Timeline

1337	Oct	Start of the Hundred Years' War
		Relations between England and France were not good. Philippe VI the French King had sent ships to help the Scots who were attacking English merchant shipping and ports. There was the threat that the French would invade England. Edward III then laid a claim to the French throne. The claim centred on the fact that Isabella, his mother, was the daughter of Philippe IV. All of Philippe IV's sons (John I, Philippe V and Charles IV) had died without passing the French throne onto a son. On his death-bed Charles IV designated Philippe of Valois, his first cousin, as regent. Charles' wife was expecting a child and it was hoped that the child would be a boy. The child was a girl and Philippe of Valois claimed the throne for himself. Edward's claim to the throne was disputed because in French law it was stated that the line of succession could not pass through a female line. Philippe VI then declared that all of the English held lands in France were forfeit. These events were the start of conflict between England and France that would last (on and off) for more than one hundred years.
1338	Qtr 1	French attack English ports
		Philippe used Genoese troops to attack ports on the south coast of England including Southampton, Plymouth, Hastings and Rye. The attacks reached right around the coast as far as Bristol.
	Jul	Edward invades France
		Edward crossed to Antwerp and attempted an invasion of France.
1339	Mar 12	French attack Jersey
		The French attack Gorey Castle on the island of Jersey but the castle's garrison held out and fought off the invaders.
	Mar 23	French plan invasion
		Philippe of France and the Normandy elite planned an invasion of England. Their invasion force consisted of around 20,000 to 25,000 men.
	Jul	French attack Dover
		A French fleet attacked Dover, Folkstone and Sandwich but they were driven back to France. Boulogne was attacked in revenge.
	Sep	Edward in Northern France
		With the promised help of the counts of Hainault and Namur Edward took his army into Northern France. The counts changed their minds as they had lands to lose if they fought against Philippe. Edward continued without their help and the English confronted the French at La Fremengerie. The French refused to fight and and English, short of supplies, turned back.
1340	Jan 25	Edward declares himself King
		In Ghent (Flanders) Edward declared himself as the true King of France. When he left Flanders for England Philippa remained as assurance that money Edward owed would be paid.
	Mar 29	Edward raises taxes
		Parliament agreed to raise taxes so that Edward could fund an army to invade France.
	Jun 24	Battle of Sluys
		A naval battle between the English and French. The French tried to prevent the English ships landing at Flanders. The French were defeated by Edward's forces. Edward did not follow up with the advantage.
	Sep 25	Treaty of Esplechin
		A peace treaty between Edward III and Philippe VI of France. Edward had large debts and further campaigning was not possible so he accepted that the truce between the two kings was the best course of action. This treaty marks the end of the first section of the Hundred Years War.
1341	Spring	Edward raises funds
		To raise funds for further French expeditions Edward had to confront Parliament. Parliament insisted that Edward reconfirmed various ancient charters.
1342	Oct	Edward and Brittany
		Edward sailed to Brittany to assist English troops already there. They were supporting Jean de Montfort's claim to be the Duke of Brittany. Philippe, king of France, disputed this claim and supported his own contender to the title. Edward left his eldest son in charge of England while he was away.
	Dec	Siege of Vannes
		Edward had to control Vannes if he was to hold Brittany and he laid siege to the city. The city did not fall to the English.
1343	Jan	Treaty of Malstroit
		After a hard winter without any new gains in France Edward signed a new peace treaty with the French and returned to England.
1346	Jan 1	Edward III orders an invasion fleet
		Edward III gave the order that an invasion fleet should be assembled at Portsmouth harbour.
	Jul 5	Edward departs Portsmouth
		Edward III's invasion fleet finally left harbour, delayed by bad weather earlier in the year. Estimates of the number of men Edward took with him vary but could have been around 20,000. This would have required hundreds of ships to transport them all.
	Jul 12	Edward III lands in Normandy
		Edward's invasion fleet landed on the north west coast of Normandy at Saint-Vaast de la Hougue on the Cotentin Peninsula (also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula). Edward stayed there for several days while the large army came ashore.
	Jul 17	Devastation of Normandy
		Edward III's army began their march east across Normandy attacking and destroying French towns as they went. Those towns that did not surrender were shown no mercy and when they fell to the English many of the inhabitants were killed. Other towns surrendered to avoid bloodshed. Many hostages were taken and shipped back to England so that ransom money could be demanded. The English fleet sailed along the coast at the same time destroying French ships and attacking ports os they went.
	Aug	Edward III crosses the Seine
		Philippe VI had ordered bridges across the Seine to be destroyed so that Edward could not cross the river. Edward marched south towards Paris but at Poissy his engineers managed to repair the bridge. His army crossed the river and turned north.
