Bernard, the king of Italy, and nephew of Louis I, rose up in revolt as he had been overlooked in the division of the empire. His army was weak in comparison to that of Louis and Bernard was captured, Louis could have have Bernard executed, but had him blinded instead. Even so, Bernard died several days later.

A Viking army attacked Paris after its inhanbitants fled for their live. The Vikings also plundered the banks of the River Seine.

Vikings were again pushing into Europe and King Louis II started a campaign against their advance, but he fell ill and died. He was succeeded by his two sons Louis and Carloman who jointly ruled the areas of France.

A battle in which Louis III, King of France defeated the Vikings.

A fleet of Viking longships sailed up the River Seine heading for eastern France and new lands and cities to plunder, When they reached Paris the Vikings offered to spare the city if they were allowed free passage up the river. The river was blocked by bridges that crossed and prevented even the Viking ships passage. Their request was denied and so the Vikings laid siege to the city. The siege was broken when an army led by Emperor Charles the Fat arrived. Charles agreed to pay the Vikings off and allowed them passage past Paris to Burgundy which they plundered,

Fulk Nerra defeated the count of Brittany at the battle of Conquereuil.

The peasants in Normandy rose up against their masters including the Count of Evreux, the uncle of Richard II, the Duke of Normandy. The revolt failed when the leaders were captured and executed.

Geoffrey Martel, count of Anjou, captured the town Tours and took control of the county of Touraine.

Battle fought between Henry, the King of France, and William, the Duke of Normandy. Henry wanted to take control of the Normandy area which was preventing the French access to the English Channel. The Normans defeated the French.

Another battle fought between Henry, the King of France, and William, the Duke of Normandy. Again the Normans defeated the French King's army.

Fulk Rechin was at war with his brother Geoffrey. They were fighting over the lands of Anjou and Touraine which had been left to them by their uncle Geoffrey Martel, the count of Anjou. Fulk captured Geoffrey the Bearded and captured Anjou later taking the title of count.

Many Norman barons held land both in England and Normandy. With two opposing lords, William in England and Robert in Normandy, the barons were finding it difficult to know who to support. A revolt led by Odo sprung up in England with the aim of removing William from the throne. Odo's revolt in Kent and Sussex was supported by barons across the country. Roger Bigod from Norwich and Geoffrey of Coutances and Robert Mowbray from Bristol supported Odo. In Worcestershire Roger de Lacy captured Hereford and attacked Worcester. In the south-east Roger Montgomery at Arundel Robert of Mortain at Pevensey and Gilbert de Clare at Tonbridge also prepared to fight the King. Robert of Belleme, a Norman baron, who was able to bring support from Normandy. Robert also controlled castles in the Welsh Marches where the revolt also took place.

Odo was accompanied to Rochester Castle by an escort but When they reached the castle the rebels captured the escort and refused to accept William Rufus as their King. Again William called for the people of England to support him against the rebels and together they lay siege to the castle. Odo surrendered when it was agreed that those in the castle would have their lives spared if the they came out. Odo and the rebels were allowed to leave but their lands in England were taken from them. Odo went into exiled in Normandy.

At the Council of Piacenza a delegation visited Pope Urban II led by the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus to raise the problems he was having fighting the Muslims in the East. Pope Urban removed the excommunication that had been placed on the Emperor by Pope Gregory and promised to help.

On the last day of the Council or Clemont Pope Urban II preached about the oppression being inflicted on the Christians in the Middle East by the Muslim Seljuks. Christian churches were being destroyed and Christians attacked. The Pope called for the Christians in the West to help.

Robert of Normandy became under pressure from William Rufus who laid claim to Normandy. William was gaining support from some Norman barons and Robert took the opportunity to leave Normandy to answer Pope Urban II's call for a Crusade. Robert agreed that William could lease Normandy for three years for a sum of 10,000 marks. This money would help him fund the expedition.

King Henry I entered Normandy to take power from this brother Robert whose incapacity to manage the affairs of the region could have had grave consequences. Robert fought back forcing Henry to return to England but not before Henry had gained Caen and Bayeux.

Louis VI of France, with the help of his vassals, mobilized a huge number of men to avert a joint invasion from England and the Emperor Henry V.

King Stephen sailed to Normandy to confront Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou and the Angevins who were attacking the southern areas of Normandy. Although Stephen had some success he was not able to deal fully with the count. Stephen did come to an agreement with the French King Louis VI and Eustace, Stephen's son, paid homage to the French king for Normandy.

After several years of conflict between the Angevins and the Barons of Normandy Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, captured Rouen and took control of the whole of the duchy of Normandy. Geoffrey also took the title of Duke of Normandy.

