The Thiérache campaign, also known as the ''chevauchée'' of Edward III of 1339 was the march from

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

, Hainault across

Cambrésis Cambrésis (, , ) is a former ''pagus'' and county of the medieval Holy Roman Empire, which constituted the Prince-Bishopric of Cambrai from the 11th to the 18th centuries. It was annexed by the Kingdom of France in 1679. It is now regarded as one ...

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

and

Thiérache The Thiérache (; Picard: ''Quiérache'') is a region of France and Belgium united by similar geography and architecture, including the presence of hedgerows, grassland, hilly terrain, scattered settlements, and traditionally-built stone or brick ...

in northern France by an English army with

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

, Hainault and

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

allies. It began on 20 September 1339, resulting in the siege of Cambrai and ended with the withdrawal of the English forces on 24 October, 1339, into Brabant. The English army was led by King

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, and the French by King Philip VI. It was a campaign during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

Aftermath

Duke John of Normandy led a French army through Hainault in revenge for their support of Edward III. The French progress was halted by the garrison of

Le Quesnoy Le Quesnoy (; ) is a commune and small town in the east of the Nord department of northern France. It was part of the historical province of French Hainaut. It is known for its fortifications, dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. ...

by the use of cannon. A Flemish army led by Jacques van Artevelde, with Robert de Ufford, Earl of Suffolk and William Montagu, Earl of Salisbury, was ambushed on the way to

; the Earls of Suffolk and Salisbury were captured and taken prisoner to Paris. Philip VI joined the French army and marched to meet the Flemish army. News arrived that the French fleet had been annihilated during the naval encounter at Sluys, with the French army then retreating to

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thiérache campaign 1339 in England 1330s in France Campaigns of the Hundred Years' War Conflicts in 1339 Edward III of England Hundred Years' War, 1337–1360 Military campaigns involving the Holy Roman Empire