Chronological list of events in the Hundred Years War, military and civil
Year Month Day Event
1411
Sigismund, King of Hungary, elected Holy Roman Emperor.
Both the Orléanists (Armagnacs) and the Burgundians sought aid from the English king, Henry IV.
Jean Duc de Bourgogne, by virtue of a purge of the royal administration and some well placed gifts (most notably to the Guild of Butchers), gains control of Paris. The Armagnacs, led by Charles V's last surviving brother the Duc de Berry, raise an army and blockade the city.
Oct. The Earl of Arundel leads 800 men-at-arms and 2,000 archers to the aid of the Duc de Bourgogne, who has offered the hand of his daughter for the Prince of Wales, four towns in Flanders and help in conquering Normandy in return for said aid. They join with Jean de Bourgogne and 3,000 men of the Paris militia at Melun.
The Anglo-Burgundian force storm the Armagnac stronghold at St. Cloud and break the blockade of Paris, after which the Earl of Arundel returns to Calais.
1412
The Armagnacs bargain for English aid, promising the cession of all the Aquitaine as it had been in 1369 and the immediate surrender of 20 castles on the border of Guyenne in return for 1,000 men-at-arms and 3,000 archers.
Jan. Jeanne d'Arc, la Pucelle, is born in Domremy. (Jeanne's own [Chronological list] is seperated from this Chronology.)
Aug. Thomas, Duke of Clarence, second son of Henry IV, lands in the Cotentin and marches to Blois. Here he is informed that the Burgundians have forced the Armagnacs to surrender, and that none of the French princes need his services. He marches south anyway, until he and his men are bought off, after which they burn their way to Bordeaux, there to spend the winter.
1413
Jean Duc de Bourgogne summons the Estates to Paris to grant new taxes. They, however, criticize his governance, and Jean retaliates by allowing the Paris butchers, led by one Caboche, to run rampant for several weeks. Many of the bourgeois turn against the Duc, and invite the Dauphin and the Princes to deliver them.
Mar. 20 Henry IV, King of England, dies at Westminster abbey. Henry V, aged 25, is crowned King of England (until 1422).
Apr. and May. The cabochienne uprisings in Paris. The Armagnacs gained control of Paris in September, and ruthlessly expelled factions loyal to Burgundy. Charles [VII] was betrothed to Marie d'Anjou, daughter of duc d'Anjou and Yolande of Aragón. The House of Anjou allied itself with the Orleanist-Armagnac faction.
May. Jean 'the Fearless' allied Burgundy with the new English king, Henry V.
Aug. Jean Duc de Bourgogne, after attempting to Kidnap Charles VI, abandons Paris to the Armagnacs, and Count Bernard's Gascons, and flees to Burgundy.
1414
A Burgundian army attempts to recapture Paris, but fails. The Armagnacs announce their intentions to invade Burgundy and depose Jean de Bourgogne.
Spring Agents of Jean, Duc de Bourgogne arrive in England, asking for 2,000 troops, promising Henry V the Angoumois and all the Gascon lands of the defeated Armagnacs
Midsummer The Armagnacs, barganing for English support against the Burgundians, offer a French princess for a bride, and the restoration of Aquitaine to it's 1369 borders. Bishop Beaufort, Chancellor of England, tells them that unless Henry V recieved not only Aquitaine and Normandy but Anjou, Touraine, Poitou, Maine and Ponthieu he would come and take them at the point of a sword. The envoys cannot accept this proposal, and return home.
Autumn The English counter Jean de Bourgogne's offer, demanding all the territories ceded by the Treaty of Bretigny, as well as the Duchy of Berry and the recognition of Henry V as King of France
Nov. Parliament, in response to an appeal by Bishop Beaufort, votes a generous subsidy for the war effort. It barely begins to cover the expenses of the campaign, and the crown borrows heavily.
1415
Henry V of England invaded France
The Earl of March reveals the 'Southampton Plot' in which Henry was to be killed and replaced by the Earl himself, who was the son of Richard II's heir. Henry's first cousin the Earl of Cambridge, Sir Thomas Grey and Lord Scrope of Masham are beheaded as the ringleaders, the Percy's and Sir John Oldcastle are also involved.
Aug. 11 English fleet sails from Southampton. It comprises 1,500 ships to transport 2,000 men-at-arms, 8,000 archers some unarmored lancers and knifemen and a large artillery train with sixty five gunners.
Aug. 14 English troops land at the Chef-de-Caux, on the Seine estuary, near Harfleur.
Aug. 18 Harfleur invested for siege by King Henry. It's garrison numbers several hundred men-at-arms commanded by the Sire d'Estoutville, who, when called upon by Henry V to surrender to him as the rightful Duke of Normandy responds 'You gave us nothing to look after, so we've nothing to give you back'.
