THE FRENCH WARS 



Normandy. Once again Southampton was chosen as his port of depar- 

 ture, where 1,500 vessels were collected to transport an army of nearly 

 seventeen thousand men. The enemies allied against us had collected a 

 big force at sea, and it was necessary to commission all the men-of-war 

 possible to clear them from the Straits ; in fact, Henry himself wanted to 

 lead the fleet in person, but was dissuaded. John, Earl of Huntingdon, 

 therefore, was given the position of Admiral, and succeeded in inflicting 

 a heavy defeat on the French and Genoese, which permitted Henry's 

 expeditionary force to cross. The whole thing was managed exceedingly 

 well, and quite apart from anything else gave Henry the right to be 

 remembered in naval annals for his understanding of the importance of 

 holding the narrow seas. In the succeeding years nothing of naval 

 importance occurred, but the whole country was kept in a constant state 

 of alarm by threatened invasions and raids, and commerce was very 

 seriously handicapped by constant requisitioning and by the risks of 

 passage. 



The " Grace Dieu." 



One of the most famous ships of her time was the Grace Dieu, which 

 was built by Henry V in 1417. She was rigged with one great mast and 

 one mizzen, but the inventory goes on to say that she had two bowsprits, 

 which leaves us in some doubt as to her exact rig. The responsibility 

 for her construction was divided between various officials in an extra- 

 ordinary manner, and one can only suppose either that they were getting 

 an unfair advantage out of the King, or that he was somehow contriving 

 to get advantage out of them. The shipwright in charge of her con- 

 struction was John Hoggskyns, who, although known as " Master 

 Carpenter to the King's Ships," was in reality the first Master Ship- 

 wright in the Navy. The end of this famous ship was tragic, for in 

 Henry VI's reign they economised even to the extent of leaving laid-up 

 ships without caretakers, with the result that she caught fire on 

 January 7th, 1439, while lying on the mud at Bursledon, above 

 Southampton, and was destroyed. 



The Genoese, 1422. 



Just before he sailed to France on the final expedition which caused 

 his death. King Henry V concluded a peace with the Genoese, which 

 was not only important as robbing France of the main source of her sea 

 power, but also interesting as showing the state of affairs at that time. 

 Genoa was like the rest of the Italian Republics, which founded their 

 prosperity on hiring out their bands of cross-bowmen and chartering 

 ships to any belligerent who was willing to pay for them. By this agree- 

 ment she agreed not to furnish such help to any enemies of England, but 

 there was the loophole left that if her ships were forcibly compelled to 

 serve against us it was not to be regarded as breaking the agreement. It 

 must have been realised perfectly that this gave a good opportunity of 

 evading the spirit of the agreement, for the Genoese were generally 

 absolutely unscrupulous and were quite capable of framing up the 

 compulsion. 



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