Sold – The French Try to Invade England in 1386

The English did well in the first phase of this long war, winning victories at Crecy and Poitiers. However, in the 1380’s, English King Richard II recognized his uncle (and most experienced commander), John of Gaunt, as King of Castile, and unwisely sent him with 7,000 of his best troops to Spain. The French saw the absence of these soldiers as an opportunity, and considered that an invasion of England was feasible and might deal a fatal blow to their long-time foe. In the spring and summer of 1386, 30,000 troops for a “voyage to England” were gathered by French King Charles VI.

By August, it was realized in England that there was a real threat of invasion, the first since William the Conqueror, and preparations were made to meet it. However, the French found, as have other would-be invaders, that mounting a cross-Channel expedition is complex, expensive and time-consuming, and their deadline kept being pushed back. In late October the invasion was cancelled altogether. The document we offer indicates that lack of funds may have been a major factor.

The wages of the French forces (who probably had been promised plunder when they got to England) were by late October at least six weeks overdue, and the French royal coffers were low enough that most of their troops couldn’t be paid. Large numbers of the unpaid soldiers began pillaging the Flemish countryside, only beginning to disperse in November.

A 1 page 4to document on vellum, Lille, Oct. 30, 1386, 5 lines in an elegant gothic chancery script. Estienne Daulazy, “a participant in the present war and the present voyage to England, requests from the government of the Marshal of Sancre [Louis de Sancerre, Marshal of France] the sum of 75 livres tournois from Jehant le Flamant, the King’s military treasurer, as wages due myself and seven other squires on the present expedition.” Very good, with a note in another hand at the bottom, “This quittance has only a value of 15 sous,” indicating pay was only to be given to Daulazy himself. A sad state of affairs for France to be in.

Three other attempts to invade Britain have been planned since this French attempt failed: the Spanish Armada in 1588, Napoleon and the French again in the early 1800’s, and Germany in 1940. None got farther than this abortive try in 1386. This is the only document we can recall seeing from the Hundred Years War, and is fascinating with its tale of inadequate French financing.