Requirements for English Ports, 1337
On 5 January 1337 King Edward III set out his naval requirements to the ports. As it became clear to Edward III that war with France was increasingly inevitable, he turned his attention to preparations for…
English Ports sealed and writs of passage cancelled
All English Ports were sealed, and all writs of passage collected on 14th January 1388. The period was turbulent in England. In November 1386 a number of senior nobles, known now as the Lords Appellant, had…
French Raid on Plymouth
In 1339 the French utilised a strategy that had worked incredibly well for them in 1338. They set out to raid English ports and coastal areas. Following the devastation caused by the raids on Portsmouth…
Protecting Merchant Shipping in the Hundred Years War
Protection of Merchant Shipping The English treasury relied on duties charged on goods coming through English ports. It was the subsidies on items such as wool, granted by parliament, which were the primary source of…
Maritime Logistics. Naval Planning, Part Four
English planning for naval superiority in the Hundred Years War The English navy was on the whole not owned by the crown. The typical method of creating a fleet was through the requisitioning of English…
English Port’s on the Continent. Naval Planning, Part Three
Continental Ports Deep water ports that were safe were also a priority for the English on the continent. At the outset of war, the only port of considerable worth that was in English hands on…
Jeanne de Clisson, The Lioness of Brittany
Jeanne de Clisson was born in Belleville-sur-Vie in the year 1300. Coming from a noble family, she is also known as Jeanne de Belleville or The Lioness of Brittany. Her life is a remarkable example…
Securing England’s Deep Water Ports. Naval Planning, Part Two
England and safe deep water ports The devastation caused by French raids in the years 1337 to 1340 made the safety of ports a priority. Several key ports had been ransacked, Southampton, home of a…
Naval Planning in the Hundred Years War. Part One, an introduction to English considerations
Planning for The War at Sea, an English Perspective Planning of the naval aspect of the conflicts between England and France was critical if the English were to be successful on the continent. On the…
Battle of Sluys
The Battle of Sluys was fought on 24 June 1340. King Edward III of England intended to sail his fleet up the River Zwin to Bruges in order to meet with his allies for a…