Why were the English able to consistently invade France during the 100 years war and conduct devastating raids but not vice versa? Did the French not have a navy and were they not able to mobilize fast enough?

by Street-Policy2825
JarJarTheClown

To start, the English had a significantly easier path into the Kingdom of France via their remaining continental holdings in Aquitaine, namely through their local administrative capital of Bordeaux. However, access to Bordeaux could be and was obstructed by poor weather and enemy fleets, and relied on a long journey around the Breton peninsula. During the opening phases of the war, England's invasions were launched through Bordeaux and the Low Countries — allies of England.

The English launched a successful landing in Normandy and ultimately captured the port city of Calais in 1347, holding on to it until the 16th century. Calais became integral to English strategy, allowing them to land armies on the continent with a relatively quick journey across the Channel. The civil war in Brittany gave England friendly ports to land in, namely the port of Brest which remained an English stronghold even after Brittany realigned with the house of Valois. Subsequent English successes earned them more convenient ports in Normandy and Aquitaine, namely La Rochelle.

The French on the other hand had no direct holdings in England. They were allies of Scotland and certain Welsh noblemen, and attempts were made to invade England from both Scotland and Wales, even once trying to convince the King of Denmark to invade England on their behalf. These efforts never successfully panned out, though Scotland did invade the English marches several times to support their French allies but with very limited success.

The French did have a navy, consisting of their own ships and those of their allies, namely the Genoese and Castilian. The French did launch frequent coastal raids and invasion attempts as early as 1339, where they captured the Channel Islands and sacked several coastal towns including Southampton and Hastings. Motivated by these victories, King Philip VI assembled a great invasion fleet that he deemed the "Great Army of the Sea" and pulled the fleet into Sluys in Flanders in preparation. Edward III's own fleet soon descended on Sluys with the intent to support English allies in the Low Countries, earning the English a famous victory that briefly gave England naval supremacy.

Even though the French fleet rebounded after the disaster at Sluys, French invasion plans of England floundered due to lack of funds and resources, though not for lack of effort. In 1348, the Estates-General even called for an invasion of England, telling the king "In this way and no other will you be able to stop the war." However, after a series of military defeats, setbacks, and truces, the French were unable to attempt another serious invasion until 1369. Despite the lack of French naval experience, Charles V assembled a formidable fleet, but a counter-invasion by John of Gaunt led to the French king to reluctantly cancel his own invasion. The French finally landed a naval victory against the English fleet at La Rochelle in 1372, allowing their Castilian allies to hold naval supremacy for quite some time.

After a series of English reverses, the French planned another large-scale invasion of England through Scotland, organized by the Constable Olivier de Clisson and to be headed by Charles VI's uncles, the Dukes of Burgundy and Berry. The plan was for the French admiral Jean de Vienne to land in Scotland with a small advance force, while a larger army would follow. The admiral did succeed in landing at Scotland in 1384, but the French and Scottish quarrelled frequently and made only scattered advances on the English march. In France, the Duke of Burgundy — the de facto head of the expedition — was more interested in recovering his recently inherited county of Flanders from the hands of rebels than embarking into England, while the Duke of Berry had cold feet over the invasion and colder weather soon set in that made it difficult to feed and shelter a large host of soldiers and horses. The invasion stalled out and de Vienne returned to France in late 1385, having only captured a handful of castles for the Scots. The invasion was formally cancelled in 1386 when its main organizer, de Clisson, was arrested by the Duke of Brittany and fell out of favour with the king's uncles. It would be the last major effort from France to invade England during the war.


Sumption, Jonathan (1990). The Hundred Years War 1: Trial by Battle. London: Faber & Faber.

Sumption, Jonathan (1999). The Hundred Years War 2: Trial by Fire. London: Faber & Faber.

Sumption, Jonathan (2009). The Hundred Years War 3: Divided Houses. London: Faber & Faber.