The Anglo-French War was a major medieval conflict that pitted the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
against the
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...
and various other states. It was fought in an attempt to curb the rising power of King
Philip II of France and regain the Angevin continental possessions King
John of England
John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...
lost to him a decade earlier. It is widely regarded as the first anti-French coalition war and came to an end at the decisive
Battle of Bouvines at which Philip defeated England and its allies.
The
Duchy of Normandy
The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple, King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans.
From 1066 until 1204, as a r ...
, once a site of conflict between
Richard I of England
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...
and Philip II, grew to be one of the hot spots of medieval Anglo-French wars as the King of England had to defend a continental holding that was so close to Paris. In 1202, Philip II launched an
invasion of Normandy that culminated in the six-month
Siege of Château Gaillard, which led to the conquest of the duchy and of neighbouring territories.
In 1214, when
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216.
Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
assembled an alliance of states against France, John agreed. The allies met Philip near Bouvines and were soundly defeated. The French victory resulted in the conquest of Flanders and put an end to further attempts from John to regain his lost territories.
This conflict was an episode of a
century-long struggle between the
House of Capet and the
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet (Help:IPA/English, /plænˈtædʒənət/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the Medieval France, French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by mo ...
over the Angevin domains in France, which started with
Henry II's accession to the English throne in 1154 and his rivalry with
Louis VII and ended with
Louis IX's triumph over
Henry III at the
Battle of Taillebourg in 1242.
Aftermath
After the disastrous military campaigns in France and the loss of much of the Angevin domains, King John became increasingly unpopular and a
civil war erupted in England as lords challenged him. Some of the rebellious barons, faced with an uncompromising king, turned to Prince
Louis, the son and heir apparent of King Philip and grandson-in-law of King
Henry II of England. Despite discouragement from his father and from
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216.
Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...
, Louis sailed to England with an army on 14 June 1216, captured
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
and soon controlled over half of the English kingdom.
[Alan Harding (1993), ''England in the Thirteenth Century'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), p. 10. According to '' L'Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal'' Louis became "master of the country".] However, just when it seemed like England was about to be his, King John's sudden death in October caused the rebellious barons to desert Louis in favour of John's nine-year-old son,
Henry III.
With
William Marshall acting as
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
, a call for the English "to defend our land" against the French led to a reversal of fortunes on the battlefield. After his army was
beaten at Lincoln on 20 May 1217 and a fleet led by
Eustace the Monk, attempting to bring French reinforcements, was
defeated off the coast of
Sandwich on 24 August, Louis was forced to make peace on English terms.
The principal provisions of the
Treaty of Lambeth were an amnesty for English rebels, Louis to undertake not to attack England again and 10,000 marks to be given to Louis. The effect of the treaty was that Louis agreed that he had never been the legitimate King of England.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anglo-French War (1213-14)
Anglo-French wars
Wars involving England
Wars involving the Kingdom of France (987–1792)
Battles involving Flanders
Military history of Normandy
Conflicts in 1213
Conflicts in 1214
1210s in France
1213 in England
1214 in England
England–France relations
13th-century military history of the Kingdom of England
Philip II of France
Wars involving the Holy Roman Empire
John, King of England
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
13th-century military history of France