that retook the city was Jean de Villiers, who had fought alongside the English at Saint-Denis only a few months previously.