The English expedition to France 1562-1563 was an episode in the First French War of Religion (1562-1563); it resulted in English defeat and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

relinquishing its claims to Calais and the surrounding area.

Background

On 8 May 1562,

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

reformers took the city of

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

, looted churches, and expelled Catholics.''Modern Period (1492–1610)''
Municipal Archives of Le Havre, consulted on 22 July 2012 Fearing a counter-attack by the royal armies, they turned to the English who sent their troops.

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

saw an opportunity in the current state of chaos in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

to reclaim the Pale of Calais, which had only recently been lost in the Anglo-French War (1557–1559) after two centuries of English rule. On 22 September 1562, the Treaty of Richmond was signed by Elizabeth and

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

leader Louis, Prince of Condé, by which it was agreed that England would send 3,000 men to occupy the cities of

and Dieppe. On arrival the English built a series of fortifications.

English failure

In 1563, peace was restored between the Huguenots and French

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

with the Edict of Amboise. However, when requested to leave the cities it was still occupying, Elizabeth refused, stating that English forces would hold out until France restored Calais to English rule. In response the French regent,

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

, sent a force of French Catholic and Huguenots under

Anne de Montmorency Anne, Duke of Montmorency, Honorary Knight of the Garter (15 March 1493, Chantilly, Oise12 November 1567, Paris) was a French soldier, statesman and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France and served five kings. Early lif ...

. The French attacked the city of Le Havre and expelled the English on 29 July 1563. The fort the English had constructed was then razed.

Consequences

The English failure led to the Treaty of Troyes (1564); Elizabeth accepted French rule over Calais in exchange for 120,000 crowns. Elizabeth felt betrayed by the Huguenots, and would never trust them again. Knecht, R. J. Catherine de' Medici. London and New York: Longman, 1998. As a result, Elizabeth refused to send assistance in 1572, despite Huguenot pleas, as France descended into violence yet again.

References

{{reflist 1562 in France 1563 in France 1562 in England 1563 in England Anglo-French wars French Wars of Religion