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Lancaster's Normandy chevauchée of 1356

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Lancaster's chevauchée of 1356
Part of the Edwardian Phase of the Hundred Years' War
Date22 June – 13 July 1356
Location
Northern France
Belligerents
Kingdom of England Kingdom of France
Commanders and leaders
Henry, Earl of Lancaster
Robert Knolles		 Arnoul d'Audrehem

Lancaster's chevauchée of 1356 was an offensive directed by Henry, Earl of Lancaster, in northern France during 1356, as a part of the Hundred Years' War.

Lancaster was to land on the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy and gather the supporters of Charles II of Navarre in Normandy and ravage the County of Anjou before linking up with an army led by the Black Prince and an army led by Edward III from Calais.

The plan ultimately failed as Edward III, was unable to leave England. Lancaster was unable to cross the Loire, as the bridges had either been destroyed or were too well defended.

Background

a head and shoulders drawing of Edward III, in armour and bearing a sword
Edward III of England

Since the Norman Conquest of 1066, English monarchs had held titles and lands within France, the possession of which made them vassals of the kings of France.[1] Following a series of disagreements between Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350) and Edward III of England (r. 1327–1377), on 24 May 1337 Philip's Great Council in Paris agreed that the lands held by Edward III in France should be taken back into Philip's hands on the grounds that Edward III was in breach of his obligations as a vassal. This marked the start of the Hundred Years' War, which was to last 116 years.[2]

In 1346 King Edward III of England led an army across northern France, defeating the French at the Battle of Crécy and laying siege to the port of Calais. With French finances and morale at a low ebb after Crécy, King Philip VI failed to relieve the town and it surrendered on 3 August 1347.[3][4] Following further inconclusive military manoeuvres by each side, and given that both sides were financially exhausted, emissaries despatched by Pope Clement VI found willing listeners. By 28 September the Truce of Calais, intended to bring a temporary halt to the fighting, had been agreed.[5] This strongly favoured the English, confirming them in possession of all of their territorial conquests.[5] It was to run for nine months to 7 July 1348, but was extended repeatedly over the years until it was formally set aside in 1355.[6] The truce did not stop ongoing naval clashes between the two countries, nor small-scale fighting in Gascony and Brittany, nor occasional fighting on a larger scale.[7][8]

A treaty ending the war was negotiated at Guînes and signed on 6 April 1354. However, the French king, now John II, decided not to ratify it and it did not take effect. The latest extension to the truce was due to expire on 24 June. It was clear that from then both sides would be committed to full-scale war.[9][10] In April 1355 Edward III and his council, with the treasury in an unusually favourable financial position, decided to launch offensives that year in both northern France and Gascony.[11][12] John II of France (r. 1350–1364) attempted to strongly garrison his northern towns and fortifications against the expected descent by Edward III, at the same time assembling a field army; he was unable to, largely due to lack of money.[13]

Prelude

profile of a bearded man with long red hair
A contemporary image of John II

The English expedition to Normandy was intended to be carried out with the cooperation of the French magnate Charles II of Navarre,[14][15] but Charles reneged on the agreement.[16][17] Instead a chevauchée, a large-scale mounted raid, was attempted from the English enclave of Calais in November.[15][16] However, the French King had stripped the area of fodder, food and potential booty, causing the English to return to Calais within ten days.[16][18] They had achieved nothing, but did focus French attention on the north.[19][20]

Edward III's eldest son, Edward of Woodstock, later commonly known as the Black Prince, was given the Gascon command[21][22] and arrived in Bordeaux, the capital of English-held Gascony, on the 20th accompanied by 2,200 English soldiers.[23][24] An Anglo-Gascon force of between 5,000 and 6,000 men marched from Bordeaux 300 miles (480 km) to Narbonne and back to Gascony, devastating a wide swathe of French territory and sacking many French towns on the way.[25][26] While no territory was captured, enormous economic damage was done to France;[27] the modern historian Clifford Rogers concluded that "the importance of the economic attrition of the chevauchée can hardly be exaggerated."[28] The English component resumed the offensive after Christmas to great effect, and more than 50 French-held towns or fortifications in south-west France were captured during the following four months.[29] Several local lords went over to the English, bringing 30 fortified places with them.[30]

