Battle of Margate

On 24 March 1387, Arundel's fleet sighted part of a French fleet of around 250–360 vessels, commanded by Sir Jean de Bucq. This fleet included contingents of Flemish and Castilian vessels, many of which were also carrying wine from La Rochelle to Sluis.^[2] Although significantly larger than Arundel's flotilla, De Bucq's fleet was inferior in both workforce and armament, with inadequate soldiers to defend it from the English attack. As the English attacked, many Flemish vessels deserted the fleet; from there, a series of battles commenced, from Margate into the Channel towards the Flemish coast.^[3] The first engagement, off Margate itself, was the most extensive action and forced the allied fleet to flee, losing many ships.^[5]

The battle took place mostly in the southern North Sea, while the two fleets were on the move, and Cadzand where the English finally defeated the Franco-Castilian-Flemish fleet.^[7] More French and Castilian ships were sunk or captured. Arundel pursued the remnants of the fleet to Sluis, where he arrived two days later.^[6] He penetrated the outer anchorage and captured seven more ships, with another eleven more burnt or sunk in the harbour. The English set up a blockade that lasted more than two weeks; they stopped and seized incoming vessels.^[5] However, instead of holding the port, which was virtually undefended, the earl put landing parties ashore to burn and plunder coastal villages and seize wealthy prisoners for ransom. More booty was captured, but the Flemish uprising never materialised.^[1]

On 14 April, with supplies running low and his men falling ill, Arundel returned to England. In total, over a dozen ships were sunk or burned, and 68 ships were captured, including three heavily laden Castilian carracks. De Bucq was captured and promptly sent to the Tower of London, where he died three years later.^[5]

After refitting, the earl sailed to Brittany, where he resupplied the besieged garrison at Brest, but failed to effect a reconciliation with John IV, Duke of Brittany.^[8] Arundel had won a significant victory, and ended the threat of a French and Castilian invasion for the next decade and weakened their naval capabilities. The captured wine barrels were taken to London, where they were sold for a fraction of the normal price and won much popularity for Arundel.^[3]

Margate was the last major naval battle of the Caroline War phase of the Hundred Years' War. It destroyed France's chance of invading England for at least the next decade.^[9]

• Highfield, J.R.L. (1972). Lopez-Morillas, Frances M. (ed.). Spain in the Fifteenth Century 1369–1516: Essays and Extracts by Historians of Spain. Springer. ISBN 978-1-349-00896-4.
• Goodman, Anthony (1971). The Loyal Conspiracy: The Lords Appellant Under Richard II. University of Miami Press. ISBN 978-0-87024-215-1.
• Gorski, R. (2012). Roles of the Sea in Medieval England. Boydell Press. pp. 103–124. ISBN 978-1-84383-701-5. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
• Nicolas, Sir N.H. (1847). A History of the Royal Navy: 1327–1422. R. Bentley. pp. 306–322. ISBN 978-1-346-33173-7. Retrieved 3 March 2019. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Stanton, Charles D. (2015). Medieval Maritime Warfare. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-4738-5643-1.
• Sumption, Jonathan (2011). The Hundred Years War, Volume 3. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-26656-2.
• Wagner, J.A. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War. Greenwood Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-313-32736-0. Retrieved 2 March 2019.

• "The 630th anniversary of the Battle of Margate is marked with an exhibition". The Isle of Thanet News. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2019.