St. Bernard's sermon at Vézelay so moved Eleanor of Aquitaine that she vowed to go on Crusade.

Louis VII, the king of France, was not happy with Henry's new position as Duke of Normandy. Louis declared war on Henry. But Louis fell ill and the two enemies did not meet in battle. The dispute was sent to arbitration in Paris (Knights Templar?) and was resolved by Henry doing homage to Louis for Normandy and giving France the area of Vexin.

After marrying Eleanor Henry came under attack by Louis, Eleanor's previous husband, who did not recognise Henry as the new Duke of Aquitaine. Stephen sent troops and his son Eustace to help Louis against Henry. Henry's younger brother, Geoffrey, was also not happy with the situation and joined the quarrels. Henry moved quickly attacking Louis and capturing Geoffrey to secure his position as Duke.

King Henry II left England via Dover and sailed back across the Channel to the Continent. There he captured Maribeau and Chinon in Anjou. The area would remain in English hands until it was regained by the French in 1205 from King John.

King Henry II claimed the area around Toulouse in the name of his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, At Poitiers he gathered his army and on June 24th the army began its march. He invaded the region and advanced on the city of Toulouse. Louis VII of France was unhappy with Henry's increasing power and took an army to Toulouse to prevent the English king entering the city. As Henry was the vassal of King Louis he backed down from attacking the city while Louis was inside.

Richard seized the town of Saintes from his father but soon lost it again as Henry's tactics and forces were more superior.

From the middle of July King Louis of France, Henry the Young King and Philip the count of Flanders had surrounded the city of Rouen. The city held out against the war engines long enough for Henry II to arrive in the middle of August to stage a rescue. The besiegers were fearful that King Henry II would invade France and the siege was lifted.

After a year and a half of rebellion against him, King Henry II achieved peace agreements with Louis VII the French king and his own three sons. (Treaty of Falaise?)

Within two weeks Richard broke the defences of the fortress town of Taillebourg. King Henry II employed his son Richard to bring the rebellious barons of the Aquitaine area under control.

A non-aggression treaty signed between Philippe Augustus and Henry II.

Signed by Philippe Augustus to ensure his authority over his vassals.

To avoid war with Philippe Augustus, after Philippe had taken Issousun, King Henry II signed a peace treaty at Chateauroux.

The conflicts between England and France started once again with King Henry II attacking French lands and Philippe II attacking English lands in Normandy.

Unhappy that King Henry would give the throne of England to John, Richard sided with Philippe Augustus of France.

Richard, joined forces with the French King to attack his own father.

King Henry II was now seriously ill and submitted at a conference with the French King to peace. Henry agreed to do homage to Philippe and several towns and castles were taken by the French. It was now that Henry learnt of John's allegiance with the French King and this news upset the English King so much it was a major cause of his death.

In Nottingham a council was called to hear the King's request for raising taxes. Although a large amount of money had been raised to free him from Germany even more was raised to fund Richard's expedition to France to deal with the King of France. Once the money was raised Richard left England and was never to return.

On his return from imprisonment, Richard declares war on Philippe Augustus and defeats him at Fretevel. All the French archives were destroyed in the battle which were being transported in a wagon behind the army.

Richard besieged the castle at Chalus where some treasure had been unearthed. Richard believed it was his and tried to take the castle. Riding too close to the walls, Richard was shot in the shoulder. The castle then fell and the archer who shot Richard was brought before him. Richard forgave the archer but Richard's second in command had the archer executed. Richard died of his wounds. On his death bed, Richard nominated his brother John as his heir rather than Arthur of Brittany. Richard was buried at Fontevraud Abbey.

In France the Lusignans were causing problems still angry over John's marriage to Isabella. John ordered that an army should assemble at Portsmouth. Instead of taking the assembled army John used the money to hire mercenaries and took them instead.

Arthur of Brittany and the Lusignans had laid siege to Mirabeau Castle trapping Eleanor of Aquitaine inside. King John launched a rescue mission to free her. Arthur was captured by William de Braose and was handed over to King John. Many other important knights were also captured and it was an important and famous victory for the English king. Those that were captured were treated badly by King John. He could have ransomed them for their freedom and made a lot of money, instead he kept them prisoner locked in dungeons. Some he had shipped to England and imprisoned. Arthur was sent to the dungeon in the castle at Falaise in Normandy.

Arthur had been moved to Rouen from Falaise where he was being held captive. There it is said that King John killed Arthur and dumped his weighted-down body in the Seine. The body was discovered and later buried.

King John abandoned the lands that had been held by the Dukes of Normandy for over a hundred years and returned to England. Only two castles held out against Philip Augustus, they were Chinon, controlled by Hubert de Burgh and Loches, defended by Girard d'Athee.

