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The Anglo-French War of 1627–1629 () was a military conflict fought between the
Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
and the
Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...
between 1627 and 1629. It involved mainly actions at sea.''Warfare at sea, 1500-1650: maritime conflicts and the transformation of Europe'' by Glete J Staff, Jan Glete Routledge, 2002 p.17

/ref> The centrepiece of the conflict was the siege of La Rochelle (1627–1628) in which the English Crown supported the French
Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
in their fight against the French royal forces of
Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
. La Rochelle had become the stronghold of the French Huguenots and was under their own governance. It was the centre of Huguenot seapower and the strongest centre of resistance against the central government. The English also launched a campaign against France's new colony in North America, which led to the capture of Quebec."KIRKE, SIR DAVID, adventurer, trader, colonizer, leader of the expedition that captured Quebec in 1629, and later governor of Newfoundland"
''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''


Background

The conflict followed the failure of the Anglo-French alliance of 1624 in which England had tried to find an ally in France against the power of the
House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...
. French politics evolved otherwise, however, as
Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...
came to power in 1624. In 1625, Richelieu used English warships to vanquish the Huguenots at the Recovery of Ré island (1625), triggering outrage in England.''Historical dictionary of Stuart England, 1603-1689'' by Ronald H. Fritze p.20

/ref> In 1626, France concluded a secret peace with Spain, and disputes arose around
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
's household. Furthermore, France began building up its navy, leading the English to be convinced that France must be opposed "for reasons of state". In June 1626, Walter Montagu was sent to France to contact dissident noblemen and from March 1627 started to organize a French rebellion in La Rochelle. The plan was to send an English fleet to encourage rebellion, as a new Huguenot revolt by Henri, Duke of Rohan and his brother Soubise was being triggered.


War


Ile de Ré expedition

Charles I sent his favourite,
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...
, with a fleet of 80 ships. In June 1627 Buckingham organised a landing on the nearby island of
Île de Ré Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; , ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its high ...
with 6,000 men to help the Huguenots. Although a Protestant stronghold, Île de Ré had not directly joined the rebellion against the king. On Île de Ré, the English under Buckingham tried to take the fortified city of
Saint-Martin-de-Ré Saint-Martin-de-Ré (, "St Martin of Île de Ré, Ré"; Saintongeais dialect, Saintongeais: ''Sént-Martin-de-Ré'', before 1962: ''Saint-Martin'') is a Communes of France, commune in the western French Departments of France, department of Char ...
but were repulsed after three months. Small French royal boats managed to supply Saint-Martin in spite of the English blockade. Buckingham ultimately ran out of money and support, and his army was weakened by diseases. After a last attack on Saint-Martin, the English were repulsed with heavy casualties and left with their ships.


La Rochelle expedition

England attempted to send two more fleets to relieve La Rochelle. The first one, led by William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh, left in April 1628 but returned without a fight to
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, as he "said that he had no commission to hazard the king's ship in a fight and returned shamefully to Portsmouth".''An apprenticeship in arms'' by Roger Burrow Manning p.119
/ref> On the way home to England, Denbigh's fleet of 16 ships encountered a French squadron off
Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...
on 11 June 1628 (21 June N.S.). In the action, Denbigh lost three ships burnt and four ships captured by the French. A second fleet, organised by Buckingham just before his assassination, was dispatched under the Admiral of the Fleet,
Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey, 16 December 1582 – 24 October 1642, was an English peer, naval officer, soldier and courtier. Personal details Robert Bertie was the son of Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (b. 12 October ...
, in August 1628, consisting of 29 warships and 31 merchantmen. In September 1628, the English fleet tried to relieve the city. After bombarding French positions and attempting to force the sea wall, the English fleet had to withdraw. Following this last disappointment, the city surrendered on October 28, 1628.


New France expedition

An English force, led by David Kirke, launched a campaign against
New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
in 1628 with the target being the French colony of
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. under the command of
Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...
. The force sailed up the
Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
and occupied
Tadoussac Tadoussac () is a village municipality in La Haute-Côte-Nord RCM (Regional County Municipality), on the north shore of the maritime section of the estuary of St. Lawrence river, in Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada. Geography Tadoussac is ...
and Cap Tourmente. Kirke promptly laid waste to the French settlements and then blockaded the Saint Lawrence. The English succeeded in capturing a supply convoy bound for
New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
, which severely impaired that colony's ability to resist attack. Winter forced the Kirke brothers to return to England, where King Charles I, on hearing of the successes, increased the number of Kirke's fleet to return in the spring. Champlain, whose residents were on the point of starvation, was hoping for a relief fleet to arrive. The fleet was intercepted and captured by the English on their way upriver to Quebec. Kirke, now aware of the desperate conditions in Quebec, demanded its surrender; having no alternative, Champlain surrendered on 19 July 1629."KIRKE, SIR DAVID, adventurer, trader, colonizer, leader of the expedition that captured Quebec in 1629, and later governor of Newfoundland"
''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
The English occupied the colony with Kirke as governor.


Peace

With the Peace of Alès in April 1629, which settled concessions to the defeated Huguenots, Richelieu's first step was to end hostilities with England to try to break the Hapsburg encirclement of France. England and France thus negotiated a peace at the Treaty of Susa, which saw no benefits to each other and amounted to little more than a return to the ''
status quo ante bellum The term is a Latin phrase meaning 'the situation as it existed before the war'. The term was originally used in treaties to refer to the withdrawal of enemy troops and the restoration of prewar leadership. When used as such, it means that no ...
''.Parker p. 139 With regards to New France, much of this side of the conflict had spilled over after the Treaty of Susa had been signed. In 1632, Charles I agreed to return the lands in exchange for
Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
agreeing to paying Charles' wife's
dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
. Those terms were signed into law with the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The lands in Quebec and
Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...
were returned to the French Company of One Hundred Associates. A peace treaty was also signed with Spain in 1630; England's disengagement from European affairs dismayed Protestant forces on the continent.Peltonen: Classical Humanism and Republicanism in English Political Thought, 1570-1640, p. 271
/ref> In England, internal conflict continued between the monarchy and
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, which would lead to the English Civil Wars of the 1640s. France, however, continued to grow more powerful, with its navy becoming even larger than that of England by 1630.


References

;Bibliography * {{cite book , last1=Parker , first1=Geoffrey , title=The Thirty Years' War , date=2006 , publisher=Routledge , isbn=9781134734054 1627 in England 1627 in France Anglo-French wars Thirty Years' War Conflicts in 1627 Conflicts in 1628 Conflicts in 1629 17th-century military history of the Kingdom of England 1628 in France 1629 in France 1628 in England 1629 in England 17th-century military history of France Louis XIII Cardinal Richelieu