Defeat of the French relief fleet at Crotoy sealed the fall of Calais in 1347, giving England a lasting continental foothold for over two centuries.
Key Facts
- Date
- 25 June 1347
- French fleet size
- 40 ships
- Location
- Mouth of the Somme, off Le Crotoy
- Calais surrender
- Early August 1347
- Phase of Hundred Years' War
- Edwardian phase
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
English forces under King Edward III were besieging Calais during the Edwardian phase of the Hundred Years' War. France assembled a fleet of 40 ships at the mouth of the Somme in an effort to break the siege by resupplying or relieving the beleaguered town.
On 25 June 1347, an English naval force commanded by William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton, and Laurence Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, engaged the French relief fleet near Le Crotoy. The English defeated the French, foiling the relief attempt entirely.
With no relief forthcoming after the naval defeat, Calais surrendered to Edward III in early August 1347. England gained a durable continental bridgehead that shaped Channel strategy for generations and is regarded by historians as one of the decisive closing moves that made the town's fall inevitable.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton, Laurence Hastings, Earl of Pembroke.
Side B
1 belligerent