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| Battle of Arnemuiden | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theHundred Years' War | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| France | England | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Hugues Quiéret Nicolas Béhuchet | John Kingston † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 48 galleys | 5 cogs | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 900 killed or wounded | 1,000 killed 5 cogs captured | ||||||
TheBattle of Arnemuiden was a naval battle fought on 23 September 1338 at the start of theHundred Years' War betweenEngland andFrance. It was the first naval battle of the Hundred Years' War and the first recorded European naval battle using artillery, as the English shipChristopher had three cannons and one handgun.[1]
The battle featured a vast French fleet under admiralsHugues Quiéret andNicolas Béhuchet against a small squadron of five great Englishcogs transporting an enormous cargo of wool toAntwerp, whereEdward III of England was hoping to sell it, in order to be able to pay subsidies to his allies. It occurred nearArnemuiden, the port of the island ofWalcheren (now in the Netherlands, but then part of theCounty of Flanders, formally part of the Kingdom of France). Overwhelmed by the superior numbers and with some of their crew still on shore, John Kingston, the commander of the squadron, surrendered after a day's fighting.[citation needed]
The French captured the rich cargo, took the five cogs into their fleet and massacred the English prisoners. The chronicles write:
Thus conquering did these said mariners of the king of France in this winter take great pillage, and especially they conquered the handsome great nef called theChristophe, all charged with the goods and wool that the English were sending to Flanders, which nef had cost the English king much to build: but its crew were lost to these Normans, and were put to death.
— Collection des chroniques nationales françaises écrites en langue vulgaire du treizième au seizième siècle, avec notes et éclaircissements par J. A. Buchon, p. 272.