Sep. 3 The Dauphin Louis moves the French forces to Vernon.
Henry V writes to Bordeaux saying he intends to go down the Seine, past Rouen and Paris and then march to Guyenne.
Sep. 10 King Charles raises the Orriflamme at St. Denis.
Sep. 14 Constable d'Albret moves to Honfleur, Marshal Boucicault to Caudebec
Sep. 17 A barbican at Harfleur is captured by the English.
Sep. 18 The garrison at Harfleur asks for a truce until 6 October, at which point they will surrender if not relieved. Henry V gives them until 22 September.
Sep. 23 Capitulation of Harfleur to King Henry V. His losses are such that he can no longer keep to his plan to march to Gascony, so instead he plans a chevauchée to Calais, burning all the way.
Sep. 27 King Henry offers single combat to Dauphin Louis.
Oct. 8 English set out from Harfleur for Calais. French covering forces march to the Somme.
Oct 9 English near Fecamp, which may or may not have been sacked. Contemporary French sources say it was say yes, the English say no.
Oct 11 Arques refuses supplies to the English, but relent when Henry threatens to burn the town.
Oct 13 Constable d'Albret in Abbeville
Henry discovers that the ford of the Somme at Blanchetacque is blocked by Guichard Dauphin, Sire de Jaligny
Oct 14 English army at Hangest.
Oct 15 English army arrives at Amiens, spends the night at Pont du Metz.
Main French force sets out from Rouen.
Oct 16 English army at Boves.
Oct 17 English and French skirmish at Corbie
Henry force marches south.
Oct 18 English arrive at Nesles.
Main French force arrives at Amiens.
Oct 19 Henry's forces crosses the Somme at the Voyennes and Bethencourt fords.
Oct 20 Henry rests his army and receives heralds from the French informing him of their intention to bring him to battle before he reaches Calais.
Oct 21 English advance to Albret.
Oct 22 English advance to Forceville, shadowed by the main French force.
Oct 23 English cross the Ternoise at Blagny.
Oct 24 French force block the English route to Calais at Agincourt-Tramecourt.
English camp the night at Maisoncelle.
Oct 25 English wins a great victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt. The defeat resulted in the deaths or capture of many of the leading French nobles that supported the Orléanst-Armagnac faction, and, thereby, strengthen the Burgundian position.
Oct 28 English arrive at Calais.
Nov. 23 Victory Parade in London.
Dec. Bernard d'Armagnac became constable of France.
1416
Henry V signed an alliance with Emperor Sigismond de Luxembourg, for the latter to remain netural in the English-French conflict.
Beginning of Dutch rise to commercial prominance in the region.
Dutch fishermen begin to use drift nets, making fishing much more efficient and profitable.
Mar. 11-13 Comte d'Armagnac, constable of France was defeated by English force at Valmont.
Summer The Duke of Bedford defeats the Franco-Genoese fleet off Harfleur.
Aug. 15 English fleet defeated French-Genoese fleet in a naval engagment on the Seine.
1417
Pope Martin V elected, end of the Great Schism (anti-popes).
As Henry V began a conquest of Normandy (1417-19), save Mont-Saint-Michel, France was divided. The Armagnacs maintain themselves in the French capital. The duke of Burgundy, with close alliance with Isabeau of Bavaria, Charles VI's queen, set up a rival government at Troyes. The two eldest sons of Charles VI died while 'under the portection' of the duc de Burgundy (Louis, d.December 1415; and Jean, d.5 April 1417). This left the third son of the French king, Charles, as the dauphin.
Feb. Henry V orders his sheriffs to have 6 wing feathers plucked from every goose, and sent to London.
July Henry V sails for France, with approximately 10,000 men. His destination is kept secret.
Aug. 1 Henry V lands at the mouth of the Toques, and lands without opposition.
Aug. 18 Henry V invests Caen for siege, storming two abbeys in the suburbs then mounting his artillery in their towers.
Sep. 4 Henry V leads an assault on Caen, which has refused to surrender despite several breaches in the walls made by English cannon. Henry attacks from the East side, while his brother Clarence attacks from the West. The lower city is taken, and a great massacre follows, with at least 2,000 being put to death. The citadel holds out.
Sep. 19 The citadel at Caen surrenders to the English.
Oct. Henry V captures Argentan and Alencon.
Bayeaux surrenders to the Duke of Gloucester without resistance.
1418
Henry V rampages through France, many French cities fall.
Feb. The fortress of Falaise surrenders to the English.
May. 29 Jean the Fearless (The Burgundians) recapture Paris after an uprising where their partisans massacred thousands of Armagnacs. The constable, Bernard was killed. The dauphin Charles escaped to the south of the Loire, to Melun. With the help of the Angevins, Charles established a rival government at Bourges. Charles retained a bodyguard of Scots archers.