Money and enthusiasm for the war were running out in France. The modern historian Jonathan Sumption describes the French national administration as "fall[ing] apart in jealous acrimony and recrimination".[31] Much of the north of France was openly defying John and a contemporary chronicler recorded that "the King of France was severely hated in his own realm". Arras rebelled and killed loyalists. The major nobles of Normandy refused to pay taxes. On 5 April they were dining at the Duke of Normandy's table when John arrived, accompanied by armed men, and arrested ten of the most outspoken; four were summarily executed. The Norman nobles who had not been arrested turned to Edward for assistance.[32]

Anglo-Navarrese offensive

A map of the Duchy of Normandy, showing the location of Caen
Normandy

Lancaster arrived in the Contentin on 1 June 1356, bringing with him some 1300 men. Philip, Count of Longueville added 300 of his own retainers. Robert Knolles also brought with him 800 men from the English garrisons in Brittany. The small mounted army rode out from Montebourg on 22 June. Too late to save Évreux, which had surrendered to the French, the army arrived in time to relieve and reinforce the Navarrese garrison at Pont-Audemer. Moving south the army reached Conches-en-Ouche on 3 July to find that the town had fallen to the French. Lancaster was able to drive off a small French army outside the walls of Breteuil before going on to capture Verneuil, before turning westwards on 8 July. By 13 July the army was back at Montebourg.

Aftermath

Image of a man dressed in late-medieval finery
Henry of Grosmont, Earl of Lancaster, Earl of Derby

Lancaster had failed to relieve Evreux, but brought back considerable booty making the short campaign a profitable venture for the participants. The chevauchée also caused King John II of France to undertake a siege of Breteuil, instead of focusing on the Black Prince in Gascony.

Citations and sources

Citations

  1. ^ Prestwich 2007, p. 394.
  2. ^ Sumption 1990, p. 184.
  3. ^ Jaques 2007, p. 184.
  4. ^ Burne 1999, pp. 144–147, 182–183, 204–205.
  5. ^ a b Sumption 1990, p. 585.
  6. ^ Wagner 2006b, pp. 74–75.
  7. ^ Wagner 2006b, p. 74.
  8. ^ Harari 2007, p. 114.
  9. ^ Wagner 2006f.
  10. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 139–142.
  11. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 153, 160.
  12. ^ Madden 2014, p. 6.
  13. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 171–172.
  14. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 126–129.
  15. ^ a b Sumption 1999, pp. 171–173.
  16. ^ a b c Curry 2002, pp. 42–43.
  17. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 131–132.
  18. ^ Sumption 1999, p. 173.
  19. ^ Sumption 1999, p. 174.
  20. ^ Madden 2014, pp. 14–15, 359.
  21. ^ Madden 2014, pp. 79ff.
  22. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 153–154.
  23. ^ Curry 2002, p. 40.
  24. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 168, 175.
  25. ^ Burne 1999, pp. 252, 258.
  26. ^ Curry 2002, p. 43.
  27. ^ Rogers 2014, p. 324.
  28. ^ Rogers 1994, p. 101.
  29. ^ Burne 1999, p. 259.
  30. ^ Rogers 2014, p. 330.
  31. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 102, 111, 115.
  32. ^ Rogers 2014, pp. 332–334.

Sources

  • Burne, Alfred (1999) [1955]. The Crecy War. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions. ISBN 978-1840222104.
  • Curry, Anne (2002). The Hundred Years' War 1337–1453 (PDF). Oxford: Osprey Publishing (published 13 November 2002). ISBN 978-1841762692. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2018.
  • Harari, Yuval N. (2007). "For a Sack-full of Gold Écus: Calais 1350". Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100–1550. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. pp. 109–124. ISBN 978-1-84383-292-8.
  • Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33537-2.
  • Sumption, Jonathan (1990). Trial by Battle. The Hundred Years' War. Vol. I. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0571200955.
  • Sumption, Jonathan (1999). Trial by Fire. The Hundred Years' War. Vol. II. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571138969.
  • Wagner, John A. (2006b). "Calais, Truce of (1347)". Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Greenwood. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0-313-32736-0.
  • Wagner, John A. (2006f). "Guines, Treaty of". Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Greenwood. pp. 160–164. ISBN 978-0-313-32736-0.
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