Gascon War

For other conflicts, see Anglo-French War.

1294–1303 Anglo-French War
The English Angevin Empire and France after the 1259 Treaty of Paris and the 1271 deaths of the Count and Countess of Poitou.
Date 1294–1303 Location Flanders, Aquitaine and Gascony Result French victory but return to status quo Treaty of Paris
Belligerents
Kingdom of France	Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
Philip IV of France Robert II, Count of Artois Charles, Count of Valois Guy, Marshall of France Raoul, Constable of France Roger-Bernard, Count of Foix	Edward I of England John St John John of Brittany Edmund of Lancaster Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln

The 1294–1303 Anglo-French War or Guyenne War (French: Guerre de Guyenne) was a conflict between the kingdoms of France and England, which held many of its territories in nominal homage to France. It began with personal clashes between sailors in the English Channel in the early 1290s but became a widespread conflict over control of Edward I's Continental holdings after he refused a summons from Philip IV and renounced his state of vassalage. Most of the fighting occurred in the Duchy of Aquitaine, made up of the areas of Guyenne and Gascony. The first phase of the war lasted from 1294 to 1298, by which time Flanders had risen in revolt against France and Scotland against England. Hostilities concluded for a time under papal mediation, with the terms of the 1299 Treaty of Montreuil providing for the betrothal of Edward's son Prince Edward and Philip's daughter Isabella. The same year, Edward I also married Philip IV's sister Margaret. The second phase ran from 1300–03, until it was concluded by the 20 May 1303 Treaty of Paris, which reaffirmed the prince and princess's engagement. They were married in 1308.

Aquitaine & Gascony

Main article: Gascon campaign (1294–1303)

Serious conflict was precipitated in 1293, when clashes between French and English seamen caused Philip IV of France to summon his vassal to Parlement. When Gascon castles occupied by the French as part of the settlement were not returned to the English on schedule, Edward I of England renounced his homage and prepared to fight for Aquitaine. The war that ensued went in favour of Philip the Fair, whose armies thrust deep into Gascony.

Flanders

Main article: English expedition to Flanders (1297–98)

Edward retaliated by allying with Guy, count of Flanders; Henry III, count of Bar; John I, count of Holland; and Adolf, king of the Germans. He launched a campaign in concert with the Count of Flanders in August 1297, but met defeat from a French force led by Robert II, Count of Artois. Papal mediation led to a truce in October 1297, which upheld the status quo ante in the area until the end of the armistice in January 1300. After Count Guy's surrender and imprisonment, Edward did not join the revolt of the Flemish burghers against their towns' French garrisons. French knights suffered a terrible defeat at Courtrai in July 1302, but thereafter the tide turned in France's favour. A settlement satisfactory to Philip was reached in 1305.

Aftermath

At a time when warfare was placing an unprecedented strain on royal resources, Gascony also supplied manpower. No English king, therefore, could afford to risk a French conquest of Gascony, for too much was at stake. The peace of 1303 continued the potential for conflict by returning the duchy to Edward in exchange for homage. The English Kings as Dukes of Aquitaine owed feudal allegiance to the French King and the conflicting claims of suzerainty and justice were a frequent source of disputes. Given the inconveniences of the feudal relationship it may seem surprising that no wider conflict grew out of the Gascon situation before the 1330s. Yet until that decade the tensions arising from the English position in Gascony were contained and controlled. The war marked a watershed in relations between the two powers.

Similarly, the war occasioned the beginning of chronic insubordination against France on the part of Flanders.

References

Bibliography

• Oman, Charles William Chadwick (1911), "English History", Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. IX (11th ed.), New York: Encyclopaedia Britannica.