Louis: The French Prince Who Invaded England (37 page)
Read Louis: The French Prince Who Invaded England Online
Authors: Catherine Hanley
Let us not forget just how startling this was. Sealed by Guala and William Marshal, the reissuing of the charter meant that the legate was supporting on behalf of the papacy the very cause which Pope Innocent III had annulled in such strong language (‘shameful and base … illegal and unjust … we utterly reject and condemn this settlement … null and void of all validity for ever’) as soon as he heard of it; and also that the regent – and by extension the king – was voluntarily promising to uphold an agreement which his predecessor had gone to war to avoid just two years earlier. This would not have happened had it not been for Louis and his intervention in English affairs. Had Louis not invaded, it is likely that the baronial rebellion would have been crushed; Magna Carta might well have been annulled and forgotten, relegated to a footnote in history as the monarchy forged ahead unabated and unanswerable to the law. Louis’s part in tempering royal authority therefore left a legacy to the English which is still being felt to this day.
CHRONOLOGY
| | Birth of Louis in Paris; he is heir to the throne from birth. |
| | Birth of Blanche of Castile. |
| | Birth and death of twin brothers to Louis; death of his mother, Queen Isabelle. |
| | Health crisis for Louis who is suffering from dysentery; the clergy and people of Paris pray for his safe recovery. |
| | Marriage of Philip Augustus to Ingeborg of Denmark. He repudiates her the day after the wedding. |
| | Philip Augustus’s marriage to Ingeborg is annulled. |
| | ‘Marriage’ of Philip Augustus to Agnes of Merania, which is not recognised by the pope. |
| | Birth of Marie, half-sister to Louis. |
| | Richard the Lionheart dies. This interrupts the marriage negotiations in which Philip Augustus is engaging on behalf of Louis. |
| | The papal Interdict comes into force in France, having been proclaimed in December 1199. |
| | Treaty of Le Goulet between Philip Augustus and King John. Philip Augustus accepts John’s offer of a dowry for Blanche; he also recognises John’s claim to the English throne, abandoning his support of Arthur of Brittany. |
| | Marriage of Louis to Blanche of Castile. Due to the Interdict in France the marriage takes place in Normandy. |
| | Birth of Philip Hurepel, half-brother to Louis. |
| | Pope Innocent lifts the Interdict on France. |
| | Death of Agnes, ‘wife’ to Philip Augustus. |
| | Pope Innocent III legitimises Philip Augustus’s children by Agnes, Marie and Philip Hurepel. |
| | Philip Augustus’s campaign in Normandy, which he takes from John. |
| | Birth and death of a daughter to Louis and Blanche. |
| | Louis is present in Philip Augustus’s army on campaign in Brittany. |
| | Louis is knighted at Compiègne during the feast of Pentecost. |
| | Birth of Philip, son and heir to Louis and Blanche. |
| | Treaty of Lens between Louis and Count Ferrand of Flanders. The treaty is recognised by Philip Augustus. |
| | Louis takes Philip Augustus’s place at a meeting with Frederick of Hohenstaufen and a treaty is agreed. |
| | English prelates returning from Rome pronounce a papal sentence deposing King John and proposing a crusade against him. |
| | Birth of twins (possibly Alfonso and John), sons to Louis and Blanche. They die shortly after birth. |
| | Louis takes the cross for the crusade against the Cathars in the south. His expedition is delayed until 1215. |
| | Assembly of nobles and barons at Soissons. Philip Augustus engages his nobles for the projected expedition to England and declares he will confer the crown on Louis (with conditions). |
| | Philip Augustus reinstates Ingeborg as queen, thus clearing last hurdle to papal reconciliation. He does not take her back as his wife. |
| | Philip and Louis gather their fleet for the invasion of England. |
| | Innocent cancels the invasion and threatens Philip Augustus with excommunication if he goes ahead with it. Philip Augustus agrees. Louis turns his attentions to Flanders instead. |
| | The earl of Salisbury attacks and destroys the French invasion fleet as it lies at anchor at Damme. |
| | Philip Augustus returns to Paris, leaving Louis in charge of the army in Flanders. Louis makes a brief trip to Paris in August but otherwise remains in Flanders several more months. |
| | Louis takes, pillages and burns a number of towns in Flanders. |
| | King John lands at La Rochelle. |
| | Ferrand of Flanders strikes a deal with John and they become allies. They go into coalition with Otto of Saxony. |
| | Birth of the future Louis IX, son to Louis and Blanche. |
| | Philip Augustus and Louis leave Paris and head towards the Loire. Philip Augustus then turns northwards to deal with the situation there, leaving Louis in charge of operations in Poitou. |
| | Hugh IX de Lusignan betroths his son to John’s daughter Joan. He and other Poitevin nobles join John. |
| | John makes an abortive attack on Nantes, then goes back along the Loire: he takes Ancenis on 11 June and Angers on 17 June. |
| | John begins a siege at La-Roche-aux-Moines. |
| | John hears Louis’s army is a day’s march away and flees. Louis pursues and defeats his forces at La-Roche-aux-Moines. Louis stays in the west until September 1214. |
| | Philip Augustus is victorious at Bouvines. |
| | Truce with John sealed at Chinon. Louis then returns to Paris. |
| | Louis sets off south on the expedition postponed from 1213. He meets Simon de Montfort at Vienne on 20 April. During a forty-day campaign the host takes Toulouse, then Louis returns to Paris. |
| | London opens its gates to the rebel barons in support of their cause. |
| | John seals Magna Carta. |
| | Innocent III rejects Magna Carta. |
| | John rescinds Magna Carta; Innocent excommunicates the rebel barons (though not specifically by name). |
| | English barons arrive in France to offer the throne to Louis. |
| | John takes Rochester Castle from the rebels. |
| | First 120 French knights cross the Channel and travel to London. |
| | Innocent excommunicates, by name this time, the rebel English barons. |
| | A fleet of approximately twenty ships travels to England carrying more supporters; John launches raids into northern counties. |
| | Assembly of Melun; Louis’s arguments are put to the nobility of France and to the papal legate Guala. |
| | Louis sets sail from Calais for England. |
| | Louis lands in England on the Isle of Thanet. |
| | Louis and his followers are excommunicated by the papal legate Guala. |
| | Louis arrives in London, where he is welcomed and proclaimed king. |