The Treaty of Amiens was signed on 23 May 1279 in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

, Picardy between the King of France, Philip III, and the King of England, Edward I, to settle their disputes.

Historical background

The 1229 Treaty of Paris put an end to the conflict between the King of France,

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

, and the

Count of Toulouse The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...

, Raymond VII, and provided for the marriage of the latter's daughter,

Joan of Toulouse Joan (1220 – 25 August 1271) was Count of Toulouse, Countess of Toulouse from 1249 until her death. She was the only child of Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse by his first wife Sancha of Aragon, Countess of Toulouse. Biography Joan was born at th ...

, to King Louis' brother,

Alphonse of Poitiers Alphonse or Alfonso (11 November 122021 August 1271) was the count of Poitou from 1225 and count of Toulouse (as such called Alphonse II) from 1249. As count of Toulouse, he also governed the Marquisate of Provence. Birth and early life Born at P ...

. In the event that they did not have heirs, their estates were to revert to the Crown of France. Among these estates, some, such as

Agenais Agenais (), or Agenois (), was an ancient region that became a county (Old French: ''conté'' or ''cunté'') of France, south of Périgord.Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. "Agenais". '' Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary''. 9th ed. Sprin ...

and

Quercy Quercy (; oc, Carcin , locally ) is a former province of France located in the country's southwest, bounded on the north by Limousin, on the west by Périgord and Agenais, on the south by Gascony and Languedoc, and on the east by Rouergue and ...

, were originally part of the dowry that Joan of England, sister of King

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

, brought when she married count Raymond VI of Toulouse in October 1196. The 1259 Treaty of Paris signed between King Louis IX and Henry III, King of England, had provided that, in the event that Joan of Toulouse did not have an heir, the estates brought by her grandmother, Joan of England, would return to the English Crown. Henry III had also raised claims to Quercy and Saintonge, but they had not been settled. In August 1271 Joan of Toulouse and Alphonse of Poitiers died a few days apart, without an heir. As soon as their deaths were known, the King of France, Philip III, declared himself the owner of all their domains, including those which were supposed to go to King Henry III.

Principal clauses

After the death of Henry III, negotiations between Philip III and Edward I continued for some time before reaching an agreement: * By this treaty, King Philip III of France re-confirmed the clauses of the 1259 treaty of Paris. * Philip III ceded the Agenais to the King of England and renounced the possession of Saintonge. * The English claim to Quercy was left open for future negotiations.

Consequences

The lords of Agenais took an oath of loyalty to the King of England on April 9, 1279, in the church of the Jacobins in

Agen The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. Geography The city of Agen lies in the southwestern department ...

. In 1286 Quercy finally returned to the King of France, Philip IV, in exchange for an annuity the French paid to the King of England.

Bibliography

* JF Boudon de Saint-Amans, ''Histoire ancienne et moderne du département de Lot-et-Garonne'', 1836. * Gérard Sivéry, ''Philippe III le Hardi'', Fayard, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Treaty Of Amiens (1279) 1279 in England Amiens (1279) 1270s in France 13th century in England

Amiens (1279) Edward I of England 13th-century military history of France History of Aquitaine