About this map
From Hastings to the fall of Calais: how the kings of England won and lost half of France. A Norman duke takes England in 1066; Henry II joins Normandy, Anjou and Aquitaine into the Angevin empire; John loses most of it in 1204; the Hundred Years' War brings the high tides of Brétigny (1360) and Troyes (1420) and the collapse that leaves only Calais in 1453. Wales and Ireland follow the same kings. Simplifications: the map shows actual control, not treaty claims; borders follow modern départements and counties, so they are approximate; apanages of royal princes count as royal domain; lands outside the French kingdom are left blank except the Burgundian state; single castles and towns holding out inside the other side's country are not drawn; the Anglo-Irish earldoms that slipped from crown control are shown as Gaelic Ireland. Orange marks Normandy or Anjou under a duke who was not England's king (1066, 1087–1106, 1144–54). Sources: Wikipedia in English and French (Angevin Empire; Treaty of Paris 1259; Treaty of Brétigny; Hundred Years' War; Treaty of Troyes; Pale of Calais; Lordship of Ireland; Conquest of Wales by Edward I; Burgundian State), the Gascon Rolls Project, the Magna Carta Project, Natural Earth admin boundaries.
Text version: https://www.movingpolygons.com/map/chrisjager/england-on-the-continent-10661558.md
Timeline
| Date | What the map shows |
|---|---|
| 5 Jan 1066 | 1066 · Normandy and Anglo-Saxon England |
| 1071 | 1066–71 · William conquers England |
| 9 Sep 1087 | 1087 · Robert gets Normandy, Rufus England |
| 28 Sep 1106 | 1106 · Tinchebray: Henry I reunites both |
| 23 Apr 1144 | 1144 · Anarchy: Geoffrey of Anjou takes Normandy |
| 19 Dec 1154 | 1154 · Henry II: Normandy, Anjou and Aquitaine |
| 6 Oct 1175 | 1175 · Angevin peak: Ireland, Brittany, Toulouse |
| 26 Oct 1206 | 1204–06 · John loses Normandy, Anjou, Maine |
| 3 Aug 1224 | 1224 · Louis VIII takes Poitou and La Rochelle |
| 4 Dec 1259 | 1259 · Treaty of Paris: Gascony as a French fief |
| 23 May 1279 | 1277–79 · Wales curbed; Agenais, Ponthieu gained |
| 3 Oct 1283 | 1283 · Wales conquered |
| 1 Apr 1296 | 1294–96 · France occupies Gascony |
| 20 May 1303 | 1303 · Gascony restored |
| 31 Mar 1327 | 1327 · After Saint-Sardos: a coastal strip is left |
| 24 May 1337 | 1337 · Philip VI confiscates Guyenne: war |
| 3 Aug 1347 | 1347 · Calais taken after Crécy |
| 24 Oct 1360 | 1360 · Brétigny: a sovereign Aquitaine |
| 1 Dec 1370 | 1369–70 · Charles V strikes back |
| 16 Sep 1380 | 1380 · Left: Calais, Bordeaux, Bayonne, Brest |
| 1 Aug 1405 | 1405 · Glyndŵr's Welsh revolt at its height |
| 25 Oct 1415 | 1415 · Harfleur and Agincourt |
| 19 Jan 1419 | 1419 · Rouen falls: Normandy conquered |
| 21 May 1420 | 1420 · Troyes: Henry V heir to France |
| 28 Apr 1429 | 1429 · High tide: the siege of Orléans |
| 1 Dec 1429 | 1429 · Joan of Arc: Reims and Champagne lost |
| 13 Apr 1436 | 1435–36 · Burgundy changes sides; Paris lost |
| 16 Mar 1448 | 1448 · Maine handed over |
| 12 Aug 1450 | 1450 · Normandy lost |
| 20 Aug 1451 | 1451 · Bordeaux and Bayonne fall |
| 23 Oct 1452 | 1452 · Talbot retakes Bordeaux |
| 19 Oct 1453 | 1453 · Castillon: only Calais remains |
| 8 Jan 1558 | 1558 · Calais falls |
Layers
Kingdom of England, with English-held Wales and Ireland · French royal domain, with apanages of royal princes · Other fiefs of the French crown · Duchy of Brittany · Valois Burgundy · Native Wales · Gaelic Ireland · Kingdom of Scotland · Vassals under Angevin or English overlordship only · Continental lands of England's kings (orange: under a rival Norman or Angevin duke)
Events
- 14 Oct 1066, Battle of Hastings: William of Normandy defeats and kills Harold II, joining England to the Norman duchy.
