All of Edward’s gains in France were made at enormous cost!

Now, one by one, they were all eventually lost!’

King Edward III’s dream of becoming king of France had proved to be a costly delusion. His third surviving son, the mediocre John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, launched a blistering chevauchee from Brittany, towards Paris and Rheims in August 1373 with the intention of taking both. However, John of Gaunt lacked the military skills of both his father and his brother, so the French forces had little difficulty in repelling his assault. In desperation, John marched his army south and reached Bordeaux in December, having sustained heavy losses in terms of men and materials. The survivors presented a sorry sight as they shuffled into the city, bedraggled, bereft of armour and suffering from starvation.

‘The proud English Duke, John of Gaunt led his army through France on a disastrous jaunt!

As Duke John entered Bordeaux, the men gathered behind him stood hungry, emaciated and gaunt!’

In 1375, given the dire military situation in France, King Edward had no choice but to agree to a truce. John of Gaunt was sent to negotiate with Charles V and the process was overseen by Pope Gregory XI. The outcome of this was a net loss in terms of land to England.

Pope Gregory XI.

The only territories of substance which remained under English control were Bayonne, Bordeaux, Brest and Calais.

‘King Edward once had ambitions of securing from France, their royal crown!

Now the only thing that he got from the French was an almighty frown!’

The situation in England in the mid 1370’s was a most sorry one. King Edward was now in an advanced state of senility and the Black Prince grew weaker by the day. It was clear that the mark of death was now on both father and son. Of course the mantle of power fell on the shoulders of the unpopular John of Gaunt. With the Treasury empty and many allegations of corruption levelled at senior courtiers, a parliament was called for April 1376. This would become known as ‘The Good Parliament’ for it sought to root out the corrupt elements at the English court.

The Good Parliament of 1376.

‘The Good Parliament asked, why are the coffers bare? Where did the money go?

John of Gaunt and his smiling allies replied, well, we simply do not know!’

The Black Prince would have supported ‘The Good Parliament’, but he was to die in June 1376 and John of Gaunt and his associates felt free to dismiss it. A year later in June 1377, Edward III would die and his grandson, the ten year old Richard, son of the Black Prince would become king.

 

‘Poor King Edward becomes a doddering old fool!

Such a sad end for one who considered himself born to rule!

His consort dead, King Edward fell weeping into the arms of one, Alice Perrers, a woman eminently skilled in the dark arts of whoredom. Alice was wed at the age of twelve, and widowed at sixteen, before finding her way to Edward’s court. At some point, the young widow caught the king’s attention and he became captivated by her. Edward  derived great comfort from her presence, but her influence upon him was insidious. They presented a somewhat incongruous sight, the old king with his flowing grey beard and locks seated with a young woman of some twenty two years. The king, engulfed in bereavement, began to drink heavily and in this, Alice greatly encouraged him. With Alice at his side, his goblet would never, ever be empty. For Alice was attentive, always on hand to satisfy the old man’s every desire and whim.

‘More wine! More wine! Alice, holding the king’s hand would, to the servants call!

Thus ensuring that the king’s consumption of drink was always large, and never small!’

King Edward III with Alice at his side.

Edward, grinning inanely, would relax and look into her eyes as mistress Alice, smiled back benignly.

France.

This was certainly the beginning of the end of King Edward’s plans for France and the Black Prince’s dominance in Aquitaine. The King of France, Charles V decided to move against him and the Black Prince alerted his father about the threat. However, it appears that his brother John of Gaunt, was scheming against him at the English court which was hardly helpful. The king of France, a highly intelligent man, selected a native of Brittany, Bertrand du Guesclin to be Constable of France and to direct military action in Aquitaine.  This proved to be a most fortuitous appointment.

Charles V appoints du Guesclin as Constable of France.

The wily Breton decided to avoid conducting pitched battles as a general strategy with the Black Prince, but deployed guerrilla tactics which proved to be incredibly effective. The Black Prince was quick to retaliate, and he successfully laid siege to Limoges after it had fallen to French forces. At this point the Black Prince had become ill, and was confined to a litter from which he issued commands. His victory at Limoges was marred by the death of his eldest son, also called Edward, on September 20th.

‘The city of Limoges, I may have won!

But alas, I have lost Edward, my eldest son!’