Jun. Henry V takes Louviers. He hangs eight French gunners because the defending artillery hit the royal pavilion.
Jun. 29 Dauphin Charles assumed the position of lieutenant-general from his father.
Jul. Dauphin Charles led a force that siezed the Burgundian-held castle of Azay-le-Rideau.
Jul. 20 Henry V takes Pont de l'Arche, cutting Rouen off from reinforcements and supplies.
Jul. 29 Rouen invested for siege by King Henry V, who builds 4 fortified camps, linked by trenches, around the city, and arranging for supplies to be shipped from England.
Oct. The besieged in Rouen are reduced to eating horseflesh.
Nov. A rumor reaches Rouen that an army is on it's way to relieve the besieged city. It proves to be false.
mid Dec. With it's citizens starving, the defenders of Rouen expel approximately 12,000 people from the city. Henry V refuses to let them pass the cordon of the siege, leaving them to die in the ditch.
Dec. 25 Henry sends food to those in the ditch, via two priests, who are the only ones that the defenders will allow.
Dec. 31 Rouen announces it wishes to parley with Henry V for the surrender of the city.
1419
Thomas Montague, Earl of Salisbury, is made Lieutenant-Governor of Normandy.
Jan. 2 A delegation from Rouen meets with Henry V. He makes them wait 'till he has finished hearing mass, and then takes them to task for keeping him from his 'rightful heritage'. Negotiations continue.
Jan. 12 Henry V and the envoys of Rouen reach an agreement for the surrender of the city. If no help arrived for the defenders by 19 January, the city would surrender at noon, and pay 30,000 francs indemnity. The garrison would march away without it's weapons, and not fight the English for a year.
Jan. 19 Rouen formally surrenders to Henry V. Robert de Linet, Vicar-General of Rouen is put in chains for excommunicating Henry from the walls during the siege.
Jan. 20 Henry V rides into Rouen, with only a single squire bearing a lance with a fox tip on the end, and gives thanks at Rouen Cathedral.
Feb.-Mar. Henry V spends two months at Rouen, repairing it's defenses and organizing the administration. Meanwhile Mantes, Honfleur, Dieppe, Ivry, La Roche Guyon, and Fecamp surrender to his commanders
Summer The Armagnacs, led by the Dauphin Charles, and the Burgundians, led by Dike Jean de Bourgogne meet at Corbielle. The meeting seems to go well, and a second one is scheduled for September.
Jul. Henry V takes Pontoise, putting him within striking distance of Paris.
Sep. 10 On a bridge over the Yonne, at Montereau, Duke Jean de Bourgogne is hacked to pieces while kneeling to pay homage to the Dauphin Charles, in revenge for the murder of the duc d'Orleans. The Dauphin may have given the signal for the first blow. The rift between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs becomes complete.
Dec. 19 Jean le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, son of the slain Jean sans Peur, formally allies with the English.
1420
Mar. 3 French-Scottish army was defeated by English at Fresnay
May. 20-21 After processing through the countryside, and praying at St. Denis, Henry V reaches Troyes, where a treaty is signed by the mad king Charles VI making Henry V the heir and regent of France, and betrothing Charles' daughter Catherine to Henry, despite the fact that Charles does not seem to know who Henry is. Queen Isabella justifies passing over the Duaphin Charles by saying he was illegitimate, the product of one of her many extramarital affairs.
Jun. 1 Henry V marries Catherine de Valois. By all accounts they are eager enough for the match. The honeymoon is spent laying siege to Sens.
Henry V and Philippe de Bourgogne take Montereau, where Philippe's father had been murdered. The body of Jean de Bourgogne is exhumed and taken to Dijon to be reburied.
Jun. Henry V and Philippe de Bourgogne lay siege to Melun with 20,000 men. The garrison of 700, commanded by Arnaud Guillaume de Barbazan puts up a spirited defense, blockading the breaches in the walls made by the English cannon and counter mining the English tunnels. Henry and Arnaud are amongst the fighters in the tunnels, and cross swords at least once.
Nov. 18 It's supplies exausted, Melun surrenders to Henry V. Henry wants to execute Barbazan, but since they have fought, according to the laws of chivalry, he can't. He instead puts Barbazan in an iron cage, and contents himself with hanging some Scotsmen.
Sep. 1 Henry V, Philippe de Bourgogne and Charles VI make a ceremonial entry into Paris. The people cheer, priests chant Te Deums in the streets. The Estates-General ratify the Treaty of Troyes, and the Parlement declare the Dauphin Charles unfit for the throne because of his 'horrible and dreadful crimes'.
Dec. 25 Henry V keeps Christmas at the Louvre, in great state and splendour, while Charles VI is left in a dismal state at the Hotel de Saint-Pol, abandoned by all his court. Henry leaves the Duke of Exeter and a garrison of 500, and rides north.