The Battle of Varaville was a battle fought in 1057 by
William, Duke of Normandy
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 ...
, against King
Henry I of France
Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. Th ...
and Count
Geoffrey Martel Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to:
People
* Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...
of Anjou.
In August 1057, King Henry and Count Geoffrey invaded
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
on a campaign that was aimed at
Bayeux
Bayeux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northwestern France.
Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts ...
and
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Hiemois region of Normandy and began raiding and pillaging towards the two towns. Duke William, who appears to have been reluctant to oppose his overlord directly, gathered a large army at Falaise but took no other action besides keeping scouts out to report the invading force's movements. When the invaders reached a ford on the estuary of the river Dives near
Varaville
Varaville () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
It gives its name to the Battle of Varaville
The Battle of Varaville was a battle fought in 1057 by William, Duke of Normandy, against King H ...
, they began to cross but when the tide came in, the process had only been half completed, leaving the army split in two. William seized the opportunity and attacked the half of the invading army that had not yet crossed. Later reports by chroniclers made the battle into a massacre, but contemporary writers barely noticed it.Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 72–73 Modern historians have praised William's generalship during the battle, with David Bates noting the battle as an example of William's habit of surprising his enemies with unexpected moves.Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 54
The main effect was that the invaders retreated quickly from Normandy. The battle also marked the end of the last invasion of Normandy during Duke William's lifetime.Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 50 After the retreat of Henry and Geoffrey, William was able to extend his influence outside his Norman lands, increasing his power in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
in the years 1057 through 1060. Other results included Bishop Ivo of Sees switching from an Angevin to a Norman alliance.
In the next year, 1058, William invaded King Henry's lands and recaptured the castle at
Tillières
Tillières () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
History
On 15 December 2015, Le Longeron, Montfaucon-Montigné, La Renaudière, Roussay, Saint-André-de-la-Marche, Saint-Crespin-sur-Moine, Saint-G ...
, which had been lost to the Normans during William's minority.