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Battle of the Solent
Part of theItalian War of 1542–1546
The "Cowdray engraving" of the battle, 1778
Date 18–19 July 1545 Location The Solent 50°46′39″N1°13′35″W / 50.77750°N 1.22639°W /50.77750; -1.22639 Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
France	England
Commanders and leaders
Claude d'Annebault	John Dudley
Strength
175 ships[1]	12,000 soldiers in 80 ships
Casualties and losses
No ships lost[1]	About 400 dead in sinking of "Mary Rose"
class=notpageimage| Location within English Channel Show map of English Channel Battle of the Solent (Hampshire) Show map of Hampshire

The navalBattle of the Solent took place on 18 and 19 July 1545 during theItalian Wars, between the fleets ofFrancis I of France andHenry VIII of England, in theSolent, betweenHampshire and theIsle of Wight. This was one of only two full-fledged naval battles fought by King Henry VIII's Tudor navy, along with the earlierBattle of Saint-Mathieu.

The engagement resulted in a standstill between both sides, but the French ambition to conduct a larger invasion of England had been rendered untenable by the fighting, and the French fleet withdrew shortly after. The battle is remembered today primarily for the sinking of the Englishcarrack,Mary Rose.

In 1545, France launched aninvasion of England with 38,000 soldiers in 300 ships.^[2] Against this armada — larger than theSpanish Armada 43 years later — the English had about 12,000 soldiers and 80 ships.

The French expedition started disastrously, with the 800-ton flagshipPhilippe orCarraquon being destroyed on 6 July in an accidental fire while at anchor in theSeine.^[2] AdmiralClaude d'Annebault transferred his flag toLa Maistresse, which then ran aground as the fleet set sail. The leaks were patched up and the fleet crossed the Channel. The French entered the Solent and landed troops on theIsle of Wight.^[3]

On 18 July, the English came out ofPortsmouth and engaged the French at long range, with little damage being done on either side.La Maitresse was close to sinking due to her earlier damage but, although d'Annebault had to change his flagship again, she was saved.

On the night of 18 July, Henry dined aboardGreat Harry, theflagship of AdmiralJohn Dudley, Viscount Lisle.

The next day was calm, and the French employed theirgalleys against the immobile English vessels. Toward evening, a breeze sprang up and, asMary Rose, the flagship of Vice AdmiralGeorge Carew, advanced, she foundered and sank with the deaths of all but 35–40 of her crew.^[4] The precise reasons are not known, but it was believed at the time that the crew had forgotten to close the lower gunports after firing, so that when she heeled over in the breeze she took on water and sank. A witness with the French fleet believed that the galleys had sunk her, although this is not supported by other contemporary accounts and no physical evidence of this remains.^[5]

The wind subsequently died down but Lisle made use of the tides and currents to position his fleet and disrupt the formation of the larger French ships.^[6]

Theinvasion of the Isle of Wight was repulsed. The attacking troops attempted to divide the defence by landing at several sites but did not venture inland or regroup. There were heavy casualties on both sides at theBattle of Bonchurch, the French at Sandown hastily retreated after losing their commanders in an attack on a newly built fort, and those that landed at Bembridge were ambushed.^[7]

On 22 July, unable to resupply and struggling with a leaking ship and illness among his crew, d'Annebault abandoned the invasion. He recalled the French troops and his fleet departed.

The next day, the French landed 1,500 troops near the town ofSeaford, around 40 miles (64 km) to the east. They attempted to pillage a nearby village but were repelled by local militia led byNicholas Pelham.^[8] D'Annebault then returned to France.

• Grant, R. G. (2017).1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. Chartwell Books.ISBN 978-0785835530.
• Loades, David,The Tudor Navy: An administrative, political and military history. Scolar Press, Aldershot. 1992.ISBN 0-85967-922-5
• Marsden, Peter,Sealed by Time: The Loss and Recovery of the Mary Rose. The Archaeology of the Mary Rose, Volume 1. The Mary Rose Trust, Portsmouth. 2003.ISBN 0-9544029-0-1
• Potter, David (2011).Henry VIII and Francis I: The Final Conflict, 1540-1547. Brill.ISBN 9789004204317.
• Rodger, Nicholas A. M.,The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain 660–1649. W. W. Norton & Company, New York. 1997.ISBN 0-393-04579-X
• Stirland, Ann J.,Raising the Dead: The Skeleton Crew of Henry VIII's Great Ship, the Mary Rose. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. 2000.ISBN 0-471-98485-X

• 1545 in England
• 1545 in France
• 16th century in Hampshire
• Conflicts in 1545
• Military history of Hampshire
• Military history of the Isle of Wight
• Naval battles involving England
• Naval battles involving France
• Naval battles of the Italian Wars
• The Solent
• Tudor England
• Italian War of 1542–1546
• John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland

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