The year of 1370 ended on a sour note when du Guesclin  defeated the English on the battlefield as at Pontvallain in December. By now, the Black Prince becoming increasingly frail, swollen with dropsy, and greatly grieved by the death of his son, decided to return to England in January 1371. He would not see France again. The French under du Guesclin proceeded to take back Aquitaine, acre by acre.

Bertrand du Guesclin.

‘I am stricken with dropsy, and so have swollen hugely in girth!

In this sad condition, I have no option but to return to England, the land of my birth!’

It could hardly have been a joyful homecoming for the Black Prince as he arrived at his father’s court. The heir to the throne returned bereaved, sick, tired and demoralised. He had the additional burden of consoling his wife, Joan of Kent, who was grieving for their recently departed son.

Joan of Kent.

The scene which greeted him was an unwelcome one. His father, Edward III, clearly losing his faculties, spending his time slobbering over the omnipresent Alice Perrers provided the ailing prince with a most unedifying spectacle. Then there was his brother, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, although pleasant to behold was clearly scheming behind his back. For every word uttered with a smile signalling undying brotherly love, there was a silent, unseen, malicious snarl.

All through this melancholy time, Charles V made further inroads into English held lands in Aquitaine. In 1372, Edward III, weakened in mind and body by age decided to mount a campaign against the French in Aquitaine. That summer he and the Black Prince who was  debilitated by sickness, sailed for France one last time. However, fate was not with them and storms prevented them from landing. In a mood of near despair, the old king and his son disembarked in England, cursing their wretched luck. King Charles V was ecstatic!

‘Oh Aquitaine! Oh my beautiful, bountiful Aquitaine!

All of your wonderful pastures I will soon be able to attain!’

At least Edward III had the comfort of senility to dull the pain of loss, but his son racked with physical agony, was not afforded that mercy.

‘1357, a year for Edward which began so fine, in fact, almost divine!

Then came the unfortunate years, which for the king  marked a decline, so sad a decline!’

It was certainly ‘Happy New Year’ in January 1356. Edward was in the highly unusual, and greatly fortunate position of having two of his royal enemies in captivity. John, King of France, was ensconced in wonderfully salubrious surroundings at the Savoy Palace, whilst David II of Scotland was detained in rather less elegant, but nevertheless, eminently comfortable quarters at the Tower of London. A very hefty ransom secured David’s release in 1357, whilst the French refused Edward’s price for the safe return of John II.

King John II of France

‘Oh dear King Edward, you have captured our king and without him we are truly lost!

However, your price for his return is a terrible, indeed, totally unacceptable cost!’

Edward invaded France in 1359 with a view to being crowned King of France at Rheims.  He proceeded to besiege the city, but met with stiff resistance.

Edward besieges the city of Rheims in 1359.

‘My greatest desire in my most sincere of dreams!

 Is to be crowned King of France at the cathedral in Rheims!’

However, Edward, despite his efforts, was unable to advance his claims to the French throne and his siege of Rheims was unsuccessful.

With a sense of great disappointment, he contented himself with devastating northern France and plundering the region of anything and everything of value. In a dismal frame of mind, he gathered his compensatory prize of plunder and retreated back towards the coast. In 1360, Edward and the king of France agreed the Treaty of Breginy by which in return for renouncing his claim to the French throne, Edward would be granted full sovereignty over Calais, Gascony, Guienne and Poitou. Edward, the Black Prince, would rule the territories which collectively made up Aquitaine as sovereign lord for his aging father.

Edward III awarding the duchy of Aquitaine to the Black Prince in 1362.

‘It was not a case of like father, like son!

The Black Prince’s actions now rendered his father’s gains as effectively undone!’

The Black Prince proved to be a somewhat unwise ruler, who greatly antagonised the people with crushing taxes. He had carried out an expensive military incursion into Spain in 1369 and this, combined with a taste for the high life, proved to be an enormous drain on his coffers. So as far as the Black Prince was concerned, the people of Aquitaine could pick up the bill for his extravagance.

‘I love the sights and sounds of a major battle!

Afterwards, I relax at great banquets, enjoying the merry tittle tattle!

For I am a great warrior prince, the famous, indeed infamous, Black Prince!

Of course my actions incur great expense, and of its justification to others, I have no desire to convince!’

These poor decisions drove the nobles of Aquitaine into asking King Charles V of France, who had ascended the throne in 1364, for help.

The coronation of Charles V, King of France.

King Charles requested that the Black Prince come to Paris to explain himself. His reply was somewhat less than diplomatic.

