Battle of the Solent
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The naval Battle of the Solent took place on 18 and 19 July 1545 during the
Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...
between the fleets of
Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...
and
Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, in the
Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay t ...
, between
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
and the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
. The engagement was inconclusive, and is most notable for the sinking of the English carrack, ''
Mary Rose The ''Mary Rose'' (launched 1511) is a carrack-type warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. She served for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her ...
''.


Prelude

In 1545, France launched an invasion of England with 30,000 soldiers in more than 200 ships. Against this armada—larger than the Spanish Armada 43 years later—the English had about 12,000 soldiers and 80 ships. The French expedition started disastrously, the flagship ''Carraquon'' being destroyed on 6July in an accidental fire whilst at anchor in the Seine. Admiral
Claude d'Annebault Claude d'Annebault (1495 – 2 November 1552) was a French military officer; Marshal of France (1538–52); Admiral of France (1543–1552); and Governor of Piedmont in 1541. He led the French invasion of the Isle of Wight in 1545. Annebault was ...
transferred his flag to ''La Maistresse'', which then ran aground as the fleet set sail. The leaks were patched up and the fleet crossed the Channel. The French entered the Solent and landed troops on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
.


Battle

On 18 July, the English came out of
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and engaged the French at long range, little damage being done on either side. ''La Maitresse'' was close to sinking due to her earlier damage but, although d'Annebault had to change his flagship again, she was saved. On the night of 18 July, Henry dined aboard ''
Great Harry Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...
'', the flagship of Admiral John Dudley, Viscount Lisle. The next day was calm, and the French employed their galleys against the immobile English vessels. Toward evening, a breeze sprang up and, as ''Mary Rose'', the flagship of Vice Admiral George Carew, advanced, she foundered and sank with the loss of all but 35–40 of her crew. The precise reasons are not known, but it was believed at the time that the crew had forgotten to close the lower gunports after firing, so that when she heeled over in the breeze she took on water and sank. A witness with the French fleet believed that the galleys had sunk her, although this is not supported by other contemporary accounts and no physical evidence of this remains. The wind subsequently died down but Lisle made use of the tides and currents to position his fleet and disrupt the formation of the larger French ships.


Aftermath

The invasion of the Isle of Wight was repulsed. The attacking troops attempted to divide the defence by landing at several sites but did not venture inland or regroup. There were heavy casualties on both sides at the Battle of Bonchurch, the French at Sandown hastily retreated after losing their commanders in an attack on a newly built fort, and those that landed at Bembridge were ambushed. On 22 July, unable to resupply, and struggling with a leaking ship and illness among his crew, d'Annebault abandoned the invasion. He recalled the French troops and his fleet departed. The next day, the French landed 1,500 troops near the town of Seaford, around to the east. They attempted to pillage a nearby village but were repelled by local militia led by Nicholas Pelham. D’Annebault then returned to France.


References

Notes Bibliography * * Loades, David, ''The Tudor Navy: An administrative, political and military history''. Scolar Press, Aldershot. 1992. * Marsden, Peter, ''Sealed by Time: The Loss and Recovery of the Mary Rose. The Archaeology of the Mary Rose'', Volume 1. The Mary Rose Trust, Portsmouth. 2003. * Rodger, Nicholas A. M., ''The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain 660–1649''. W. W. Norton & Company, New York. 1997. * Stirland, Ann J., ''Raising the Dead: The Skeleton Crew of Henry VIII's Great Ship, the Mary Rose''. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of The Solent 1545 in England 1545 in France 16th century in Hampshire Conflicts in 1545 Military history of Hampshire Military history of the Isle of Wight Solent 1545 Solent 1545 Solent 1545 The Solent Tudor England