Description

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The Norman Conquest in the 11th century is one of the best known events in English history, yet the French attempts to invade England three hundred years later are largely ignored and misunderstood. In fact, French invaders landed on English soil more than 20 times in the second half of the 14th century, sometimes accompanied by allies from Castile, Monaco, Genoa, and Denmark. They were part of a carefully thought-out strategy led by the French King Charles V. The forces that landed were well trained soldiers and marine fighters answering to the French monarch. It had taken Charles V and his great admiral Jean de Vienne years to put together the ships, materiel, and skilled mariners that a successful landing required. Whole forests of ancient trees had been felled in the Seine Valley to build the fleet. The invasion was planned after the Battle of Poitiers in 1357, when France was engulfed by multiple crises, of which England was a prime cause: King Jean II was a prisoner in England alongside many of his supporters; there was popular rebellion in Paris; the Regent—future Charles V—was only a teenager; the aftermath of the Black Death had cost France perhaps half its population; the English were demanding huge ransoms and territories from the French; and warrior bandits—routiers—roamed France, supported by the English. In response, the Second French Invasion of England was not a single overwhelming event—like Napoleon’s invasion of Russia—but it resulted in civilian deaths, rape, looting and burning, military casualties, and economic disruption—which caused long-term consequences. This is the Anglo-French conflict that time forgot.

About the Author

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Duncan Cameron has a first class degree in Art History from Newcastle University and an MA from Henley Management College. He taught the History of Art for several years, before working for the British Council in the Middle East and South America. He has been a regular contributor of analysis to a long-running publication on International Business and recently published a specialist title with Bloomsbury. In recent years Duncan has also engaged in Heritage work and put together two successful applications for Grade 2 listed building status for 19th-century buildings in Brighton.