Battle of Margate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Margate
Part of the Hundred Years' War
Date 24–25 March 1387 Location English Channel off Margate to Cadzand and Sluis 51°17′N 2°13′E / 51.29°N 2.22°E / 51.29; 2.22 Result English victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England	Kingdom of France Crown of Castile County of Flanders
Commanders and leaders
Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel	Sir Jean de Bucq
Strength
51 ships 2,500 men	250–360 Ships 2,500 men
Casualties and losses
Minimal	12+ ships sunk or burned 80–126 ships captured Many men killed or taken prisoner 8000+ tuns of wine captured

The Battle of Margate, also known as the Battle of Cadzand, was a big naval battle that happened on March 24-25, 1387. It was part of the Hundred Years' War, a long conflict between England and France. In this battle, an English fleet fought against a combined fleet from France, Castile (part of Spain), and Flanders (part of modern-day Belgium).

The battle ended in a clear English victory. They captured many enemy ships and took a huge amount of valuable goods. This included thousands of barrels of wine!

Why Did the Battle Happen?

In October 1386, the English Parliament, sometimes called the Wonderful Parliament, decided to prepare for a big attack. They wanted to send an army by sea to Flanders. The goal was to cause a rebellion there. This rebellion would hopefully replace the current government with one that supported England. It was also hoped this would stop France from trying to invade England.

On December 10, Richard, Earl of Arundel, was chosen to lead the English navy. A week later, he agreed to serve the King with 2,500 men for three months. Their service was set to begin on March 1, 1387.

By March 16, Arundel had arrived at Sandwich. There, he took command of a fleet of sixty ships. Meanwhile, France and Castile had gathered a huge army of thirty thousand men. They also had a fleet of twelve hundred ships at Sluis (Sluys) in the previous autumn. They planned to invade England. However, the leader of the French government, Philip the Bold, suddenly became ill. Because of this, the invasion plan was cancelled, and their large fleet was spread out. Still, many of their ships were kept ready and used to protect trading convoys.

The Battle Begins!

On March 24, 1387, Earl Arundel's English fleet spotted part of the French fleet. This fleet had about 250 to 360 vessels. It was led by Sir Jean de Bucq. This large fleet included ships from Flanders and Castile. Many of them were carrying wine from La Rochelle to Sluis.

Even though De Bucq's fleet was much larger than Arundel's, it was weaker in other ways. It didn't have enough soldiers or weapons to defend itself well against the English. As the English attacked, some Flemish ships left the French fleet. Then, a series of battles began, stretching from Margate into the English Channel towards the Flemish coast.

The first and biggest fight happened off Margate itself. This forced the combined French, Castilian, and Flemish fleet to flee. They lost many ships in this first clash.

The fighting continued mostly in the Southern North Sea. The two fleets were moving as they fought. The final defeat of the Franco-Castilian-Flemish fleet happened near Cadzand. More French and Castilian ships were sunk or captured there.

Arundel chased the remaining enemy ships all the way to Sluis. He arrived there two days later. He sailed into the outer part of the harbor. There, he captured seven more ships. Another eleven were burned or sunk right in the harbor. The English then set up a blockade, which lasted more than two weeks. They stopped and seized any incoming ships. Instead of taking control of the port, which was almost undefended, Arundel sent landing parties ashore. These parties burned and robbed coastal villages. They also captured rich people to hold for ransom. More valuable goods were taken, but the hoped-for Flemish rebellion never happened.

On April 14, Arundel's supplies were running low, and his men were getting sick. So, he returned to England. In total, over a dozen enemy ships were sunk or burned. A remarkable sixty-eight ships were captured. This included three very large Castilian carracks that were full of goods. Sir Jean de Bucq was captured and sent to the Tower of London.

What Happened Next?

After repairing his ships, Earl Arundel sailed to Brittany. There, he delivered supplies to the English soldiers defending Brest. However, he couldn't make peace with John IV, Duke of Brittany.

Arundel had won a very important victory. The Battle of Margate ended the threat of a French and Castilian invasion of England for the next ten years. It also greatly damaged their navies. The thousands of barrels of wine captured were brought to London. They were sold for a very low price, which made Arundel very popular with the people.

The Battle of Margate was the last major naval battle of the Caroline War phase of the Hundred Years' War. It completely stopped France's chance of invading England for at least the next decade.