Key Facts
- Duration
- May to July 1352 (approx. 2 months)
- French force size
- 4,500 men under Geoffrey de Charny
- Decisive action
- Large English night attack routed the French camp
- Territorial result
- Guînes incorporated into the Pale of Calais
- Later sieges
- French besieged again in 1436 and 1514, finally taking it in 1558
Strategic Narrative Overview
Geoffrey de Charny led approximately 4,500 French troops to Guînes and successfully retook the town, but the strongly fortified castle itself proved impossible to blockade effectively. For roughly two months, fierce fighting continued around the position. The situation turned decisively when a large English force launched a night assault on the French camp, inflicting a heavy defeat on Charny's army and forcing the French to abandon the siege.
01 / The Origins
During the Hundred Years' War, an uneasy truce known as the Truce of Calais nominally halted hostilities between England and France. In January 1352, English forces seized the well-fortified French castle at Guînes in violation of this truce. Edward III chose to hold the castle rather than return it, prompting France to organize a military response to reclaim the strategically important stronghold near Calais.
03 / The Outcome
Following the failed siege, France withdrew and Guînes was incorporated into the English Pale of Calais, strengthening England's foothold in northern France. The castle remained in English hands for over a century, withstanding further French sieges in 1436 and 1514. It was not until 1558 that France finally recaptured Guînes, as part of the broader collapse of English territorial holdings in France.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Geoffrey de Charny.
Side B
1 belligerent
Edward III (strategic decision).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.