	Aug 26	Battle of Crecy
		Under Edward III, the English forces defeated a superior French army at Crecy. Estimates give the English numbers at around 12,000 and a French contingent at 36,000. The English longbow made its mark in the battle against the armour of the French knights.
	Sep 4	Siege of Calais
		Edward III began the siege of Calais that would last for almost a year. The governor of the town was man called Jean de Vienne. Edward demanded that the town should surrender but de Vienne refused, hoping that the town walls would hold the English out until Philippe VI could come to their rescue. The English set up camp around the town and arranged for supplies to be brought from England. Wooden houses were also built to house the soldiers while they waited. Philippa, the Queen even joined her husband at the camp.
1347	Aug	Calais captured by the English
		Philippe VI finally arrived at Calais and challenged Edward III to a fight. Edward agreed but instead Philippe withdrew abandoning the town to the English. The governor, Jean de Vienne, had no other option other than to surrender the town to Edward. The town's leaders should have been executed according to siege rules because they refused to surrender when first asked, but Edward spared their lives and they were taken as hostages. The town of Calais was emptied of all its citizens and all their property was confiscated. Edward then made Calais English territory and sent word to England that anyone who wanted to live in Calais was welcome as long as they could get there quickly.
	Sep	Edward accepts truce
		Edward III accepted a truce with France as the efforts abroad had been exhausting and he returned to England. Edward's popularity was high. He had beaten the French at Crecy and in his absence the Scots had been defeated at Neville's Cross.
1350		John II becomes King of France
		John became king of France after the death of his father Philippe.
1356	Sep 19	Battle of Poitiers
		On Monday the 19th of September the battle of Poiters took place. Eventhough the English army was outnumbered the Black Prince used superior tactics in the battle and defeated the French without suffering many losses. John, the French King, was captured along with many other French nobles and taken to Bordeaux.
1360	May	Treaty of Bretigny
		The treaty of Bretigny brought a period of peace for nine years during the Hundred Years War. The treaty was arranged between the Black Prince and the dauphin (later Charles V of France) before being approved by Edward III of England and King John of France. As part of the treaty Edward was given control of the areas of Gascony, Calais and Ponthieu as long as he agreed to give up his claim for the French throne. King John, currently being held hostage in England, was to be released on condition of a payment of 3 million gold crowns to by paid in installments.
	Oct	Treaty agreed
		At Calais Edward III and King John of France, who had be released from captivity, signed the Treaty of Bretigny.
1362	Jul	The Black Prince is given Gascony
		Edward III transferred control of Gascony to his eldest son, the Black Prince. Edward the Black Prince had just married Joan of Kent at Windsor and together they created a magnificent court in Bordeaux.
1364		Charles V becomes King of France
		Charles became king of France after the death of his father John.
1367	Apr 3	Battle of Nájera in Spain
		Edward the Black Prince went to assist Peter the Cruel, King of Castile, who had been driven from his thone by Henry Trastamara. With a combined army of English, Gascons, Navarrese and Castilians the Black Prince won a battle to put Peter back on the thrown. The victory at Nájera also brought the Castilian fleet under control which had been fighting on the side of the French when Trastamara was in power. Peter was later overthrown and the fleet again started fighting on the French side.
1385	Qtr 2	French prepare for invasion
		All through the summer months, the French prepared men and supplies in the Norman ports.
1386	Summer	French fleet mass at Sluys
		An invasion from France seemed to be imminent as the French fleet mass at Sluys.
1387	Dec	Invasion threat from France
		During the winter months of 1387 and spring months of 1388, Henry Bolingbroke prepared defences along the south coast.
1414	Summer	Henry claims French territories
		France was in the midst of a civil war between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs. Charles VI, the king of France, had joined the Armagnacs. Henry came in on the side of the Burgundians and saw the opportunity to reclaim lost lands in France. Henry's plan was to invade France but he needed a good reason. He gave the French king a list of demands including the French throne, the restoration of the Angevin empire and the hand of the king's daughter in marriage. If the demands could not be met Henry could go to war.
1415	Spring	Preparations for war with France
		As negotiations were underway in France, England was preparing for the invasion of France.
	Aug 1	Plot to overthrow the King
		Led by Richard Earl of Cambridge, Henry's cousin, a plot to assasinate the King and replace him with the Earl of March who was the true heir to the throne was hatched. The revolt brought together all the old enemies of Henry including Lord Scrope (Archbishop Scrope's nephew) and the Lollards. The Earl of March whose loyalties were with the king informed Henry of the plot the night before and the rebels were arrested. Several were executed.
	Aug 11	Henry sails for France
		Preparations for war were complete and Henry's army set sail from Southampton for the French coast.