After losing Normandy to the French, John sent an embassy to France to negotiate with Philippe. In the party that went from England were Hubert Walter and William Marshal. The negotiations failed due to Philippe's demands.

Philippe II, King of France won control of Rouen, the capital of Normandy and Normandy itself. John still had control of Aquitaine.

Philippe II of France held a meeting in Normandy to discuss invading England. This forced King John to abandon his own plans of invading Normandy as he could not risk moving his army abroad when the French were about to attack. The planned French invasion never materialised.

The castles at Chinon and Loches both fell to the French as Philippe strengthened his position. Again William Marshall travelled to see Philippe to agree peace terms, but his attempts were destroyed by Hubert Walter who sent a secret letter to Philippe telling him not to accept William Marshal's promise that John would do homage to Philippe. (What's going on here?)

Hubert held out in the castle at Chinon for as long as he could but when it finally fell to the French he was captured as his men rushed out to attack the besiging army.

After Philippe failed to invade England the year earlier, John took to opportunity to land an army at La Rochelle to defend his interests in Aquitaine which was his from his inheritance from Eleanor of Aquitaine, John's mother. John moved his army north and took back some of the lands he had lost to Philippe.

A two year truce is agreed between the Kings of England and France.

Because King John had been excommunicated by the Pope the French king, Philippe, had the right to invade England and remove John from the throne. Philippe wanted to put his son Louis in John's place. Plans were put forward at the Council of Soissons in early April. The Count of Flanders refused to join the Crusade againt the English so the French king had to overrun his country to ensure France was safe from attack if the invasion of England took place.

Rather than wait for the French to set sail, King John ordered his fleet to attack the French ships. The English fleet attacked the French fleet at Damme, Flanders near the town and port of Bruges. The French were taken by surprise and many of their ships were captured or destroyed. The French plans of invasion were destroyed.

John's conflict with Philippe of France started again with John's departure from Portsmouth. With him sailed his wife and second son, Richard. He also took a large amount of treasure.

English forces under the control of Emperor Otto IV were defeated by Philip II of France.

A small French army landed in London. Their commander informed the rebel barons that Prince Louis would soon arrive from France.

Royalists besieged the French controlled Mountsorrel Castle in Lincolnshire. When Louis sent reinforcements to assist those in the castle the royalists moved away to Nottingham. The French army then made the mistake of moving on to Lincoln where the royalists had held out against previous attacks.

While King Henry was occupied with problems caused by the barons, Louis VIII took the opportunity to take an army into Poitou and besiege La Rochelle. Unable or unwilling to send assistance from England, Henry allowed the town to be captured and by the end of the year the northern part of Aquitaine fell to the French.

King Henry III called for an army to be assembled at Portsmouth to be transported to Normandy to regain lost territories. A large army of knights turned up ready to go but not enough ships had been provided. The King blamed Hubert de Burgh for the fiasco and in his rage would have killed him if Ranulf of Chester had not intervened. This marks the beginning of the rift between Henry and Hubert de Burgh. The expedition was postponed until the mid of 1230.

While staying in Guienne in France, Edward (I) was challenged to a duel by the Count of Chalons. Fearing a trap Edward took a thousand men with him and was faced by a force of double that. In the battle that ensued Edward's forces overcame the enemy and won.

Philippe III, the king of France died at Perpignan at the end of a disastrous attempt to capture Aragon for his son Charles. The battle in which he died was part of a large war known as the War of the Sicilian Vespers forght between the kings of Aragon on one side and Charles of Anjou and the kings of France on the other with the support of the Pope.

A small scale war breaks out between English and Norman sailors after a Norman sailor is killed in a brawl with an English Sailor. The Normans demand the English sailor is handed over but he is not and in following battles many sailors were killed on both sides. Things escalate and Philippe of France demands Edward pay homage to him as Edward is Duke of Aquitaine, a vassal of the French King. Edward refuses and sends his brother Edmund instead. Edmund agrees with Philippe to surrender Gascony to the French.

Philippe added the bishopric of Maguellone and the east side of Montpellier to his domains.

As part of peace negotiations between England and France it was proposed that King Edward I would marry Blanche of France, the half-sister of Philippe IV, and Philippe would take back Gascony. This was agreed but the French King changed the agreement by replacing Blanche with her younger sister Margaret. This action saw the peace negotiations fail and England and France were again at war with each other.

Philippe the King of France took the opportunity of Edward's troubles in England to threaten the lands that Edward held in France.

In response to the fear that the King of France would try to take back some of the lands Edward held in France, King Edward I arranged a marriage between his son Edward and Philippa, the daughter of the Count of Flanders, an enemy of the King of France.