‘Yes, I will come to see you, but only with an army of 60,000 men strong!

Then you may inform me of what I am doing that is so very wrong!’

Realising that the Black Prince was highly unpopular with the people of Aquitaine, Charles discerned a most pleasing opportunity. Given these circumstances, he had a strong chance of reversing England’s gains in France, made at his father’s expense. Greatly encouraged, Charles took the plunge and invaded Aquitaine in 1369.

The year also brought further bad news for Edward III, his beloved queen, Philippa of Hainhault, fell ill and died in August. For the king there would, henceforth, be little in which to rejoice; it appeared to be the beginning of the end for Edward.

 

 

Prince Edward, the Black Prince.

 Edward, King Edward III’s eldest son, was everything that a monarch could have hoped for in an heir to the throne. He had been born at Woodstock palace in Oxfordshire in June 1339.

Woodstock Palace, Oxfordshire, birth place of the Black Prince.

 

At the tender age of sixteen, he had shown himself to be an able and valiant military commander at Crecy in 1346.

King Edward congratulates Prince Edward on his leadership at Crecy.

Now, in 1355 at the age of twenty-five, he would make his destructive mark against the French people. Edward III, having decided to once again claim the French crown by force, sent Prince Edward to Aquitaine in the summer of 1355.

Prince Edward becomes the Black Prince.

‘Edward, the Black Prince disembarks at Bordeaux!

To the people of France, he proves himself to be a most terrible foe!

Upon southern France, he launched a brutal, unprovoked attack!

His only concern was plunder, and many said that his heart was hard and black!’

In late 1355, Prince Edward spent his time cutting a swathe of destruction across southern France. This was total war. The Black Prince and his army sallied forth through the lush landscape, yet they possessed no eye for beauty. They wanted only plunder, and their savagery knew no bounds. Everything and anything of value was taken and that which could not be carried was destroyed. Castles, towns and villages were burnt and their inhabitants slain without mercy. Male or female, young or old, their lives, if considered necessary, were forfeit.

‘The poor people could do nothing, save in anguish and agony, howl!

They were helpless in the face of an enemy so horrifically foul!’

This bloodthirsty action had very little to do with securing the French throne for his father. His purpose in doing so was simply to enrich himself, and his followers, the material rewards were immense.

A medieval city being plundered.

In a mood of great satisfaction, Prince Edward and his allies returned to Bordeaux. The French could only look on sullenly, and tearfully contemplate rebuilding their shattered lives. Apart from the human carnage, the economic cost was enormous and the region took a long time to recover. To the people of southern France in late 1355, Prince Edward  was truly the very Blackest of princes, a veritable  prince of darkness.

In August 1356, the Black Prince led his army from Bordeaux northwards to join forces with Henry, Duke of Lancaster in Normandy. As he travelled north, the prince of course engaged in chevauchee, the practice of pillaging and then destroying everything that you could not physically carry.

‘In the summertime, we English go out into southern France and plunder the pickings so rich!

What we can’t carry back to Bordeaux is destroyed and thrown in to the nearest ditch!’

This of course had two advantages. Firstly, it was a method of enriching himself and it also served to damage the economy which sustained the king of France, John II and his military machine. In the event, King John had managed to check Lancaster’s advance, so Prince Edward decided to retreat back to Bordeaux. King John, with a huge army of some 35,000, rode swiftly southwards in order to intercept the Black Prince and his much smaller force of 7,000 men.

The Battle of Poitiers September 19th 1356.

The French and English armies met near Poitiers on the 18th September 1356 and at first the papal legate, Cardinal Talleyrand de Perigord attempted to negotiate between the two sides, but to no avail, and both sides prepared for battle on the next day. The Black Prince positioned his men on some high ground and adopted a defensive stance. King John’s commanders recommended that the enormous French army surround the English position and starve them into submission. But the king refused, saying:

‘You say surround them totally and then through starvation they will, to me submit!

No, no! Hurl our huge army at them, thereby destroying them in one big hit!’

King John was confident that the large French force would easily crush the much smaller English army. This was not to be. The young prince was now to gain a victory over the French, which would cement his reputation as a great military commander.

The Black Prince.

‘ By taking on an army of a much greater size!

The Black Prince wins a totally unexpected, and very valuable prize!’

The battle commenced and just as at Crecy, the skill of the English bowmen proved crucial. The French had some archers but they depended on crossbowmen.

