THE FRENCH WARS 



the coast of Flanders by a further fifty sail from the North, so that when 

 the French were sighted at Sluys on June 23rd, 1340, there were some 

 250 sail under the King's command, which was rather a larger number 

 than the French. The captured Christopher was in the middle of the 

 enemy's line, and was, of course, a particular target of the English. The 

 action began soon after noon on the 24th, when Edward entered the 

 port with his big ships filled with archers, accompanied by smaller vessels 

 packed with men-at-arms for boarding. The reserve consisted of less 

 valuable vessels carrying archers apparently to be employed at longei 

 range. The French ships were generally big, but being deceived by 

 the English move to gain the weather gage they cast off to pursue what 

 they imagined to be an enemy retreating before the action had well 

 begun, with the result that there was very soon a general melee over a 

 big area. The principle of the attack was to board and engage in hand- 

 to-hand fighting on deck, for it must be remembered that in those days 

 the seamen were only there to take the soldiers from place to place as 

 desired, and that the commands of the ships were all in the hands of 

 knights. This method of attack crushed the French van, where one of 

 the first prizes to be taken was the much coveted Christopher, which 

 was immediately manned to attack the Genoese division. Instead of 

 supporting their leaders the French reserve divisions attempted to make 

 off, but they were soon surrounded, and in abandoning their ships many 

 boats were swamped and nearly two thousand are reported by con- 

 temporary writers to have been drowned. A few big ships and a number 

 of Genoese galleys and barges contrived to get away, but the bulk of the 

 great fleet was completely annihilated, and it was some years before the 

 French attempted to regain any command of the sea. Among the 

 prisoners was Nicholas Behuchet, leader of the Portsmouth expedition, 

 who was very rightly hanged at one of his own yard-arms. In spite of 

 the appalling slaughter of the day, the English losses were comparatively 

 light. 



The First Blackbeard. 



The division of Genoese galleys in the French fleet at the battle of 

 Sluys was commanded by Edigo Boscanegra (Blackbeard), and it would 

 rather appear that his heart was not as wholly in the fight as were those 

 of his French employers. He escaped from the battle and contrived 

 to hold off the English force that pursued him, but there is plenty of 

 suggestion that he made away before the action was lost and that he 

 was considering his own skin. He later took service with his fleet under 

 the King of Castile, and while there offered his services to King Edward. 

 In spite of the fact that he had been heavily concerned in the sacking of 

 Portsmouth, the King was willing to treat with him, but the negotiations 

 came to nothing. 



Operations on the French Coast. 



When Edward III was safely launched on his main invasion of 

 France, the greater part of the fleet, being hired ships, was paid off, 

 but the Earl of Huntingdon was left with a fleet to operate on the French 



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