Siege of Paris, 1435–1436

The Siege of Paris of 1435–1436 was a major French success during the later stages of the Hundred Years War. Paris had been under English control since 1420 and was an important centre of the Lancastrian government in France. The French recovery of the city followed the collapse of the Anglo-Burgundian alliance after the Treaty of Arras in 1435.

The siege began in June 1435 when French forces seized positions around Paris and disrupted the city’s communications. The final assault came in April 1436. French forces defeated English reinforcements at Saint-Denis on 6 April before entering Paris with the assistance of inhabitants opposed to the English regime. The English garrison withdrew to the Bastille before being allowed to leave the city on 17 April.

The Siege of Paris, 1435–1436

The Anglo-Burgundian Alliance Breaks Down

The position of the English in France had already deteriorated significantly before the siege began. The English conquest under Henry V had depended in part upon an alliance with Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Burgundy had supported the English against Charles VII, while the Anglo-Burgundian alliance had helped isolate the French king.

The death of John, Duke of Bedford, on 14 September 1435 weakened the English position further. Bedford had acted as the principal English representative in France during the minority of Henry VI and had overseen the administration of the Lancastrian territories. The Treaty of Arras then brought Burgundy into an agreement with Charles VII.

The change was strategically important. Paris was now exposed to attack from forces that had previously been part of the wider Anglo-Burgundian system. Charles VII could concentrate more of his resources against the remaining English territories.

The diplomatic crisis also produced disagreement in England about how the war should be conducted. Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, supported a more aggressive approach, while the government faced the increasingly difficult problem of financing and defending the remaining territories in France. The debate over policy became an important feature of English politics during the reign of Henry VI.

The French Advance on Paris

French forces moved against the approaches to Paris during June 1435. Ambroise de Loré and other French captains seized positions around the city, while the English garrison attempted to maintain communications and supplies.

Paris was a particularly important objective. It was not simply another fortified town. The city had been the centre of French government and had become an important part of the Lancastrian administration following Henry V’s conquest. Henry VI had himself been crowned King of France at Paris in 1431.

The wider French recovery can be followed through the campaigns after the appearance of Joan of Arc, the coronation of Charles VII at Reims and the subsequent weakening of English control. The Hundred Years War timeline places the recovery of Paris within this broader sequence of French successes.

The French did not immediately attempt to storm the city. Instead, pressure around Paris gradually restricted communications and supplies. The changing political situation inside the city was also important. Some Parisians were prepared to negotiate with Charles VII, particularly as the French position strengthened and the prospects of continued English control declined.

The Battle of Saint-Denis

In April 1436, an English force attempted to intervene. The French army, reinforced by forces associated with Burgundy, defeated the English at Saint-Denis on 6 April.

The defeat forced the English back towards Paris and left the city effectively surrounded. The military situation had changed rapidly. With the Anglo-Burgundian alliance broken, English forces could no longer rely upon the same level of support from Burgundy that had helped sustain the Lancastrian position in northern France.

The English response was nevertheless substantial. Richard, 3rd Duke of York was appointed Lieutenant-General and Governor of France and Normandy following Bedford’s death. He was joined by senior figures including William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury.

York did not, however, reach France in time to affect the defence of Paris. He formally agreed to serve in France in May 1436 and crossed the Channel in June, by which time Paris had already been recovered by the French. His subsequent campaign therefore belonged to the English attempt to recover ground in Normandy rather than to the defence of the capital.

The Fall of Paris

Arthur de Richemont and Jean de Dunois brought the French forces before Paris in April 1436. Charles VII had offered an amnesty to inhabitants who submitted to his authority, helping to encourage negotiations within the city.

On 13 April, French forces entered Paris with the assistance of citizens inside the city. A disturbance at the Porte Saint-Denis helped draw the English defenders towards the northern part of the city. French troops then attacked elsewhere, entering through the Porte Saint-Jacques.

The fighting moved into the streets. The narrow medieval streets of Paris made it difficult for the English defenders to move their forces rapidly between different parts of the city. French troops reached important areas including Les Halles and Notre-Dame.

The English garrison withdrew towards the Bastille Saint-Antoine. Rather than continue the fighting indefinitely, terms were agreed which allowed the English to leave Paris. On 17 April 1436 the English garrison departed for Rouen.

The English Response

The fall of Paris did not end the English war effort in France. Instead, it marked a change in the nature of the campaign. English forces increasingly had to defend the territories that remained under Lancastrian control, while attempting to recover positions lost to the French.

Richard, Duke of York, recovered Fécamp and other places in Normandy after arriving in France. His campaign demonstrates the difficult position facing the English commanders: they were expected to defend a shrinking territorial base while receiving inadequate financial support from the English government.

Sir John Fastolf, who had remained in Normandy, had already criticised aspects of English military policy. In a report of September 1435 he argued for the continuation of the war while warning against the financial and military problems associated with prolonged sieges. His experience illustrates the practical difficulties facing English commanders as the strategic situation deteriorated.

The English also attempted to protect Calais, the most important remaining English possession on the French side of the Channel. Burgundy, now aligned with Charles VII, attacked Calais in July 1436. The resulting Burgundian Siege of Calais demonstrated just how quickly the diplomatic reversal of 1435 had transformed the strategic situation.

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, had been appointed captain of Calais and eventually crossed with a large English force to relieve the town. The defence of Calais therefore formed part of the immediate English response to the collapse of the position in northern France.

The careers of the commanders involved also demonstrate the importance of the French war to the politics of the later reign of Henry VI. Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, succeeded York as Lieutenant of France in 1437, while York’s own experience of inadequate financial support during his first period in France contributed to his later political difficulties.

Charles VII and Paris

The capture of Paris did not immediately result in Charles VII making the city his permanent residence. The king formally entered Paris in November 1437, after further consolidation of French control.

The recovery of Paris was nevertheless an important stage in the restoration of Charles VII’s authority. The city had been under English control since 1420 and its capture demonstrated how far the balance of power had changed since the height of Henry V’s conquests.

The English position in France was increasingly defensive. The loss of Paris was followed by further French advances, while England struggled to maintain the territories that remained under Lancastrian control.

The Wider Hundred Years War

The Siege of Paris should therefore be viewed as part of the wider French recovery rather than as an isolated siege. The English had once controlled much of northern France, but the position established by Henry V was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain under Henry VI.

The French recovery had begun to gather momentum after the campaigns associated with Joan of Arc and the coronation of Charles VII at Reims. The Treaty of Arras then removed one of the most important diplomatic supports for the English position. The recovery of Paris was one of the clearest demonstrations of the consequences.

The events of 1436 also belong to the political history that eventually produced the Wars of the Roses. The cost of maintaining the French war, disagreements over policy and the increasingly difficult military situation all contributed to political tensions during the reign of Henry VI. The reign of Henry VI therefore provides an important context for understanding the longer-term consequences of the French losses.

Richard, Duke of York’s appointment as Lieutenant of France in 1436 is particularly significant. He arrived after Paris had fallen and inherited a deteriorating military position. His service in France, and the financial difficulties that accompanied it, became part of his wider political career. This Richard, Duke of York biography provides the wider context.

The fall of Paris can also be considered alongside the subsequent Burgundian Siege of Calais in 1436. Burgundy’s change of allegiance did not simply assist the French recovery around Paris; it also created a direct threat to one of England’s most important remaining possessions on the continent.