Close quarter combat at Poitiers.

However, the crossbow did not fire anything like as rapidly as the longbow and was therefore not as lethal. The arrows of the English archers rained down on the French and the casualties were many. King John proved himself a poor commander and the French soon found themselves being pushed back. Indeed, King John to his great shame was captured, along with his fourteen year old son Philip, by the English. The capture of King John II was a huge bonus for Edward, because he could now demand a huge ransom for his safe return.

King John and his son Philip being captured by English soldiers.

The Black Prince was elated at this unexpected, astonishing victory. He must have been ecstatic as he contemplated the mouth-watering sum that he could negotiate for the person of King John. Poitiers was a shattering defeat for the French. English deaths in the battle numbered in the hundreds, whereas the French dead totalled many thousands.

‘An Englishman’s home is his castle and Windsor was King Edward’s favoured abode!

And when Edward entered its newly refurbished portals, he positively glowed!

King Edward III looking suitably regal.

After the horrendous year of 1348, Edward concentrated his enormous energies into turning his birthplace, Windsor Castle into a sumptuous palace. No expense was spared as he moulded the old castle into a glittering royal residence replete with the very finest of furnishings. Its bold new edifice standing high across the horizon, it took the breath away from each and every visitor. Of course, Windsor was to be the headquarters of his newly established Order of the Garter, which held its first meeting there on St George’s Day, 1349. It was an occasion marked by great pageantry and joyful fanfare, which was in stark contrast with the mood in the rest of the country which was still suffering in the last throes of the Black Death.

St George slays the dragon.

One of the first Knights of the Garter was of course the king’s eldest son, Prince Edward.

Edward III inducts his son into the Order of the Garter.

‘Arise my dear son and noble knight, Prince Eddie!

At Crecy field you showed yourself to be a warrior, always at the ready!

The legacy of the Black Death.

The Black Death had resulted in so many deaths that there was now a severe shortage of manpower in the realm. Labourers found themselves in the enviable position of being able to ask for more money and better conditions from any employer, which was usually the lord of the manor.

‘You demand more money for doing exactly the same job!

Your intention is not to work, you have come here intending to rob!

If the lord refused to pay what they asked, the peasant could move elsewhere to seek higher earnings. The ruling classes were quick to respond to this unprecedented and most unwelcome set of circumstances. In 1349, parliament passed the Ordinance of Labourers, which stipulated that wages rates were not to exceed those that were paid prior to the onset of the plague. The Ordinance also forbade labourers from migrating from their locality in a quest for better paid work.  This was followed by the passage of  the Statute of Labourers in 1351 which reinforced the Act of 1349.

‘Do not leave your home for better employment to seek!

Stay where you are and behave in a manner most mild and meek!’

These laws had very little practical effect on either wage levels or worker mobility.

France.

England and France both had a common foe, the Black Death. It ravaged both countries, so on either side there was little appetite for war. In August 1350, King Philip VI died and his son, John, the Duke of Normandy  became king of France as John II.

Out with the old! King Philip VI of France.

In with the new! John being crowned King of France in 1350..

There was now a lull in the hostilities between England and France as both sides sought to reach agreement. King John II made some suggestions of a conciliatory nature to Edward, but he was blocked by the virulent hatred that the French people had for the English. As a result, war broke out once again in 1355. It would be a conflict in which the king’s son Edward, later known as the Black Prince, would play a leading role.

 

 

‘The sickness has dealt our people a terrible blow!

Its horrible effects have caused nothing but sorrow and woe!

Is it a punishment from God for our sins? Well, the Bible states that you will reap what you sow!’

Was divine intervention the reason for the Black Death? Whatever the cause, the effects of the pestilence on English life was devastating. Of course as has been noted, it was the sheer number of people falling sick and dying which made the greatest initial impact. Then there were the burials or absence of them, as quite often there was not enough of the living to perform that particular, most necessary of chores. Crops rotted in the fields because there was no one left to harvest them.

Reaping what you had sown became a less common sight in 1348.

Church services, long  the heart of medieval life, ceased because the priests had died denying people the religious succour that they so badly needed in these troubled times.

‘The foul pestilence felled both the greatest and the least!

And neither did it deign to spare the faithful, humble, holy priest!’

No one to say prayers on the day of our village patron saint’s feast!

