[MR] French Invade England 1545

Garth Groff via Atlantia atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Tue Jul 21 02:10:03 PDT 2015


Noble Friends,

Ha! Got your attention, didn't I? Most history books complete ignore the 
French invasion attempt of England in 1545. Actually, France sent 235 
ships, a larger invasion fleet than the later Spanish Armada. The French 
fleet consisted of both sailing ships and oared galleys, which gave them 
a big advantage against the English when winds were calm. They made a 
landing on the Isle of Wight in July, completely overrunning the place. 
Two factors doomed the attack: the wind rose up, allowing the becalmed 
English ships to get underway from Southampton, and English militia men 
(one account says women fought alongside the men) with longbows did an 
excellent job harassing the French. Now there was nothing that could 
scare a Frenchman out of his codpiece faster than the sound of an 
English arrow. The French realized their position was untenable, and 
evacuated the Island on 21 July 1545.

You can read more about all this at: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_the_Isle_of_Wight . 
KING HENRY VIII'S MARY ROSE by Alexander McKee has a fairly detailed 
account of the invasion, including the archery angle.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot


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