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Treaty of Brétigny
TypeTreaty of perpetual peace
ContextHundred Years' War
Drafted8 May 1360
Signed24 October 1360 (1360-10-24)
LocationBrétigny, near Chartres, France
Effective24 October 1360
Original
signatories
Parties

Background

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a map of France showing only a small part of the south-west under English control
France in 1330: only Gascony remained under English control.

Since the Norman Conquest of 1066, English monarchs had held titles and lands within France, the possession of which made them vassals of the kings of France.[1] On 24 May 1337, following a series of disagreements between Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350) and Edward III of England (r. 1327–1377), Philip's Great Council in Paris agreed that the lands held by Edward III in France should be taken into Philip's direct control on the grounds that Edward III was in breach of his obligations as a vassal. This marked the start of the Hundred Years' War, which was to last 116 years.[2]

In 1340, Edward laid formal claim to the Kingdom of France, as the closest male relative of Philip's predecessor, Charles IV.[3]

Treaty of Guînes

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Main article: Treaty of Guînes

Hostilities resume

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Further information: Battle of Poitiers

Negotiations

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Further information: Reims campaign and Treaty of Brétigny
A wooden chest bearing four colourful coats of arms
Treaty of Calais Chest in the National Archives, Kew

The Black Prince's chevauchée is described by Rogers as "the most important campaign of the Hundred Years' War".[4] In its aftermath English and Gascon forces raided widely across France, against little or no opposition.[5] With no effective central authority France dissolved into near anarchy.[6][7] In March 1357 a truce was agreed for two years.[8] In April the Black Prince sailed for England, accompanied by his prisoner, John, and landed at Plymouth on 5 May.[8] They proceeded to London and a rapturous reception.[6] Protracted negotiations between John and Edward III led to the First Treaty of London in May 1358, which would have ended the war with a large transfer of French territory to England and the payment of a ransom for John's freedom. The French government was unenthusiastic and was anyway unable to raise the first instalment of the ransom, causing the treaty to lapse.[9] A peasant revolt known as the jacquerie broke out in northern France during the spring of 1358 and was bloodily put down in June.[10] At length John and Edward agreed the Second Treaty of London, which was similar to the first except that even larger swathes of French territory would be transferred to the English. In May 1359 this was similarly rejected by the Dauphin and the Estates General.[11]

In October 1359 Edward III led another campaign in northern France. It was unopposed by French forces but was unable to take any strongly fortified places.[12] Instead the English army spread out and for six months devastated much of the region.[13] Both countries were finding it almost impossible to finance continued hostilities, but neither was inclined to change their attitude to the proposed peace terms. On 13 April 1360, near Chartres, a sharp fall in temperature and a heavy hail storm killed many English baggage horses and some soldiers. Taking this as a sign from God, Edward reopened negotiations, directly with the Dauphin. By 8 May the Treaty of Brétigny had been agreed, which largely replicated the First Treaty of London[14] or the Treaty of Guînes.[15] By this treaty vast areas of France were ceded to England, to be personally ruled by the Black Prince, and John was ransomed for three million gold écu.[16] Rogers states "Edward gained territories comprising a full third of France, to be held in full sovereignty, along with a huge ransom for the captive King John – his original war aims and much more."[17] As well as John, sixteen of the more senior nobles captured at Poitiers were finally released with the sealing of this treaty.[18] At the time it seemed this was the end of the war, but large-scale fighting broke out again in 1369 and the Hundred Years' War did not end until 1453, with a French victory which left only Calais in English hands.[19]

Terms

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A map of Medieval France showing the territory ceded to England at the Treaty of Brétigny
France after the 1360 Treaty of Brétigny; French territory in green, English territory in pink

The Treaty of Brétigny was ratified on 10 May 1360, by Dauphin Charles and six English knights at the Hôtel de Sens.[20] On 14 June 1360, John II, a prisoner in England, ratified the treaty at a banquet attend by Edward III, Prince of Wales, and the other French prisoners from the Battle of Poitiers.[21] The finalization of the treaty would occur in Calais on 24 October 1360.[22]

By the terms of this treaty, Edward III obtained Guyenne, Gascony, Poitou, Saintonge and Aunis, Agenais, Périgord, Limousin, Quercy, Bigorre, the countship of Gauré, Angoumois, Rouergue, Montreuil-sur-Mer, Ponthieu, Calais,[23] Sangatte, Ham and the countship of Guînes. The king of England was to hold these as sovereign territories, without doing homage to the king of France for them. Furthermore, the treaty established that title to Channel Islands would no longer be under the suzerainty of the king of France. Edward agreed to cease using the title "king of France".[12]

For his part, the king of England renounced all claims to the French throne.[24] The terms of Brétigny were meant to untangle the feudal responsibilities that had caused so much conflict, and, as far as the English were concerned, would concentrate English territories in an expanded version of Aquitaine. England also restored the rights of the bishop of Coutances to Alderney, which had been removed by the king of England in 1228.[citation needed]

John II had to pay three million écus for his ransom,[23] and would be released after he paid one million. The occasion was the first minting of the franc, equivalent to one livre tournois (twenty sous). As a guarantee for the payment of his ransom, John gave as hostages two of his sons, Dukes Louis I of Anjou and John of Berry,[25] several princes and nobles, four inhabitants of Paris, and two citizens from each of the nineteen principal towns of France.[citation needed]

While the hostages were held, John returned to France to try to raise funds to pay the ransom. In 1362, John's son, Louis of Anjou, a hostage in English-held Calais, escaped captivity.[26] Thus, with his stand-in hostage gone, John felt honor-bound to return to captivity in England.[27] He died in captivity in 1364[28] and was succeeded by his son, Charles V.