The courts of law were often closed. which when combined with these highly unusual circumstances, probably contributed to further lawlessness.  Parliament did not sit as regularly as before, so the king decided to rule by decree. The royal family were not left untouched, indeed they were amongst the first to be affected. The king’s daughter, fourteen year old Joan, succumbed to the disease at Bordeaux in July whilst en-route to her wedding to the son of King Alfonso of Castile.

‘Oh do have pity for Joan, she who so hoped for the joy of the first wedding bell!

For Joan of England, there would be nought but the slow sound of the death knell!’

Princess Joan

By God’s teeth, what horror! Edward was grief-stricken at the news of Joan’s death. He spoke of her goodness and gave effusive thanks to God for the short time that she was allowed to enrich the royal family by her presence.

‘My dear Joan as a daughter, I could not fault her!

Now my sweet daughter has fallen victim to this terrible slaughter!’

The king, helpless in the face of this avalanche of lethal sickness, could do little but to exhort the people to engage in fasting and prayer in a desperate attempt to halt its dreadful, unstoppable carnage. Edward, probably the greatest showman to ever sit on the English throne, now spoke to his beleaguered subjects. His message to every town and village would have read as follows:

‘You my poor people must not rage at the pestilence with anger and bile!

No! Oh no, do not simply weep at the ravages of an ailment so very vile!

I urge you, one and all to fight it’s advance with harsh self-denial!

Self-denial! Yes, this must now be your new but permanent lifestyle!

Of course, this greatest of  calamities is in its effects, terribly and totally unfair!

 But I have nothing to say to you, but get down on your knees! On your knees, and say prayer after prayer!’

 

The Order of the Garter.

However, despite the disastrous situation, King Edward found time to develop a project which had been close to his heart for quite some time. Edward decided to create a formal body whose membership would be open to only of those who had shown exceptional military ability. Any landed magnate who thought that their wealth and status would make them an ideal candidate for membership, would be swiftly disabused of any such notion. Entry to this body would depend not on nobility of birth, but on proven skill in combat.

‘You think that your aristocratic title will get you entry to the Order of the Garter!

No kid, think again, entry by family name is a simple non-starter!

You must show that in deadly combat you were brave and quick thinking!

Can you prove that after the battle that you left the king’s enemies prone, putrid and stinking!’

The new military elite was to be titled the Order of the Garter. Surprisingly, members were not to be endowed with riches, this was a tight, military elite force with a strong sense of esprit de corps.

Henry of Lancaster – an early member of the Order of the Garter.

1348 had been a terrible year, but there is of course an upside to most bad things, King Edward considered the Order of the Garter a most noble achievement. What were the king’s thoughts as 1348 turned into 1349?

‘Well, t’was a bad year, every family in the realm did shed a tear!

The very worst year of my reign, because so little did we gain!

As we go into 1349 I just hope that everything will be well and fine!

Edward arrived back in England in October 1347 to national acclaim at his triumph in France. The medieval media which took the form of the priest in his pulpit and the town crier standing at the market cross regaled the people with tales of the king’s staggering military victories over the French. Even those who had initially resented the taxes that had been levied to pay for the war now agreed that it was money well spent. Edward made a tour of England and basked in the adulation of his subjects who were in awe of their successful warrior king. The King beamed as he rode through the towns on his charger waving his hat at the assembled crowds who replied with the loudest of cheers.

‘Oh! How loudly did the church bells ring!

Oh! How joyously did the choirs sing!’

Edward wanted a great colourful pageant to mark this zenith of English military achievement. Tournaments were held to show off the martial skills of the country’s mounted knights. Plays were staged to mark this occasion of national triumph. The people, particularly the women were dazzled by the fine clothing and other household goods, plundered from France and given to them as presents by their returning menfolk.

A medieval tournament.

The latter months of 1347 and those of early 1348 were a time of celebration, colour and thanksgiving. King Edward had never before felt so confident and proud. These were truly golden days!

But gold can turn to 

Black!

Then there is no turning back!

However a  horror awaited the adoring multitudes that would infect every nook and cranny of his realm.

‘Oh mighty King Edward, your subjects do marvel at your military excellence!

But soon, so many of them would be consumed by the coming of a terrible pestilence!’

A terrible disease which was thought to have originated in central Asia had spread throughout Europe arrived in England in the summer of 1348. It’s point of entry is believed to have been the port of Melcombe in Dorset. The pestilence was to travel rapidly and reached London by the autumn. Once infected, the victims would develop large swellings or buboes under the armpits or in the groin which oozed blood and pus. This was accompanied by aching limbs, a high fever and delirium. Death usually occurred within three or four days.