- 9 Sep 1087, Death of William the Conqueror: William dies at Rouen; Normandy passes to Robert Curthose and England to William Rufus.
- 28 Sep 1106, Battle of Tinchebray: Henry I captures his brother Robert Curthose and reunites Normandy with England.
- 18 May 1152, Marriage of Henry and Eleanor: Henry of Anjou marries Eleanor of Aquitaine eight weeks after her annulment, taking Aquitaine out of Louis VII's hands.
- 17 Oct 1171, Henry II lands in Ireland: Henry II lands near Waterford with a large army and takes the submission of Norman adventurers and Irish kings.
- 6 Oct 1175, Treaty of Windsor: Ruaidri Ua Conchobair accepts Henry II as overlord and is left as king of the unconquered parts of Ireland.
- 6 Apr 1199, Death of Richard I: Richard the Lionheart dies of a crossbow wound at the siege of Chalus and John succeeds to the Angevin lands.
- 6 Mar 1204, Fall of Château Gaillard: Philip II takes Richard's great fortress after a six-month siege, opening Normandy to conquest.
- 27 Jul 1214, Battle of Bouvines: Philip II routs John's allies Otto IV and the count of Flanders, ending hopes of recovering the lost Angevin lands.
- 21 Jul 1242, Battle of Taillebourg: Louis IX forces the Charente bridge and drives Henry III back to Saintes and then Bordeaux.
- 4 Dec 1259, Treaty of Paris: Henry III renounces Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine and Poitou and does liege homage to Louis IX for Gascony.
- 11 Dec 1282, Death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: The last native Prince of Wales is killed near Builth and Edward I completes the conquest of Gwynedd within six months.
- 14 Oct 1318, Battle of Faughart: Edward Bruce is killed near Dundalk, ending the Scottish invasion that had shaken the English lordship of Ireland.
- 24 Jun 1340, Battle of Sluys: Edward III destroys the French fleet off Flanders and wins control of the Channel.
- 26 Aug 1346, Battle of Crécy: Edward III's army routs Philip VI in Ponthieu and opens the road to Calais.
- 3 Aug 1347, Fall of Calais: Calais surrenders to Edward III after an eleven-month siege and stays English for 211 years.
- 19 Sep 1356, Battle of Poitiers: The Black Prince defeats and captures King John II of France.
- 8 May 1360, Treaty of Brétigny: Edward III gets an enlarged Aquitaine, Ponthieu, Calais and Guînes in full sovereignty and drops his claim to the French crown.
- 22 Jun 1372, Battle of La Rochelle: A Castilian fleet destroys an English convoy; Poitou and Saintonge fall to France within months.
- 16 Sep 1400, Owain Glyndŵr proclaimed Prince of Wales: At Glyndyfrdwy his followers proclaim him prince: the start of the last Welsh war of independence, which lasts until about 1415.
- 25 Oct 1415, Battle of Agincourt: Henry V's outnumbered army destroys the French host on its march to Calais.
- 10 Sep 1419, Murder of John the Fearless: The Duke of Burgundy is killed on the bridge of Montereau by the Dauphin's men, driving Burgundy into alliance with England.
- 21 May 1420, Treaty of Troyes: Charles VI disinherits the Dauphin and makes Henry V regent and heir of France.
- 8 May 1429, Relief of Orléans: The English lift the siege after Joan of Arc's arrival; high-water mark of Lancastrian France.
- 17 Jul 1429, Coronation of Charles VII: Charles VII is crowned at Reims after Troyes, Châlons and Reims open their gates.
- 30 May 1431, Joan of Arc burned: Joan of Arc is burned at the stake in the Old Market of English-held Rouen.
- 21 Sep 1435, Treaty of Arras: Philip the Good abandons the English alliance and receives the Somme towns, Ponthieu, Boulogne, Mâcon and Auxerre.
- 15 Apr 1450, Battle of Formigny: The last English field army in Normandy is destroyed; Cherbourg falls on 12 August.
- 17 Jul 1453, Battle of Castillon: French artillery shatters Talbot's attack; Talbot is killed and Bordeaux surrenders for good on 19 October.
- 23 Sep 1513, Capture of Tournai: Henry VIII takes Tournai, held by England until it is sold back to France in February 1519.
- 18 Jun 1541, Kingdom of Ireland: The Irish parliament declares Henry VIII King of Ireland, ending the medieval Lordship.
- 14 Sep 1544, Capture of Boulogne: Henry VIII takes Boulogne, which England holds until it is sold back to France in 1550.
- 7 Jan 1558, Fall of Calais: The Duke of Guise takes Calais after a week's siege, ending England's last foothold on the Continent.