This eventually led to peace being agreed, and the Treaty of Brétigny was signed in 1360. It ceded large parts of south-west France to England as its sovereign territory, while Edward renounced all claims to the French throne. The terms of Brétigny were meant to untangle the feudal responsibilities that had caused so much conflict, and, as far as the English were concerned, would concentrate their territory in an expanded version of Aquitaine. This had been part of the English royal estate in France since the reign of Henry II (r. 1154–1189),[29] and by the treaty it and Poitou became fiefdoms of Edward's oldest son, Edward the Black Prince. John was to pay three million écus as his ransom.[note 1] The French were deeply unhappy with this arrangement.[31]

Breakdown

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In 1369, on the pretext that Edward had failed to observe the terms of the treaty, Charles V (r. 1364–1380), the son and heir of King John, declared war once again. In August a French offensive attempted to recapture castles in Normandy.[32] Men who had fought[33] in earlier English campaigns, and had already won fortune and fame, were summoned from their retirements,[34] and new, younger men were given commands.[35] Events went poorly for England almost from the start: James Audley and John Chandos, two important English commanders, were killed in the first six months;[36] while the French made territorial gains in the west, re-occupying the strategic provincial capital of Poitiers and capturing many castles.[34]

[37]

Notes, citations and sources

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Notes

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  1. ^ Approximately £450,000,000 in 2024 terms. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2019). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 14 November 2019. To give a very rough idea of earning power, an English foot-soldier could expect to earn £1 in wages for, usually seasonal, military service in approximately three months.[30]

Citations

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  1. ^ Prestwich 2007, p. 394.
  2. ^ Sumption 1990, p. 184.
  3. ^ Wagner 2006, p. 158.
  4. ^ Rogers 2014, p. 348.
  5. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 250, 267, 271, 274.
  6. ^ a b Green 2011, p. 62.
  7. ^ Rogers 2014, pp. 393, 395.
  8. ^ a b Hoskins 2011, p. 201.
  9. ^ Hoskins 2011, p. 202.
  10. ^ Wagner 2006d.
  11. ^ Green 2011, pp. 62–63.
  12. ^ a b Curry 2002, p. 45.
  13. ^ Hoskins 2011, p. 203.
  14. ^ Rogers 2014, pp. 414–416.
  15. ^ Rogers 2014, p. 292.
  16. ^ Sumption 1999, pp. 135–136, 447.
  17. ^ Rogers 1994, p. 102.
  18. ^ Given-Wilson & Bériac 2001, pp. 803–804.
  19. ^ Curry 2002, pp. 46, 91.
  20. ^ Sumption 2001, p. 448.
  21. ^ Sumption 2001, p. 449.
  22. ^ Bombi 2019, p. 207.
  23. ^ a b Sumption 2001, p. 447.
  24. ^ Prestwich 2007, p. 326.
  25. ^ Tuchman 1979, p. 190.
  26. ^ Sumption 2001, p. 499.
  27. ^ Guignebert 1930, Volume 1. pp. 304–307
  28. ^ Sumption 2001, pp. 499–500.
  29. ^ Prestwich 1988, p. 298.
  30. ^ Gribit 2016, p. 37.
  31. ^ Wagner 2006a, pp. 58–59.
  32. ^ Fowler 2001, p. 286.
  33. ^ Prestwich 2007, pp. 337–338.
  34. ^ a b Neillands 1990, p. 169.
  35. ^ Jack 2004.
  36. ^ Ormrod 2012, p. 506.
  37. ^ Curry 2002, p. 46.

Sources

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  • Bombi, Barbara (2019). Anglo-Papal Relations in the Early Fourteenth Century: A Study in Medieval Diplomacy. Oxford University Press.
  • Curry, Anne (2002). The Hundred Years' War 1337–1453. Essential Histories. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-269-2.
  • Goodman, Anthony (2014). John of Gaunt: The Exercise of Princely Power in Fourteenth-Century Europe. Taylor & Francis.
  • Guignebert, Charles (1930). A Short History of the French People. Vol 1. F. G. Richmond Translator. New York: Macmillan and Company.
  • Ormrod, W. Mark (2012). Edward III. Yale University Press.
  • Prestwich, Michael (1980). The Three Edwards: War and State in England, 1272–1377. Routledge.
  • Prestwich, M. (2007). J.M. Roberts (ed.). Plantagenet England 1225–1360. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-922687-0.
  • Sumption, Jonathan (1990). Trial by Battle. The Hundred Years' War. Vol. I. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-20095-5.
  • Sumption, Jonathan (2001). The Hundred Years War. Vol. II: Trial by Fire. University of Pennsylvania Press.
  • Sumption, Jonathan (2009). The Hundred Years War. Vol. III: Divided Houses. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-571-13897-5.
  • Tout, T. F. (1905). The Political History of England, Volume 3. Longmans, Green And Co.
  • Tuchman, Barbara W. (1979). A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. Ballantine.
  • Wagner, John A. (2006). "Hundred Years' War, Causes of". Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. Westport, CN; London: Greenwood Publishing. pp. 157–159. ISBN 978-0-313-32736-0.
  • Watts, John (2009). The Making of Polities: Europe, 1300–1500. Cambridge University Press.
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