Leaving an unhappy England behind him, Edward left for France to fight Philippe.

After his defeat at Courtrai Philippe IV called on King Edward I for a peace treaty. Part to this involved Edward regained some French land and Philippe's daughter, Isabella, marrying Edward's son, the future Edward II, king of England.

More lands were added to Philippe's domain.

At a Parliament called to discuss the situation in France, it was decided to send a petition to Isabella for her return to England. She refused. In France, her brother the King had become annoyed with Isabella's conduct. Isabella left France and went to the court of William II, Count of Hainault who assisted her with preparations to invade England. A promise was made to marry Prince Edward, now Duke of Aquitaine to William's daughter Philippa.

Preparations were made in England for the threatened invasion from Isabella. Preparations were made difficult because Hugh Despensers was so unpopular.

Isabella arranged the future marriage between her son Edward and Philippa the daughter of William count of Hainault. Isabella claimed part of Philippa's dowry in advance so that she could finance her invasion of England.

Philippe used Genoese troops to attack ports on the south coast of England including Southampton, Plymouth, Hastings and Rye. The attacks reached right around the coast as far as Bristol.

Edward crossed to Antwerp and attempted an invasion of France.

Towns at Dover, Folkestone, Harwich, Hastings, Portsmouth, Rye, and the Isle of Wight were attacked and many merchant ships were destroyed. The attackers even sailed into Portsmouth harbour pretending to be English by raising English flags and sacked the town.

The French attacked Gorey Castle on the island of Jersey but the castle's garrison held out and fought off the invaders.

Philippe VI of France and the Normandy elite planned an invasion of England. Their invasion force consisted of around 20,000 to 25,000 men.

A French fleet attacked Dover, Folkestone and Sandwich but they were driven back to France. Boulogne was attacked in revenge.

With the promised help of the counts of Hainault and Namur Edward took his army into northern France. The Counts changed their minds as they had lands to lose if they fought against Philippe. Edward continued without their help and the English confronted the French at La Fremengerie. The French refused to fight and the English, short of supplies, turned back.

In Ghent (Flanders) Edward declared himself as the true King of France. When he left Flanders for England Philippa remained as assurance that money Edward owed would be paid.

Parliament agreed to raise taxes so that Edward could fund an army to invade France.

A naval battle between the English and French. The French tried to prevent the English ships landing at Flanders. The French were defeated by Edward's forces. Edward did not follow up with the advantage.

King Edward III besieged the important French town of Tournai. The town proved impossible to break and when King Philippe VI arrived nearby with an army a truce was agreed. The truce with mediated by Philippe's sister who was also Edward's mother-in-law. The truce lasted until June of 1341.

The Treaty of Esplechin was a peace treaty between King Edward III of England and Philippe VI of France. Edward had large debts and further campaigning was not possible so he accepted that the truce between the two kings was the best course of action. This treaty marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years War.

To raise funds for further French expeditions Edward had to confront Parliament. Parliament insisted that Edward reconfirmed various ancient charters.

Edward sailed to Brittany to assist English troops already there. They were supporting Jean de Montfort's claim to be the Duke of Brittany. Philippe, king of France, disputed this claim and supported his own contender to the title. Edward left his eldest son in charge of England while he was away.

Edward had to control Vannes if he was to hold Brittany and he laid siege to the city. The city did not fall to the English.

After a hard winter without any new gains in France Edward signed a new peace treaty with the French and returned to England.

King Edward III gave the order that an invasion fleet should be assembled at Portsmouth harbour.

King Edward III's invasion fleet finally left Southampton harbour, delayed by bad weather earlier in the year. Estimates of the number of men Edward took with him vary but could have been around 20,000. This would have required hundreds of ships to transport them all.

King Edward III's invasion fleet landed on the north west coast of Normandy at Saint-Vaast de la Hougue on the Cotentin Peninsula (also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula). Edward stayed there for several days while the large army came ashore.

King Edward III's army began their march east across Normandy attacking and destroying French towns as they went. Those towns that did not surrender were shown no mercy and when they fell to the English many of the inhabitants were killed. Other towns surrendered to avoid bloodshed. Many hostages were taken and shipped back to England so that ransom money could be demanded. The English fleet sailed along the coast at the same time destroying French ships and attacking ports as they went.

King Philippe VI of France had ordered bridges across the Seine to be destroyed so that King Edward III could not cross the river. Edward marched south towards Paris but at Poissy his engineers managed to repair the bridge. His army crossed the river and turned north.

Under King Edward III, the English forces defeated a superior French army at Crecy. Estimates give the English numbers at around 12,000 and a French contingent at 36,000. The English longbow made its mark in the battle against the armour of the French knights.

