Beaugency is a town and commune on the right bank of Loire River in the Loiret département, France. The city of Beaugency has experienced a sometimes violent military history. It was occupied on four separate occasions by the English. On June 16 – 17, 1429, it was the site of the famous Battle of Beaugency, when it was finally freed by Joan of Arc. Beaugency also played an important strategic role in the Hundred Years' War. It was burned by the protestants in 1567 and suffered extensive damage to the walls, the castle, and the church. In 1940 and again in 1944 the city was bombed by Nazi Germany. On September 16, 1944: surrender of the German Major General Botho Henning Elster with 18,850 men and 754 officers at the Loire bridge of Beaugency to U.S. Major General Robert C. Macon of the 83rd Infantry Division. Until 1846 Beaugency was an important commercial center due to trade along the Loire. After trade moved from the river to rail traffic, the city's role changed and Beaugency became a market center for the surrounding agricultural district. Today Beaugency's economy depends largely on tourism.
