Louis: The French Prince Who Invaded England (38 page)

BOOK: Louis: The French Prince Who Invaded England
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1216
7 Jun

 

Louis leaves London and embarks on a successful campaign in the south. He takes Winchester on 24 June. 

 

 
1216
16 Jul

 

Death of Pope Innocent III; he is succeeded by Honorius III. 

 

 
1216
July

 

Louis goes back to Dover. He starts a siege on 25 July. 

 

 
1216
Aug

 

Homage of King Alexander of Scotland to Louis. 

 

 
1216
Sep

 

Birth of Robert, son to Louis and Blanche. 

 

 
1216
18–19 Oct

 

Death of King John of England. 

 

 
1216
28 Oct

 

First coronation of Henry III, at Gloucester. 

 

 
1216
25 Dec

 

A truce is agreed between Louis and William Marshal, from 25 December 1216 until 13 January 1217. Later the truce is extended to 16 April 1217. 

 

 
1217
Feb–Mar

 

Louis goes back to France to ask his father for reinforcements. While he is away, the earls of Salisbury, Arundel and Warenne desert him for Henry, and William Marshal breaks the truce. 

 

 
1217
22 Apr

 

Louis leaves Calais to go back to England; he arrives at Sandwich. 

 

 
1217
23 Apr

 

On hearing news of other castles under siege, Louis makes a truce with Hubert de Burgh at Dover; he leaves Dover that evening and divides his army in two. 

 

 
1217
3 May

 

Louis enters London; he leaves again on 12 May to go back to Dover. A fleet bringing help is prevented from landing. 

 

 
1217
20 May

 

Battle of Lincoln; news of the defeat reaches Louis five days later. 

 

 
1217
29 May

 

Another fleet arrives but does not bring many knights. Louis leaves for London, reaching it at the beginning of June. 

 

 
1217
12 Jun

 

Representatives of Louis and William Marshal meet four prelates nominated by the pope to try and negotiate a peace. Guala exempts some clergy from the peace and Louis refuses the treaty. 

 

 
1217
late Jun

 

Louis writes to Philip Augustus and to Blanche. Philip Augustus is reluctant to help; Blanche faces up to him and gets some money from the royal treasury. She raises troops in Artois. 

 

 
1217
20 Aug

 

A new fleet leaves Calais. It gets near to Dover but is then blown back to France by a storm. It sets off again, arriving on the night of 23–24 August. 

 

 
1217
24 Aug

 

Battle of Sandwich; Louis’s fleet of reinforcements is defeated. 

 

 
1217
26 Aug

 

Louis, in London, hears of the defeat at Sandwich. 

 

 
1217
5 Sep

 

Louis meets William Marshal on an island in the Thames to agree terms. Several days of negotiation follow. 

 

 
1217
11 Sep

 

Treaty of Lambeth ratifies the peace agreement. Among other conditions Louis is offered 10,000 marks of silver to leave. 

 

 
1217
18 Sep

 

Peace is sworn at Merton by Louis, William Marshal, Isabelle of Angoulême and others. 

 

 
1217
28 Sep

 

Louis leaves England. 

 

 
1218
13 Jan

 

Pope Honorius lifts the excommunication on Louis and his followers. 

 

 
1218
11 Aug

 

Pope Honorius asks Philip Augustus to help Amaury de Montfort in his crusade in Languedoc. 

 

 
1218
20 Nov

 

Louis takes the cross, promising to fight the Albigensian heretics. 

 

 
1218
Jun

 

Death of Philip, eldest son of Louis and Blanche. Their next surviving son, Louis, becomes heir. 

 

 
1219
15 May

 

Honorius repeats his request to Philip Augustus for help with the Albigensian crusade. Philip Augustus does not want to go in person; Louis goes in his stead. 

 

 
1219
May–Jun

 

Louis’s army takes Marmande. Massacre of the population afterwards. 

 

 
1219
16 Jun

 

Louis’s expedition arrives at Toulouse and prepares for a siege. Many of Louis’s forces leave after their forty days’ service. Guérin heads back to Paris on 1 August. 

 

 
1219
21 Jun

 

Birth of John, son to Louis and Blanche. 

 

 
1220
11 Nov

 

Birth of Alfonso, son to Louis and Blanche. 

 

 
1222
20 Feb

 

Birth of Philip-Dagobert, son to Louis and Blanche. 

 

 
1222
Sep

 

Philip Augustus starts suffering bouts of a violent fever. 

 

 
1223
6 Jul

 

Bishops in Paris are discussing the Albigensian question. 

 

 
1223
13 Jul

 

Philip Augustus, who is at Pacy-sur-Eure, decides to try and travel to Paris for the discussions. 

 

 
1223
14 Jul

 

Philip Augustus has to stop at Mantes after he is struck by another bout of fever. Death of Philip Augustus and accession to the throne of Louis as Louis VIII. 

 

 
1223
30 Jul

 

Louis and Blanche leave Paris for Reims. They pass through Beauvais, Saint-Just-en-Chausée, Soissons, and arrive at Reims on 5 August. 

 

 
1223
6 Aug

 

Coronation of Louis and Blanche in the cathedral at Reims. 

 

 
1223
8 Aug

 

Louis and Blanche go back to Paris, where there are great celebrations for eight days. 

 

 
1223
Sep

 

Louis and Blanche set off on a tour of his lands in Normandy, Anjou and Maine. 

 

 
1223
Nov

 

A further trip for Louis and Blanche to Compiègne, Chauny, Saint-Quentin, Péronne, Arras. 

 

 
1224
Mar

 

Birth of Isabelle, daughter to Louis and Blanche. 

 

 
1224
Jul

 

Louis arrives at La Rochelle to campaign against the English. The siege begins on 15 July; La Rochelle surrenders on 3 August. 

 

 
1224
24 Aug

 

Louis arrives in Poitiers and accepts submissions. 

 

 
1224
Sep

 

Louis arrives back in Paris and is welcomed enthusiastically. 

 

 
1225
27 Dec

 

Birth of Stephen, son to Louis and Blanche. 

 

 
1226
28 Jan

 

Assembly at Paris, at which the excommunication of Raymond, count of Toulouse, is upheld; his lands are conferred on Amaury de Montfort, who cedes his rights to Louis. 

 

 
1226
Easter

 

Louis’s army assembles at Bourges and marches south along the Rhône valley. 

 

 
1226
Jun–Sep

 

Siege of Avignon by Louis and his forces. 

 

 
1226
8 Nov

 

Death of Louis from dysentery at the castle at Montpensier, Auvergne. He is later buried in the Basilica of Saint Denis in Paris. Blanche is pregnant with their youngest son, Charles, who will be born posthumously. Louis’s eldest surviving son succeeds to the throne as Louis IX. 

A NOTE ON SOURCES

Primary sources

The primary sources that have been consulted for this book were, of course, originally handwritten manuscripts composed variously in Latin, Old French (or the Anglo-Norman dialect thereof) or Occitan. Modern historians and writers are indebted to the great scholars of the nineteenth century who transcribed, edited and published these works so they could be appreciated by a wider audience; in recent years many of the texts have also been made freely available on the internet.

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