	Aug 16	English fleets lands in Normandy
		Henry's army landed on the north bank of the Seine estuary near to the town of Harfleur (now part of Le Havre). Henry organised the siege of the town and waited for it to fall.
	Sep 22	Harfleur falls to the English
		The town held out for five weeks in which time the English soldiers were starting to suffer from disease caught from their camps in the marshes. The people in the town were not doing much better and when it was clear that the town was not going to be rescued, the citizens surrendered. Henry treated the towns people with respect and let them leave.
	Oct 8	The march to Calais
		Henry's plans for invading France had been dented by the time it took to capture Harfleur and the affect of disease on his men. He decided to move his men to Calais which was under English control.
	Oct 19	Henry crosses the Somme
		Henry's plan was to get across the Somme at its estuary where it was relatively easy to cross but he recieved word that the crossing was being guarded by the French. Henry had no other choice but to follow the west bank of the Somme south into French territory to find a suitable crossing point. His men were short of food as Henry had told them to take only a few day's supplies expecting them to reach Calais. Henry tinally found a crossing point that was unguarded and his army crossed the Somme.
	Oct 25	The Battle of Agincourt
		The English army met the French army near the town of Agincourt. Although the English were outnumbered three to one, Henry used the local terrain to his advantage. The French cavalry were hit heavily by the English archers and French knights got bogged down in the wet fields. The French were defeated and Henry ordered that no prisoners should be taken apart from the extremely important knights who could be ransomed. The death toll amongst the French nobility was high.
	Nov	Henry returns to England
		After a few weeks recovering in Calais from their ordeal, Henry and the English army returned to England to a hero's welcome.
1416		Armagnac Fleet blockade Harfleur
		A French fleet laid siege to Harfleur, the French port captured by Henry, and attempted to get it back.
	Aug 15	Harfleur rescued
		An English fleet commanded by John Duke of Bedford attacked and defeated the French blockading the mouth of the Seine who were preventing supplies reaching the English held town of Harfleur. Bedford was the king's brother.
1420	May 21	Treaty of Troyes
		Henry V pledged to recover all the lands of the dauphin Charles and (24.5) Henry recognised as heir to the French throne.
1422	May	Meaux falls to the English
		The French town of Meaux finally fell to the English besiegers. This being Henry's last great victory against the French.
	Oct 21	Charles VI of France dies
		Charles VI of France died and was buried in the Saint Denis Basilica. Henry VI of England was proclaimed king of France and John Duke of Bedford was appointed regent.
1423		Battle of Cravant in France
		English defeat the French at Cravant
1424		Battle of Verneuil
		The English defeat the French at Verneuil
1428	Oct	Siege of Orleans
		The Duke of Bedford led an English army to surround the French town of Orleans and the begin the siege.
1429	Feb	Joan visits Charles VII
		Joan was granted an audience with the dauphin at Vaucouleurs. At the meeting Charles had disguised himself as a servant and had a servant dress as himself. Joan was not fooled and picked the king out. Charles was impressed when Joan told him that God had told her that he was the true heir.
	Apr	Joan is given an army
		Charles gave Joan a small army and she sets of to free Orleans from the English.
	Apr 29	Joan reaches Orleans
		Joan reached Orleans and managed to get past the English to enter the town. There she raised the moral of the citizens trapped by the English siege.
	May 8	Siege of Orleans is lifted
		Joan of Arc had tried to negotiate with the English without success. More French troops had arrived to assist break the blockade. On May 7th, Joan was wounded by an arrow in the neck but survived and managed to lead the French to defeat the English at Les Tourelles (part of the town). On May 8th the English moved out of Orleans.
	Jun 18	The Battle of Patay
		The French defeat the English.
	Jul 17	Charles VII crowned at Rheims
		Joan of Arc and the dauphin entered Rhiems. Charles was crowned in the Cathedral and became King of France.
1430	May 23	Joan of Arc is captured
		Joan's main objective was to liberate Paris from the Burgundians, but first she needed to free Compiegne. It was during the fighting here that she was wounded again and this time captured. Joan was then sold to the English who handed her over to the Church. As Compiegne was under the bishopric of Beauvais Joan was delivered to Pierre Cauchon, the Bishop of Beauvais, who led the trial.
1431	Jan	The trial of Joan of Arc
		Joan's trial began.
	May 30	Joan of Arc burnt at the stake
		Joan was burnt at the stake in Rouen in the Old Market Square.
	Dec	Henry VI crowned as King of France
		Henry was crowned King of France in Paris.
1451	Jun 30	Bordeaux falls to the French
		The port city of Bordeaux fell to the French and English control was lost.
1453	Jul	English defeated at Castillion
		Sir John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and his army were totally destroyed by the French as they attempted to regain control of the region around Bordeaux. This is regarded as the last event in the Hundred Years War.