[4][5], To besiege the city, Henry decided to set up four fortified camps and barricade the River Seine with iron chains, completely surrounding the city,[7][4] with the English intending to starve out the defenders. [47], On 13 October while inspecting the siege trenches Navarre was mortally wounded by a musket shot to his shoulder. [42] The hanging of otherwise non-combatant Huguenots led the royal council to intervene in August, sending Michel de Castelnau to intervene and put a stop to what they felt was excessive brutality. After having been seized by those opposing the crown on 16 April, the siege, beginning on 28 May and culminating on 26 October brought the important city of Rouen back into the crowns control. [30], On 19 April the Duke of Bouillon arrived in front of the city hoping to talk down the rebels, he was however unable to do so and frustrated left his lieutenant Charles de Bacqueville-Martel in the city and departed. [36] This proposal ran afoul of the Catholic hardliners at court upon whom Catherine's power was dependant and the rebels, who wanted the Duke of Aumale's recently given commission over Normandy revoked as part of any deal, as such it came to nought. The presence of thousands of men, horses and other animals in close proximity together, along with the waste they produced, meant that the conditions were ripe for infection. [56] The Spanish ambassador Chantonnay estimated that a thousand died in the sacking. Purchase a hoodie / sweatshirt featuring the image of The Siege Of Rouen, France, 1418. On 8 June the English crossed the river and laid siege to Louviers from both banks. [61], After the fall of Rouen the rump Parlement of Louviers returned to the city, re-establishing itself. [42][43] On 15 August a deputy of the city and the Vidame of Chartres headed to England to entreat Elizabeth's support, several weeks later with the fall of Bourges to the Royal Army an urgent appeal was sent to her. [5][11], Siege in 1418–19 during the Hundred Years' War, For the Sieges of Rouen during the French Wars of Religion, see, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Siege_of_Rouen&oldid=990692876, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 November 2020, at 00:02. [42] Among those who disapproved of negotiation would be Morvillier, who ceded command of the defence of the town to the recently arrived Montgomery. Download this stock image: Siege of Rouen (July 1418 – January 1419). [63], Despite the damages done to the community the Huguenots of Rouen rebounded quickly, reaching their pre-siege population levels by 1564. Available in sizes S - XXL. [John Page; Herbert Huscher] The account of the Siege of Rouen has been preserved for us in the accounts of two men in Henry V’s army. At the time of the Siege of Rouen (July 1418 – January 1419), the city had a population of 70,000, making it one of the leading cities in France, and its capture crucial to the Normandy campaign during the Hundred Years' War. Battle of Rouen, (31 July 1418–19 January 1419). [38], With the failure of the direct siege and the continued absence of the main royal army Aumale changed tactics, beginning a campaign of harassment and trying to counteract forays from the town. [62] As late as the 1580s the Huguenots would find their 1562 iconoclasm blamed for plague. [57] Having lost Montmorency as a prisoner and their other leader Jacques d'Albon, Seigneur de Saint André on the field of Dreux, Guise was now left in sole command of the crowns war effort, and despite Catherines desire for a negotiated settlement sought a decisive engagement with a victory at Orléans. Artwork from a 15th-century French book depicts the English siege of Rouen, France, in 1418–19. [citation needed] The previous year Henry V had successfully taken another important city in Normandy following the Siege of Caen. It was a major event in the Hundred Year's War, when English forces of Henry V captured the city from the Norman French. [21] Fearing the potential violence of both the Duke of Guise and his Calvinist enemy the Prince of Condé being present in the city, Catherine ordered them both to vacate, but only Condé obeyed. [12] Further reports of the iconoclasm being conducted in bands also suggest a degree of organisation. [43] In the 4 July elections for the Council of 24 the vacant three seats were filled, providing a full Huguenot council. When he was staying at Gravelines, waiting for the propitious winds to take him to England to support the rebels and boost the morale, the news of the capture of William I of Scotland reached him. [10] Over the months of April and May much of the urban centres of Normandy would fall to those opposing the crown including Le Havre, Vire and Rouen. [8] Henry would not allow the people to leave the siege line, and so the starving, expelled people of Rouen were forced to live in the ditch dug near the city wall for its protection. [8] On Christmas Day 1418, King Henry allowed two priests to give food to the starving people, but the day soon ended and the people went back to dying miserably in the ditch. [27], In the wake of this violent action on 13 April the Bailli of Rouen, the Guisard Villebon d'Estouteville returned to the city. [36] The Duke of Aumale himself arrived at the gates of Rouen on 28 May and summoned the city to yield to him but the rebels refused. The long siege meant that losses began to mount among the English besiegers with deaths and illnesses caused by the outbreak of disease due to the unsanitary conditions. It is located about 78 miles (125 km) northwest of Paris, on the Seine River. Originally published by Camden Society, London, 1876. John Page’s ‘The Siege of Rouen’ is an eyewitness narrative account of Henry V’s siege of Normandy’s capital in 1418–19. [48][51] While the merchants and bourgeois of the city were keen to accept such an offer, the military commander Montgomery, backed by the cities artisans and refugees from elsewhere in Normandy rejected her advances. The Siege of Rouen - Volume 17. page 28 note a Onto the Sonday after Newe zere daye.B. [52] At this time, laughing off the protestations of the Duke of Guise and Anne de Montmorency, Catherine came to the fort to confer with the two captains and survey the city. [29] The Catholics of Rouen had been caught completely by surprise, and soon power would be consolidated with Huguenot control of the gates and a Protestant dominated night watch. [36] Among these troops arrived Gabriel de Lorges, 1st Earl of Montgomery who received a commission from Condé in August to assume leadership of the defence of the town, tying it closer to the larger rebellion. