Battle of Sluys

Overview

The Battle of Sluys, also called the Battle of l'Écluse, was a naval battle fought on 24 June 1340 between England and France. It took place in the roadstead of the port of Sluys, on a since silted-up inlet between Zeeland and West Flanders. The English fleet of 120–150 ships was led by Edward III of England and the 230-strong French fleet by the Breton knight Hugues Quiéret, Admiral of France, and Nicolas Béhuchet, Constable of France. The battle was one of the opening engagements of the Hundred Years' War.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Sluys, fought in the roadstead of the port of Sluys on an inlet between Zeeland and West Flanders, was one of the opening engagements of the Hundred Years' War. The English fleet of 120–150 ships under Edward III met a 230-strong French fleet commanded by Admiral Hugues Quiéret and Constable Nicolas Béhuchet. French casualties reached between 16,000 and 20,000, a loss on a scale that effectively stripped France of its naval capacity in the early phase of the war. By neutralizing the larger French fleet at this early stage, the battle removed a significant threat to English maritime communications across the Channel and established a degree of English naval dominance that shaped the conduct of subsequent operations in the conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)