King Edward III began the siege of Calais that would last for almost a year. The governor of the town was man called Jean de Vienne. Edward demanded that the town should surrender but de Vienne refused, hoping that the town walls would hold the English out until King Philippe VI could come to their rescue. The English set up camp around the town and arranged for supplies to be brought from England. Wooden houses were also built to house the soldiers while they waited. Edward's wife Philippa even joined her husband at the camp.

King Edward III landed in Calais. His plan was to lay waste to the northern lands owned by France.

Edward the Black Prince set out from Bordeaux at the start of a chevauchée into lands held by King John of France. Chevauchée was a medieval term for a process destroying the towns, villages and land of an enemy lord in an attempt to reduce the wealth that the lord could extract and put to use in going to war. It also caused panic in the local population and an exodus of refugees.

On Saturday 17th of September while the Black Prince was moving his army to English owned city of Bordeaux the English and French armies finally came across each other near Poitiers. Edward moved his army into a defensive position protected by hedges on three sides and a narrow lane on the fourth.

On the Sunday a Cardinal attempted to get the English prince and French king to agree a truce, but the two leaders used the Sunday to rest their troops and prepare for the battle ahead.

King John of France was held prisoner at St. Alban's monastery after being captured at Poitiers.

On behalf of the King of England, Edward, the Black Prince arranged a two year truce with John, the King of France at Bordeaux.

The Black Prince with the French king and many other prisoners began the journey from France to England. Once back in England these nobles were ransomed for large amounts of money.

Edward and his eldest sons departed from England and arrived in Calais the same day. They met no resistance as they marched to Reims. But the town was too well fortified to be captured so the English troops spent their time attacking the local towns and villages and taking supplies.

The Treaty of Bretigny brought a period of peace for nine years during the Hundred Years War. The treaty was arranged between the Black Prince and the dauphin the future King Charles V of France before being approved by King Edward III of England and King John of France. As part of the treaty Edward was given control of the areas of Gascony, Calais and Ponthieu as long as he agreed to give up his claim for the French throne. King John of France, currently being held hostage in England, was to be released on condition of a payment of 3 million gold crowns to be paid in instalments.

At Calais King Edward III of England and King John of France, who had be released from captivity, signed the Treaty of Bretigny.

King King Edward III transferred control of Gascony to his eldest son, the Black Prince. Edward the Black Prince had just married Joan of Kent at Windsor and together they created a magnificent court in Bordeaux.

Edward the Black Prince went to assist Peter the Cruel, King of Castile, who had been driven from his throne by Henry Trastamara. With a combined army of English, Gascons, Navarrese and Castilians the Black Prince won a battle to put Peter back on the thrown. The victory at Nájera also brought the Castilian fleet under control which had been fighting on the side of the French when Trastamara was in power. Peter was later overthrown and the fleet again started fighting on the French side.

The English Parliament freed King Edward III from the Treaty of Bretigny that was signed in 1360. When Edward signed the treaty he had agreed to give up the claim for the French throne. Now that Edward was free from the treaty he was able to restate and pursue his claim to be the French King.

John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, left Calais with 2,000 soldiers and marched across northern France destroying towns along the way.

French forces led by the Duke of Berry retook the town of Limoges.

Edward, the Black Prince, used miners to undermine the section of the town that did not surrender to the English. The walls were brought down and those who had not surrendered were executed. This included women and children.

Several attacks on the south coast of England tool place in this year. The village of Rye was sacked and left burning.

The village of Hastings on the south coast of England was attacked by the French.

All through the summer months, the French prepared men and supplies in the Norman ports.

An invasion from France seemed to be imminent as the French fleet mass at Sluys.

King Richard II did not always agree with the council that was running England on his behalf and his uncle John of Gaunt was one his main opponants. The potential conflict between them came to an end when John set sail from Plymouth to take the Castilian throne. But his departure led to a greater conflict between the king and Thomas Woodstock, the Duke of Gloucester.

Fear of an invasion from France led Henry Bolingbroke to prepare defences along the south coast during the winter months of 1387 and spring months of 1388,

Preparations for war were complete and Henry's army set sail from Southampton for the French coast.

Henry's army landed on the north bank of the Seine estuary near to the town of Harfleur (now part of Le Havre). Henry organised the siege of the town and waited for it to fall.

The town held out for five weeks in which time the English soldiers were starting to suffer from disease caught from their camps in the marshes. The people in the town were not doing much better and when it was clear that the town was not going to be rescued, the citizens surrendered. Henry treated the towns people with respect and let them leave.