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. [12], Beginning with the Affair of the Placards in the reign of Francis I, Protestantism was subject to organised persecution in France. The siege of Rouen in 1418 was a brutal episode of medieval warfare, made worse by the fact that the city’s elderly and infirm were abandoned to a no man’s land. [15] With a Parlement order of execution for any Calvinist minister arrested, and the seizing of the property of anyone found to be hosting an assembly many converts chose to flee to Geneva prior to 1559. [48], With the fall of Rouen, only the key city of Orléans remained a threat to Paris and the royal cause. [7] The ultra-Catholic Guise faction which was increasingly influential in the wider region of Normandy could also count on several allies in the city including the President of the Parlement Louis Pétremol, the Procurer Général Jean Péricard and the Bailli Villebon d'Estouteville. They went with banners unfurled to caution the citizens of Rouen, on pain of death, to surrender peacefully to Henry V. [51] They proposed instead a counter offer which included a provision that all Protestant ministers in the city be allowed to remain, which was unacceptable to the besiegers. If you find our videos helpful you can support us by buying something from amazon. The city eventually surrendered, because the English troops prevented food from being brought in. [40] His large taxation on his coreligionists in the town left him unpopular, some demanding the return of Martel. Military campaign launched by Henry V of England (1386-1422) against the French - ERGMHC from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. [36] The troops proved prone to robbing the locals of the town and in their sorties into the surrounding area looted the nearby towns of Elbeuf, Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf and Darnétal in iconoclastic raids. Henry spent much of 1591 attempted to gain support from the Protestant powers of Europe. [39], Meanwhile Protestant reinforcements continued to make their way into the city of Rouen in preparation for a renewed siege later in the year. Known to the Romans as Rotomagus, the city first became important in the 3rd century ce, when Christianity was John Page's The Siege of Rouen is an eyewitness narrative account of Henry V's siege of Normandy's capital in 1418-19. [4] The defence was lined by an army of crossbow men under the command of Alain Blanchard, commander of the crossbows (arbalétriers), and second in command to Guy le Bouteiller, a Burgundian captain and the overall commander. [41], The authorities of Rouen retaliated to these moves, with the remaining leading Catholics in the city either forced to convert to Protestantism or being imprisoned, the property of those who had fled now seized by the city. [35], Starting in April and continuing after the wave of iconoclasm in May, Catherine sought a negotiated settlement with the rebels of Rouen, proposing a readmission of the crown's officials in return for leniency for the rebels. [6], The growth of Calvinism in the city inspired a reactive change in the towns more hardline Catholic population, with the Rouen Confraternity of the Holy Sacrament established in the city in 1561 to defend transubstantiation from the ideological attacks it was increasingly being subject to. [27] Fearful that any raised troops would be used against them the Huguenots of the town set upon them killing le Gras and wounding Maze who managed to escape the town. [54][55] The Duke, as keen as Catherine to avoid a sack promised double pay to all the troops present on condition of maintained discipline. [56] Over the next 3 days the city was subject to massacre and looting with Huguenot homes and Catholic churches alike being pillaged by the soldiers. The siege of Rouen, July 1418–January 1419 Part III Posted on January 21, 2020 Illustration of the Siege of Rouen illustration from A Short History of the English People, by John Richard Green, illustrated edition, Volume II, Macmillan and Co, London, New York, 1893. [6][8] The Duke of Burgundy, John the Fearless, had captured Paris but did not make an attempt to save Rouen and advised citizens to look after themselves. When the English reached Rouen, the walls were defended with 60 towers, each containing three cannons and 6 gates protected by barbicans. Title: John Page, The Siege of Rouen [Page SRouen] Bibliographical References: IMEV 297, 979; Manual 5.XIII.74. The Siege of Rouen (29 July 1418 – 19 January 1419) was a major event in the Hundred Years' War, where English forces loyal to Henry V captured Rouen, the capital of Normandy, from the Norman French. Get this from a library! [50] With his death leadership of the siege effort passed to the Duke of Guise. [8] By December, the inhabitants were eating cats, dogs, horses, and even mice. [20] This done he ignored the regent Catherine's demands to come to court and explain himself, going instead to Paris where he received a heroes welcome for his actions. [32][30] The iconoclasts further invaded the houses of members of the Catholic elite, in particular those members associated with the Guise, seizing what arms they found in them. [citation needed], Despite several sorties led by the French garrison, this state of affairs continued. [28] On the night of 15 April the towns Huguenots acted, first seizing the convent of the Celestines, then the town hall before besieging Estoubeville in his chateau. [citation needed], Henry went on to take all of Normandy, apart from Mont-Saint-Michel, which withstood blockade. [21] The Duke of Guise and his Triumvir allies, having met prior to his entry to Paris on 12 March then headed to Fontainebleau where they took possession of the King and Regent. [13] This continued through the reign of Henry II and Francis II, however with the latter's early death the regency of Catherine de' Medici for her young son Charles IX offered a new policy of limited toleration. John Page's The Siege of Rouen is an eyewitness narrative account of Henry V's siege of Normandy's capital in 1418-19. [4] From about 1415, Rouen had been strengthened and reinforced by the French and it was the most formidably defended place that the invaders had yet faced. [12], With the Royal Army beginning to move North on a path to clear the Loire and Catholic Breton troops entering Normandy the city began to consider reaching out abroad for aid. In his campaigns to capture Normandy during the Hundred Years’ War , Henry V of England besieged and took the city of Rouen . The text is unique in English verse of the fifteenth century in providing a first-hand narrative of a significant event in contemporary warfare. 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