Gascon War

The Gascon War, also called the 1294–1303 Anglo-French War or the Guyenne War, was a conflict between the kingdoms of France and England. Most of the fighting happened in the Duchy of Aquitaine, which included the areas of Guyenne and Gascony. The English ruling family, the House of Plantagenet, held Gascony as a fief under the King of France after the 1259 Treaty of Paris.

The war began with fights between sailors in the English Channel in the early 1290s but grew into a larger struggle over control of lands in Europe that Edward I of England owned. Edward I refused to obey a call from Philip IV of France and stopped acting like a vassal, which led to the conflict.

The first part of the war lasted from 1294 to 1298. During this time, Flanders rebelled against France, and Scotland rebelled against England. Fighting paused for a while after a papal mediation, with the 1299 Treaty of Montreuil planning for Edward I’s son Prince Edward to marry Philip IV’s daughter Isabella. That same year, Edward I also married Philip IV’s sister Margaret.

The second part of the war lasted from 1300 to 1303. It ended with the 20 May 1303 Treaty of Paris, which again confirmed the planned marriage between Prince Edward and Isabella. They finally married in 1308.

Background

During a time called Lent in 1292, sailors from Normandy and Bayonne argued over who would get water first from a well on a small island. The fight ended badly, and more fights happened between sailors from both sides. Many ships were attacked and some people were hurt.

Because of these problems, King Philip IV of France complained that King Edward I of England wasn't stopping the violence. Edward tried to make things better, but the French still took control of parts of Aquitaine. This led to the two countries going to war in 1294.

Aquitaine

Main article: Gascon campaign (1294–1303)

France already controlled the main strong points in Aquitaine. King Edward of England tried to take back the area, but his efforts did not succeed. There were some smaller battles where the English did well, but overall, the French took control of most of Aquitaine. A big English army led by Henry de Lacy was surprised and defeated by Robert II d'Artois at the Battle of Bonnegarde in 1297.

Flanders

Main articles: English expedition to Flanders (1297–98) and Franco-Flemish War

King Edward of England made an alliance with several leaders, including Guy, count of Flanders, to fight against France. However, his plans were delayed and smaller than he hoped because some of his own people in England thought other problems were more important.

Edward’s army finally reached Flanders in late 1297, but by then a big battle had already happened. From his base in Ghent, Edward could only help with some attacks on northern France before agreeing to a truce in October 1297. This truce lasted until January 1300. Edward went back to England in March 1298.

In 1299, Edward agreed to peace treaties and arranged marriages between his family and the French royal family. When fighting started again in 1300, Edward left Count Guy and his son in charge, but they were captured.

The Flemish people then fought back against French forces. Without help from England, they won a major battle. Later, Edward managed to regain control of Aquitaine. France eventually made peace with the Flemish people in 1305.

Aftermath

The Gascon War put a lot of pressure on both France and England because wars cost money and resources. For England, losing Gascony would have been a big problem because it was very important to them. The peace agreement in 1303 let England keep Gascony, but the English king had to show respect to the French king. This created ongoing disagreements because the English kings, as rulers of Gascony, had to follow the French king, which caused many arguments.

The war also began to make the region of Flanders less willing to obey France, marking a change in how these areas got along. The events of this war became a turning point in the relationship between France and England.