Henry's plans for invading France had been dented by the time it took to capture Harfleur and the affect of disease on his men. He decided to move his men to Calais which was under English control.

Henry's plan was to get across the Somme at its estuary where it was relatively easy to cross but he received word that the crossing was being guarded by the French. Henry had no other choice but to follow the west bank of the Somme south into French territory to find a suitable crossing point. His men were short of food as Henry had told them to take only a few day's supplies expecting them to reach Calais. Henry finally found a crossing point that was unguarded and his army crossed the Somme.

The English army met the French army near the town of Agincourt. Although the English were outnumbered three to one, Henry used the local terrain to his advantage. The French cavalry were hit heavily by the English archers and French knights got bogged down in the wet fields. The French were defeated and Henry ordered that no prisoners should be taken apart from the extremely important knights who could be ransomed. The death toll amongst the French nobility was high.

After a few weeks recovering in Calais from their ordeal, Henry and the English army returned to England to a hero's welcome.

A French fleet laid siege to Harfleur, the French port captured by Henry V, and attempted to get it back. Harfleur was defended by Thomas Beaufort, the earl of Exeter.

An English fleet commanded by John Duke of Bedford attacked and defeated the French blockading the mouth of the Seine who were preventing supplies reaching the English held town of Harfleur. Bedford was the king's brother.

King Henry began his second French campaign when he and his large army landed at Trouville on the north coast of Normandy.

Once in France, King Henry appointed his brother the Duke of Clarence as Marshall of his army and together they advanced and laid siege to the city of Caen. Henry's attempt to storm and breach the walls failed, but his brother's attack on the other side of the walled city succeeded and the city fell to the English. It took several more days for the fortified castle within the city to be captured.

The Burgundians with the help from the citizens of Paris rose up against the Armagnacs who contolled Paris, led by Bernard of Armagnac, the Constable of France. He and many of his followers were killed. John the Fearless, the leader of the Burgundians moved into Paris.

King Henry was not troubled by any Burgundian attempts to stop his progress and by the end of July had begun the siege of the important city of Rouen.

By December so many people in the besiged city of Rouen were starving that as many as 12,000 people were forced to leave. But King Henry refused to let them pass through the his lines and they remained stuck between the English and the walls of the city without food in the freezing weather. Many of them died.

The city of Rouen in Normandy surrendered to the English King after a siege of seven months.

In the Treaty of Troyes King Charles VI of France agreed that after his death King Henry V of England and his heirs would become the rulers of France. It was also agreed that the French king's daughter, Catherine of Valois would marry Henry.

King Henry began the siege of the city of Meaux.

The French town of Meaux finally fell to the English besiegers. This being Henry's last great victory against the French.

English defeat the French at Cravant

The English defeat the French at Verneuil

The Bretons had captured Pontorson, a town on the north-west coast of France. The Earl of Warwick laid siege to the town.

The Duke of Bedford led an English army to surround the French town of Orléans and to begin the siege. Orléans was chosen because it was the most important city still under the control of Charles VII. The city was well prepared for the siege and even though the there were a small number of French soldiers in the city the defences held. Thomas Montacute, earl of Salisbury, was killed when he was hit by debris of an exploding cannonball. The siege continued into the harsh winter. The death of the Thomas Montacute meant that the Earl's title was transferred to Richard Neville who had married his daughter Anne.

To supply the English who were besieging Orléans the Duke of Bedford arranged for a convoy of food be sent. The convoy was attacked by the French but the English managed to fight them off. After the battle the battlefield was covered with the food which was mostly salted fish.

Charles gave Joan a small army and she sets of to free Orleans from the English.

Joan reached Orleans and managed to get past the English to enter the town. There she raised the moral of the citizens trapped by the English siege.

Joan of Arc had tried to negotiate with the English to lift the siege of Orleans without success. More French troops had arrived to assist break the blockade. On May 7th, Joan was wounded by an arrow in the neck but survived and managed to lead the French to defeat the English at Les Tourelles, part of the town. On May 8th the English moved out of Orleans.

The French defeat the English.

Joan was burnt at the stake in Rouen in the Old Market Square.

The English lost the support of the Duke of Burgundy against King Charles VII of France with the signing of the Treaty of Arras where the Duke recognised Charles as the true King of France.

The long occupation of Paris by the English was ended when the French rescued the city.

The English under the command of Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, captured the port town of Harfleur on the northern coast of France.

Richard, Duke of York was re-appointed lieutenant-general of France and Normandy.

Although Richard, Duke of York, had been appointed governor of France and Normandy he did not go until reports from Rouen in Normandy of French attacks persuaded him to do so.

The English who were under siege inside Calais were resupplied by Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. For his actions Beaufort received the title Earl of Dorset.

