English Channel naval campaign, 1338–1339 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids English Channel naval campaign, 1338–1339
Part of The Hundred Years' War
Date March 1338 – October 1339 Location English Channel Result Indecisive
Belligerents
Kingdom of England County of Flanders	Kingdom of France Genoese mercenaries Castilian mercenaries
Commanders and leaders
Robert Morley, Robert Truffel, Richard FitzAlan	Hugues Quiéret, Nicolas Béhuchet
Strength
Varied	Varied

The English Channel naval campaign of 1338 and 1339 was a time of many attacks by the French navy. French ships, along with private raiders and pirates, attacked English towns, ships, and islands in the English Channel. These attacks caused a lot of fear, damage, and money problems for England. This happened at the start of the Hundred Years' War.

After these attacks, the French became too confident. This led to a big French defeat later on. This defeat helped England win important battles in the next twenty years.

Coastal raids were common in the 1300s. Ships from France, Castile, Genoa, Scotland, and Scandinavia often attacked small fishing villages. But the attacks in 1338 and 1339 were different. They were planned and aimed at important English towns. This made them very serious for England during the war.

The Hundred Years' War Begins

In 1338, the Hundred Years' War had just started. The French government faced threats from two directions. To the south, England controlled lands like Gascony and Aquitaine. From these areas, English forces could launch raids into France.

To the northeast, the situation was also difficult for France. King Edward III of England had allies like Hainaut and Brabant. Their armies were preparing to invade France's northern areas.

England's Money Troubles

King Edward III had money problems. Even though England made a lot of money from its wool trade, the king's treasury was empty. Without money, his allies might leave him. Edward needed huge loans to keep his army fighting.

The French knew about Edward's money troubles. They believed that by attacking English ports and ships, they could stop the wool trade. This would also make it harder for England to send soldiers across the Channel. They hoped this would force Edward to give up his invasion plans.

Attacks on Portsmouth and Jersey

In February 1338, King Philip VI of France chose Nicholas Béhuchet as his new Admiral. Béhuchet's job was to hurt England's economy. On March 24, 1338, he began his campaign. He led a large fleet of ships from Calais across the Channel.

They sailed into the Solent and attacked Portsmouth. Portsmouth was an important port town. It had no walls and no defenses. The French ships sailed in with English flags, so no one suspected them. The attack was a disaster for England. The French looted ships and supplies. They burned down houses, stores, and docks. Many people who could not escape were killed or taken prisoner. No English ships were there to stop them.

The French fleet then sailed to the Channel Islands. These islands had been attacked before, but now faced a bigger threat. Jersey was invaded, and the eastern half of the island was destroyed. Only Mont Orgueil castle managed to hold out. English spies had warned about the attack, but the defenses were very weak.

Piracy Increases

The raid on Portsmouth caused great fear in southern England. Many towns spent a lot of money on defenses. This made Edward's money problems even worse. Areas like Devon and Cornwall refused to send money or supplies for the war. They said they needed their resources to defend themselves.

Their fears were real. Hearing how weak the English coast was, many merchants and landowners in France bought ships. They turned them into warships. These ships then launched small attacks and acted as pirates all along the English coast. The French understood that attacking English shipping would hurt England's economy. They also knew their raids drained Edward's money.

French and Castilian ships also attacked supply ships between England and Bordeaux. This caused big problems for Bordeaux. A large food convoy was badly damaged in August 1338.

Guernsey and Southampton Attacked

The sea campaign started again in September 1338. A large French and Italian fleet attacked the Channel Islands once more. This time, Robert VIII Bertrand de Bricquebec led them. The island of Sark fell easily. Guernsey was captured after a short fight. Most of the Channel Islands' soldiers were in Jersey, so Guernsey was not well defended.

On Guernsey, the forts of Castle Cornet and Vale Castle were the only places that held out. But they did not last long because they had too few soldiers and supplies. The soldiers inside were killed. A small sea battle happened between Channel Islanders and Italian ships. Even though two Italian ships sank, the Islanders lost many lives. Guernsey stayed French for some time.

The next target for Béhuchet and his helper Hugh Quiéret was England's supply lines to Flanders. They gathered 48 large ships called galleys. This fleet then attacked English ships at Walcheren on September 23. The English ships were unloading goods and were surprised. After a fierce fight, five large English ships, including Edward III's main ships, the Cog Edward and the Christopher, were captured. The captured English sailors were killed.

A few days later, on October 5, this force launched its most damaging raid. Thousands of French, Italian, and Castilian sailors landed near the big port of Southampton. They attacked the town from both land and sea. The town's walls were old and falling apart. Most of the town's soldiers and citizens ran away in fear. Only the castle's soldiers held out. But Italian forces broke through the defenses, and the town fell.

What happened in Portsmouth was repeated. The entire town was burned to the ground. Thousands of pounds worth of goods and ships were taken back to France. Many prisoners were killed or taken as slaves. The next day, English local soldiers started to bother the French. The French left, leaving behind the burning town.

The Year 1339

Winter stopped the fighting in the Channel. But 1339 was very different. English towns had used the winter to get ready. They formed organized groups of local soldiers to fight off raiders. These soldiers were more interested in fighting than just stealing. Several important English leaders were put in charge of these groups. They were warned they would be punished if they failed to defend their coast.

Even though piracy was still a problem, the large attacks of 1338 were over. An attack on Jersey failed because the island was now too strong. Attacks on Harwich, Southampton (again), and Plymouth were pushed back. The French mercenary soldiers did not want to risk a big battle. Hastings was burned, but it was only a small fishing village. The French fleet was reduced to attacking fishing boats.

England also built a new fleet over the winter. This fleet tried to get revenge by attacking French ships. But this was a disaster. The mercenary captains of the English fleet realized they could make more money by attacking Edward's Flemish allies instead of the French. Edward had to pay a huge amount of money to make up for this.

However, this English fleet became very important in July. Sixty-seven French and mercenary ships tried to attack the Cinque Ports. Local English soldiers met them at Sandwich. The French turned towards Rye, burning small villages but failing to land. There, the English fleet, led by Robert Morley, caught up with them. The French were forced to flee back across the Channel.

This scare was too much for the Genoese mercenaries. They were the most experienced part of the French fleet. They demanded more pay. King Philip VI responded by putting fifteen of them in prison. The others simply went back to Italy. This quickly cost France its best sailors and ships. It meant France lost two-thirds of its navy.

English Revenge Attacks

The English soon heard about this. Morley took his fleet to the French coast. They burned the towns of Ault and Le Tréport. They also raided inland, destroying several villages. This caused panic in France, just like the panic in Southampton the year before. Morley also surprised and destroyed a French fleet in Boulogne harbor.

English and Flemish merchants quickly prepared raiding ships. Soon, coastal villages and ships along the north and west coasts of France were under attack. The Flemish navy also attacked the important port of Dieppe in September and burned it down.

These successes helped to make people in England feel better. They also helped England's damaged trade. But these attacks did not hurt France's economy as much as the French raids had hurt England's. France's economy on land was stronger than England's sea-based economy.

The next year, a big naval battle would change the war. The English and French fleets met at the battle of Sluys. England won this battle, partly because the Italian mercenaries had left the French navy. This victory gave England control of the Channel for many years. This control allowed England to invade France from several places at once. This was a huge advantage in the long war.

Sources

• Rodger, N.A.M., The Safeguard of the Sea, 1997, ISBN: 0-00-255128-4
• Sumption, Jonathan, The Hundred Years War, Vol 1, Trial by Battle, 1990, ISBN: 0-571-13895-0