Victims of the Black Death

The source of the disease has been attributed to fleas which lived in the fur of rats who dwelt in very close proximity to human beings. Medieval towns were filthy places with ditches full of both animal and human sewage. People were unaware of the problem of germs  and would cheerfully empty their chamber pots into the street resulting in an never ending tide of sewage through which the populace was forced to wade. It was not uncommon for people to throw the contents of their chamber pots without any consideration of anyone walking by. This meant that many an unfortunate pedestrian went home with sewage drenched hats and cloaks. All of this dripping filth was carried into the houses  as they walked through the door smearing it on the floor.

‘Oh but the smell, how did they stand the smell?

It had ever been thus thus, to them this was normal, so everything was well!

Oh, but the mess, on the floor, the terrible mess!

They had known it since birth, so they really could not care less!’

The wooden framed dwellings with their thatched roofs were easily penetrated by rats with their lethal cargo of disease ridden fleas.

The death toll was shocking. It has been estimated that somewhere between a third and half of the population of England died. The pestilence was even handed in its delivery. It did not discriminate between the rich and the poor. All were fair game for its merciless touch. The dead were interred in mass graves as the graveyards were soon filled to overflowing.

‘Filled with human flesh and bone, the graveyards became fat and high!

The weeping mourners, wondering when it would be their turn to die!’

The land became desolate, market squares once hives of activity were now bereft of man or beast, save for the rats, who gnawed at any flesh that they came upon. The only sound coming from the houses and hovels was often the death cries of the dying or the wailing of the bereaved. In many villages there was only silence, as the dead do not speak and the living had fled

‘1348 a year which had begun with the English standing tall, saluting the king’s military belligerence!

Ended with the people, heads bowed on their knees praying pitifully for deliverance!’

As he surveyed the battlefield at Crecy with its thousands of French corpses, Edward would have said:

‘How sweet it is! Oh how so very sweet!

To watch Philip’s army beat such a hasty retreat!’

An English commander realising that the king was not in his tent asked a servant: ‘Perchance, where art his majesty?

The servant replied:

He’s out in the field, busy counting the French dead!

The king is upset that so many of the French actually fled!

 

Edward III counting the French dead at Crecy.

Determined to capitalise on his incredible victory at Crecy, Edward moved north to the French port of Calais. Edward began the siege of the port in September and the inhabitants would hold out stoically for nearly a year. Whilst watching Calais’s walls, he got more good news from England in October. The king of Scots, David II, had invaded England as part of his alliance with Philip VI.  King David expected to attain a great victory over the English while Edward’s back was turned in France. However, English forces inflicted a heavy defeat on the Scots at Neville’s Cross near Durham and had captured King David. Edward was ecstatic, and Philip VI totally despondent. Edward had vanquished two ancient enemies in a matter of days.

David II of Scotland meets with Philip VI of France.

The battle of Neville’s Cross, October 1346.

 

Edward would have remarked:

‘So you thought that you could attack my realm while I was away in France, Davy boy!

But your cheeky, sneaky attack has brought you only deep bitterness, not great joy!

Now you are going to be paraded through the streets of London astride a big black horse! 

Whilst the people of London, shout insults at you until they cry themselves hoarse!’

True to his word, that is exactly what happened.

The siege of Calais.

Edward was determined to take Calais, because as a port it would give him a vital gateway into France to advance his campaign against Philip VI. Edward, a man who knew the importance of pageantry, arranged his army before the city walls where the inhabitants could see them. The steel armour of the knights glistening in the sun would have made for a splendid but formidable sight. The archers holding up their longbows which had felled the French military elite at Crecy only weeks before were a grim reminder of what might lie in store for themselves. At the head of the English host, the royal standard bearing the lions of England quartered by the golden lilies of France, was held aloft for all to see.

The Calais garrison under the command of Jean de Vienne was determined to resist the siege and awaited an army from Philip VI which never came. After a while the English proved successful in preventing supplies getting into the port by either land or sea. As time went on, famine set in and the besieged were reduced to eating any vermin that they could find.  On June 25th in desperation, de Vienne wrote a letter to Philip VI which stated that:

‘we can find no more food in the town unless we eat men’s flesh…this is the last letter that you will receive from me, for the town will be lost and all of us that are within it.’

