Battle of Sluys

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)