The rulers of Europe intervened when they saw that the ongoing war between England and France was doing destructive damage to both countries. Delegates including Cardinal Beauforta and the Earl of Suffolk from England met delegates from France to discuss a peace treaty. It wasn't until the followg year that the treaty was signed. The Treaty of Tours was signed by King Henry VI of England and Charles VII of France. The treaty resulted in five years of peace between the two countries and included the arrangement of marriage between Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou.

A French Embassy arrived in London to meet the English King and confirm terms of a peace treaty after the marriage of Henry to Margaret of Anjou.

The position of lieutenant of France was contested by Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset and Richard, Duke of York. Richard wanted to be re-appointed to the position but the Duke of Somerset was appointed instead. Edmund and Richard would become bitter rivals in the future battles of the Wars of the Roses.

Several years after the Treaty of Arras, after which the conflict between England and France had subdued, an English force attacked and took over the town of Fougeres in Brittany. This sparked the resumption of the war between the two countries.

Several French armies moved into Normandy to retake it from the English. The English garrisons began to surrender under the pressure.

A large army of French soldiers were able to retake the cities in Normandy that had been captured by the English. Rouen, the last to fall, was retaken in November after a siege of almost three weeks. This was a major victory for Charles, the French king and a disaster for Henry VI.

An English army landed at Cherbourg under the command of Sir Thomas Kyriel. Joined by forces led by Matthew Gough the combined army laid siege to Valognes. The town fell to the English in April.

An English army under the command of Sir Thomas Kyriel and Matthew Gough were attacked at Formigny in Normandy. The English were defeated and many of them were captured including Kyriel. Matthew Gough managed to escape.

English forces led by Matthew Gough held out at Bayeux against a French siege. The French used powerful cannons and finally Gough agreed to surrender the town to the French.

The Duke of Somerset surrendered the town of Caen to the French after a short siege and he returned to England.

The lands in Normandy held by the English began to fall to the French one-by-one until Cherbourg finally fell on August 12th.

The port city of Bordeaux fell to the French and English control was lost.

Sir John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and his army were totally destroyed by the French as they attempted to regain control of the region around Bordeaux. This is regarded as the last event in the Hundred Years War.

Under the command of the Duke of Shrewsbury, an English army was able to take back some of the lost ground in Gascony. But the successes would be short-lived.

The coastal town of Sandwich on the south coast of England was raided by the French. The town was left burning and the mayor dead,

An embassy of several Lancastrians, including the Duke of Somerset, travelled to France and the court of Charles VII to ask for men and a loan of money to continue the fight against the Yorkists. But the death of Charles on the 22nd put an end to their plans. Their situation became serious when they were arrested. The new French King, Louis XI, at this stage of the Wars of the Roses was a Yorkist supporter.

In an attempt to raise support for the Lancastrian cause, Queen Margaret sailed from Scotland to Brittany. She hoped she could get support from the French King, Louis XI.

Queen Margaret of England and Louis XI of France signed a treaty. Margaret promised that Calais would be returned to the French if he helped her return her husband King Henry VI of England to the throne.

King Edward IV agreed a peace treaty with France in which both sides promising not to assist each others enemies. This was a disaster for the Lancastrians who had hoped that they could get French assistance against the English king.

King Edward IV had taken refuge with his brother-in-law Charles, the Duke of Burgundy. Louis of France declared war on Burgundy forcing the Duke to support Edward in his attempt to reclaim the English throne.

Treaty of London between Edward IV of England and Charles the Bold of Burgundy against France.

The plans of King Edward IV to unseat the King of France led to his invasion of France with a force of 10,000 men. He had been promised assistance from the Dukes of Brittany and Burgundy, and the King of Aragon. Unfortunately the Burgundian army did not turn up due to another conflict and Edward was left without sufficient men to proceed.

Louis and Edward agreed to a peace treaty to last seven years. The agreement signed at the Treaty of Picquigny meant Louis was to pay Edward an initial sum to leave France and a smaller yearly sum there-after. The French also paid a ransom to free Margaret of Anjou who had been held by the English since the Battle of Tewkesbury.

The Battle of St. Aubin was fought between the French and an English army commanded by Sir Edward Woodville, consisting also of a group of Bretons who had joined his company. It was in support of Brittany which was at war with France. The Bretons apparently abandoned the fight and the French soldiers killed Sir Edward and all his men, apart from one.

Benevolences is the term to describe the giving of money by the people to the Crown voluntarily when the country was in need of finance at times of war. Unfortunately several kings abused this making the payments compulsory, including King Richard III, and the practice was made illegal. King Henry VII overturned the ban and used Benevolences to raise money for a war with France.