The English intercepted the letter, and Edward, after reading its contents stamped his own royal seal upon it and sent it on to Philip. On August 1st 1347, with no help forthcoming from King Philip, de Vienne and the city burghers  decided to surrender Calais to Edward. Edward agreed to spare the lives of the people of Calais on condition that six of its leading citizens (burghers) would submit themselves to him attired in white shirts with each of their necks adorned with a noose. They would then be hanged in full view of the population of Calais. Again, it was stereotypical of Edward’s highly developed sense of political showmanship. A piece of macabre theatre which would incite a grim thrill amongst his own men and also engender a feeling of utter shame and despair in the hearts of the vanquished French.

The burghers of Calais submitting to Edward.

 

However, it is said that Edward’s wife Queen Philippa of Hainhault interceded on behalf of the six condemned burghers. It is said that she implored the king to spare their lives but the king, not wishing to deny his men a promised performance, initially declined the Queen’s request.

Queen Philippa implores the king to spare the lives of the burghers of Calais.

At the Queen’s insistence, the king reluctantly relented and the burghers were spared. It has been suggested that Edward intended to spare their lives all along and that the Queen’s act of mercy was in fact a starring role in a scene of contrived drama.

Edward evicted the entire population of Calais who were then replaced by English settlers. The port of Calais became an English colony which would act as a springboard to mount further attacks upon the French.

‘On his arrival back home!

Edward falls out with the man who sits under Canterbury Cathedral’s great dome!’

However delicious Edward’s victory at Sluys may have tasted, trouble lay ahead. The war with Philip had left him heavily in debt. In a furious frame of mind, the king blamed his chief advisers, especially the Archbishop of Canterbury John Stratford, for his predicament. This was quite unreasonable as Stratford had been opposed to his French adventure. Nevertheless, Edward wrote to the Pope claiming that Stratford had deliberately withheld  funds from him in order to cause his defeat, and even death. Edward’s fury knew no bounds and so frightened was the Archbishop that he fled London to take sanctuary in Canterbury Cathedral. After a particularly nasty argument, Edward made up with the Archbishop of Canterbury in late 1340.

Brittany was the scene of Edward’s next attempt to topple King Philip VI of France. In April 1341, the Duke of Brittany died and the succession was disputed by two claimants. Edward supported John of Montfort as duke on condition that he pay fealty to him as king of France.

Brittany would give Edward a much needed foothold with which to undermine Philip, and hopefully win the French throne for himself. Edward achieved a number of victories but did not make a decisive breakthrough. In the process, he managed through his greed,  to ruin the business of many an Italian banker by his refusal to repay his loans. The king returned to England to prepare for a large-scale invasion of France. However, Edward would need the support of the English military class for such an undertaking. He embarked on a public relations campaign describing the rich pickings that lay across the Channel in France. Edward decided to appeal to their more noble instincts.

‘Come hither you lusty knights, for of you in France I have great need!

The risks are of course there, but the rich rewards will satisfy even the greatest greed!

For I intend to kick Philip VI from the throne of France with an almighty boot!

And in the process I guarantee that you will receive huge bundles of  glorious loot!’

Ever the showman, Edward held magnificent jousting tournaments at a newly rebuilt Windsor castle in 1344. The English nobility were invited to come and demonstrate their mastery of the martial arts in front of the king and the aristocracy. It was a sumptuous affair replete with references to the Arthurian legends of yore, which acted as a backdrop to the contemporary monarchy of Edward. The king and his warrior class would be the new knights of the Round Table. Of course, their first show of strength would be the armies of King Philip VI of France.

A jousting tournament.

Edward’s advertising campaign worked and the magnates of England enthusiastically backed Edward’s planned invasion of France. The English invasion force landed on the Normandy coast in July 1346. After leaving an enormous swathe of death and destruction across northern France, Edward engaged Philip’s army at the small town of Crecy-en-Ponthieu on August 26th 1346. Morale amongst the English forces was high as Edward, true to his word, had provided them with ample opportunity to loot the region to their heart’s content.

‘We the valiant knights and soldiers of King Edward’s army have lately become quite rich!

Therefore, we will fight with courage and skill, because we will not leave our valuables behind in some French ditch!’

