Association de Sauvegarde du

CHATEAU DE GAVRAY

Lancastrian Normandy 1429 - 1436

John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford, Earl of Richmond, Earl of Maine and Duke of Anjou knew that, while possession of the Duchy of Normandy rested on military victories, conciliating the local population was also a necessity. He knew that he had support among the high clergy, the royal officers, some nobles, the burghers and the merchants, but that the peasants were hostile to him. They practised guerrilla warfare, organized themselves into gangs and attempted ambushes on the roads. Crossing the Bessin, the Plaine de Caen, the Pays de Caux or the Val de Vire proved perilous for the English. Some cities such as Rouen, Cherbourg, Argentan, Sées, Louviers were the object of plots to liberate their cities. However, the Normans, who were mostly wait-and-see, no general uprising took place, the English crushed the insurgents and sent some of them to the gallows as an example.

Engraving John of Lancaster in front of St. George

1429 – On May 8, a 17-year-old woman, Joan of Arc, forces the English to lift the siege of Orléans, one of the last places held by Charles north of the Loire.
On 18 June, under Jeanne's instigation, events accelerated, and she defeated the English army at Patay near Orléans. The tide turned, Charles VII, escorted by Jeanne, was crowned in Reims in the middle of enemy territory. He then appeared, in the eyes of a majority of Frenchmen, as the real king and Henry VI as a usurper. The country gradually escaped the English as Joan of Arc's exploits progressed.
1430 – On 24 May, Joan responding to the call of the city of Compiègne (Oise), besieged by the Burgundians, while attempting a sortie, is captured by John of Luxembourg.
1431 – The English rush to pay a ransom in order to be able to try her. Her trial took place in Rouen, and she was accused of madness and witchcraft. The Duke of Bedford left the interrogation to Frenchmen who were devoted to him. The tribunal was presided over by the bishop of Beauvais, Pierre Cauchon, surrounded mainly by canons from Rouen.
On 30 May, Joan of Arc, condemned as an apostate, heretic and relapse, was burned alive at the stake in the Place du Vieux-Marché (still existing) in the Norman capital.

Only known contemporary depiction of Joan of Arc (1429

Aware that the loyalty of the cities was paramount to him, in order to conciliate the Norman elite, the Duke of Bedford created the University of Caen. Paris was no longer the obligatory destination for Norman students, this creation allowed the training of future administrative, judicial and political executives of Normandy, and ensured a certain intellectual autonomy for the duchy. The seduced Normans saw it as the beginning of emancipation from Parisian hegemony since 1204. But...........
1432 – By surprise and boldly, the French, commanded by a solid "routier", a true Norman named Ricarville, seize the castle of Rouen, lacking the support of the population, they surrender the following month. They were beheaded in the Place du Vieux-Marché in front of a boisterous crowd that the English could hardly contain.
1434 – The defenders of Mont Saint Michel, under the command of the Sieur d'Estouville, Lord of Valmont and Sieur d'Ausebecq, resist the assaults of the English and pursue them into the bay. The Sire de Marville again attacked the English in Caen at the head of an army of peasants equipped with pitchforks.
1435 – On September 14, the Duke of Bedford dies suddenly.
On December 11, Charles VII, by the Treaty of Arras, ended the civil war between Armagnacs and Burgundians and obtained the recognition of his title of King of France.
1436 – Paris opens its gates to Charles VII, drives out the Duke of Bedford. Dieppe, Eu, Aumale are liberated, putting the troops of the King of France at the gates of Normandy.
After almost thirty years of peace, the region is preparing for war. The British reinforced their garrisons and began building fortifications. Rouen lost its commercial relations with the Parisian hinterland, Evreux, Louviers, Granville, were retaken and constituted so many points of resistance in enemy country. In 1449-1450, Charles VII launched a major offensive to reconquer Normandy, supported by a disciplined army and artillery that worked wonders during the siege of cities. His advance was facilitated by the attitude of many Normans who accepted the return to domination of the King of France. Charles ignored certain reluctance, granted letters of remission and pardon, and maintained the honours, liberties, franchises, and rights of the cities. The University of Caen, an English creation, was maintained, and Charles VII sought appeasement, not vengeance.

Cover of the book "Fifth centenary of the foundation of the university" of Caen – Livre d'Or

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