The Tudor king Henry VII landed in Calais leading a large army against the French King Charles VIII. They captured the town of Boulogne.

Treaty of Etaples was the peace treaty signed by Charles VIII of France and Henry VII of England. Charles agreed not to support Perkin Warbeck and Henry agreed not pursue his claim to the French throne. Charles also had to pay Henry a large sum of money to be paid over several years.

In 1494 Charles VIII of France had taken an army into Italy to claim the throne of Naples which he believed was his right to have. As his army met no resistance he entered Naples and had himself crowned King.

After his success at the battle of Novara Louis XII was able to take control of the city of Milan and it's surrounding area.

The secret treaty signed by Loius XIII of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon who agreed to both invade Naples and remove King Frederick from power. Once it had been captured it was agreed that Italy was to divided between France and Spain.

Pope Julius II declared Louis XII was no longer the rightful King of France. Venice and Spain joined the League to remove the French king from power. King Henry VIII also joined the League declaring war on France.

Henry prepared an invasion fleet and set sail for Calais.

The French cavalry arrived to assist the town of Therouanne which was under siege from the English. The French horsemen were attacked and turned and fled with the English in hot pursuit across the area of Guingate. The battle was known as the Battle of the Spurs due to the speed of the French retreat from the battlefield. The town of Therouanne fell to the English a couple of weeks later. The English entered the town and raised it to the ground.

After the victory at Therouanne, Henry turned to Tournai. The town fell to the English who entered it but this time took control and stationed a garrison there. Thomas Wolsey was given the bishopric of the town.

Wolsey negotiated a peace treaty between England and France whereby King Louis XII married the younger sister Mary of King Henry VIII and had to pay Henry pension money owed to him under the treaty of Etaples. Peace should be maintained not less than a year after the first of them should die.

The Treaty of London or Universal Peace was signed in London between the major European countries, England, France, Burgundy and many more. For Cardinal Wolsey this treaty was a plan to produce a peaceful Europe. The treaty stated that the countries must not attack one another and if they did the other countries would come to the aid of those being attacked. Within the treaty was the agreement that Mary, the 2 year-old daughter of King Henry VIII, would marry the French dauphin.

The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a meeting between King Henry VIII and King Francis I of France somewhere between Guines and Ardres near Calais. The meeting included a series of tournaments and jousts. The extravagant nature of the event giving the meeting its name.

The Treaty of Bruges was conducted in secrecy at Bruges between King Charles V, the Holy Roman Emporer, and Thomas Wolsey. In the terms of the treaty Wolsey promised Charles that King Henry VIII would join him in a joint campaign against France and Francis I. The meeting was held in secret because England was supposed to be a mediator in the dispute between Charles and Francis. The joint attacks of France would have to wait until March or May of 1523.

After a lengthy siege failed to take the well defended castle at St. Andrews, Mary of Guise asked the French for help. The castle at St. Andrews was captured and the Protestant leaders and John Knox were taken into custody.

To comply with the agreement to marry Mary Stuart to the French Dauphin, the young queen was moved from Inchmahome Priory to Dumbarton Castle on the banks of the River Clyde on the west of Scotland. It was here that she waited before sailing to France.

The request of the Scottish Regent, Mary of Guise, for help to fight the English was answered by the arrival of an army of several thousand French. The assistance came on condition that her daughter Mary Stuart should marry the French Dauphin, Francis and is known as the Treaty of Haddington.

The war between England and Scotland and France was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Boulogne. The English withdrew from Scotland. This allowed the French king, Henry II to concentrate on his enemy, Charles V, The Holy Roman Emporer.

Philip returned to England and Mary's side. During his stay he attempted to persuade the Queen to declare war on France.

The defences of Calais had not been maintained as Queen Mary had been spending the country's wealth elsewhere and when the French laid siege to the city it did not take long for it to fall. The shock of losing Calais was felt all over England.

The Treaty of Richmond was signed in secret by Queen Elizabeth and Louis Bourbon prince of Condé, the leader of the Huguenots. The Huguenots were French Protestants or French Calvanists. In return for Elizabeth's military assistance in France the prince promised the return of Calais to the English.

As part of the secret treaty of Richmond, an English garrison was allowed to station itself at Le Havre and would swap the town for Calais once Calais was recaptured. The garrison of around 3,000 men was lead by the Earl of Warwick.

The Huguenots abandoned their treaty with Elizabeth and abandoned the English garrison at Le Harve. An outbreak of the plague struck the garrison leaving many dead or dying. Although reinforcements were sent to assist, the Earl of Warwick had little choice but to leave the town and return to England. The returning men bringing the plague back to England with them.