King Edward faced an army three times larger than his own, but he was quietly confident of victory over the French. Characteristically, he visited the soldiers and encouraged them with his natural bonhomie and good humour. Probably the main reason for his sense of confidence was his faith in the skills of his bowmen. In this he would be proved correct. The range and speed of the longbow would reap a plentiful harvest of death. As for the French, Philip, against his better judgement allowed himself to be persuaded by his commanders to advance against the English immediately. As they did so, the French forces were cut down by the English archers who could despatch perhaps twelve arrows a minute. This was in contrast with the Italian crossbow men fighting with the French who could fire only four bolts a minute.

The Battle of Crecy, August 1346.

As the thousands of arrows flew through the air, they made a terrible roar!

Amongst the flower of France’s finest knights, much blood did they draw!’

The skill of the bowmen was complemented by Edward’s superb organisation. He made sure that they were adequately supplied with arrows by a relay of servants who kept the bowmen up to strength at all times. The result was carnage, pure and simple, amongst the French forces. After the volley of arrows ceased, Edward’s foot soldiers would advance and despatch the wounded French with gusto and relish. Some 12,000 or more of the French army perished on that balmy summer evening in 1346 whilst English losses numbered but a hundred.

‘So there lay the bodies of the fighting French folk!

The green fields of Crecy with their blood they did soak!

Edward was in a state of elation.

 

 

 ‘So tis to war we must now both go!

You know King Phil, I’d much rather have you as a friend than a foe!’

The war that would last for so long was actually rather slow in coming about. In January 1340, Edward had infuriated Philip by rather cheekily adopting for himself the title, King of France. However, the mutual large scale blood-shedding that would become known as the Hundred Years War, did not actually start until June 1340.

Round one of the conflict was a sea battle off the Flemish port of Sluys.

The Battle of Sluys, June 24th 1349.

What would King Edward have actually been thinking at this juncture in the summer of 1340? A contemporary interview might have gone along the following lines.

My dear King Edward, what lies in your heart today?

‘ Anger! Anger! And a lot of it! That crooked toad, Philip was appointed to be king of France by his French friends when the throne was rightfully mine. I was the nearest living relative to the last king, because he was my uncle, whereas Phil is a distant cousin!’

What, your most gracious majesty, will be your next move?

Well, toad Philip has hired a load of Italian and Spanish pirates to help him attack me and invade England! He has them all holed up along the Flemish coast at a place called Sluys! Not content with getting hold of one throne by thievery, he wants another! I am going to sail down there and flush them out like rats from a hole!

I understand that you have been advised against attacking Sluys!

Yea, By dear old  Archbishop Robbie, Stratford! He says the enemy fleet is too strong and that my attack will fail! He means well, the decent old fellow, but no dice. I am going in for the kill on June 24th!

Thank you your most gracious majesty! 

The Battle of Sluys, 1340.

At Sluys, Philip had assembled a huge fleet with which to attack Edward. In fact, it would be Edward who would start the ball rolling by attacking Philip’s great armada. During the medieval period, both sides would use  grappling hooks  to prevent an enemy ship from sailing away whilst their soldiers  boarded it. Savage hand to hand fighting would inevitably follow.

Close hand to hand fighting at the battle of Sluys.

‘King Philip had a huge armada! There were the French and some Castilians and others were Genoese!

No matter, Edward destroyed the entire large force with unbelievable ease!’

In the melee that followed, Edward defeated the larger French force at minimal cost to himself. One reason for this was the disastrous tactics chosen by the senior French commander, Nicholas Behuchet. He had ordered that his ships be chained together for defensive purposes. Another factor was the devastating effect of the English longbow, which Edward had deployed to great success against the Scots at Halidon Hill in 1333. The king would do so again here at Sluys. Although the French had crossbowmen, they were no match for the archers with their longbow, which was much quicker to use than the crossbow.

In the hours of fighting, tens of thousands lost their lives. The vast majority of these were French. Some were killed outright duelling with their opponents, whilst others having been hauled over the side, drowned due to the weight of their armour.

One of the two senior French commanders, Nicholas Behuchet was captured and hanged from the mast of his own ship.

Nicholas Behuchet

The icing on the cake of this victory was that the English managed to retake one of their vessels, the massive ship, The Christopher, which the French had captured in 1338.

The Christopher.

Although Edward himself was wounded in the battle, no amount of physical pain could temper the sweet taste of victory!

‘I was hit in the leg with a bolt!

But, despite the pain, I will take the time to sit back, relax, smile and gloat!’