Treaty Of Canterbury (1416)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Treaty of Canterbury was a diplomatic agreement concluded between
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in ...
, and
King Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hu ...
on 15 August 1416. The treaty resulted in a defensive and offensive alliance against France.


Precipitating events

Sigismund began to shift his alliance from
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
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 ...
after the French defeat at the
Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...
. After departing from the
Council of Constance The Council of Constance was a 15th-century ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance in present-day Germany. The council ended the Western Schism by deposing or accepting the res ...
, Sigismund arrived in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
on 1 March 1416. He was unable to reach an agreement with the French government because Bernard d'Armagnac wanted to maintain his naval blockade of
Harfleur Harfleur () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western France for six centuries, until Le Havre was built about five kilometres (three miles) downstream i ...
and prevent the English from maintaining a naval base in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. In addition, Sigismund could not create an agreement that satisfied both the opposing Orleanist and Burgundian factions of the government. As a result of his struggles in creating an agreement, Sigismund traveled to London on 3 May 1416 to negotiate with Henry V of England. Upon his arrival, Sigismund was made a
Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...
, viewed a session of parliament and was gifted a golden necklace that was created by Hermann Ruissel and featured white enamel bears, one of Henry's
heraldic devices A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...
. However, Sigismund still wanted a peace settlement and continued negotiating with France as well. In July 1416, Sigismund convinced Henry V and the French government to hold a conference in Paris between
Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...
, Sigismund and Henry V to discuss a possible peace treaty. However, Bernard of Armagnac, having lost the Battle of Valmont, convinced Charles VI and the French government to reject the embassy because he believed that it was just a scheme that would result in the English gaining the territory of Harfleur. Angered by the rejection, Sigismund resorted to creating the Treaty of Canterbury with only England on the grounds that France favoured the schism and opposed any peace agreement with England.


Motivations

Sigismund wanted to unify the Catholic Church and end the Papal schism. However, he believed that the tensions between the English and the French served as a major obstacle to accomplishing unification. In addition, Sigismund desired to create a united Europe to fight in a crusade against the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.


Terms of the treaty

The treaty was signed on 15 August 1416. Henry V and Sigismund pledged to each other that they would provide support to gain back any territories held by the French. The subjects of both rulers were given the ability to trade and move among each other's lands freely. They agreed that neither side would harbor traitors or rebels of the other but would aid each other during an invasion.


Outcome

The Treaty of Canterbury, by favoring England and denouncing France, effectively ended the friendship between the house of Luxembourg and France, which Sigismund's grandfather,
John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...
, had established. However, before the end of Henry V's reign, the policies established by the Treaty of Canterbury had been abandoned because Sigismund became more involved in the Council of Constance and his control over Bohemian territory and less concerned with Anglo-French politics. All of those distractions meant that Sigismund was never able to create any military support and that the true intent of the treaty was not fulfilled.


References

{{Reflist


External links

* B. Guenee. [//books.google.com/books?id=D9Qwkh0DKxwC&pg=PA246&lpg=PA246&dq=treaty+of+canterbury+1415&source=web&ots=x2TyfxPNa5&sig=cHl8BNegXsPS0NY3xe0peB3uLB0&hl=en#PPA245,M1 ''Between Church and State: The Lives of Four French Prelates in the Late Middle Ages''] 1416 in England History of Canterbury 1410s in the Holy Roman Empire Treaties of medieval England Treaties of the Holy Roman Empire, Canterbury 1410s treaties, Canterbury England–France relations England–Holy Roman Empire relations Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Henry V of England