French invasion of the Isle of Wight (1545)
Encyclopedia
Italian Wars
The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy and sometimes as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the city-states of Italy, the Papal States, most of the major states of Western...
. France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
had a long history of attacking the Island
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, and the 1545 campaign proved to be the last time the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
would attempt to take it. Although the French forces, led by Claude d'Annebault
Claude d'Annebault
Claude d'Annebault was a French military officer; Marshall of France ; Admiral of France ; and Governor of Piedmont in 1541. He led the French invasion of the Isle of Wight in 1545...
, greatly outnumbered that of the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, the battles fought (including the battles of the Solent
Battle of the Solent
The naval Battle of the Solent took place on 18 and 19 July 1545 during the Italian Wars, fought between the fleets of Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England, in the Solent channel off the south coast of England between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight...
and Bonchurch
Battle of Bonchurch
The Battle of Bonchurch took place sometime in late July 1545 at Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight. No source of information states a specific date, although it could have happened on 21 July. The battle was a part of the wider Italian War of 1542-1546, and the battle took place during the 1545...
) ended without a clear winner. However, as the French were repelled, it could be considered an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
victory. Though the operation was inconclusive, England suffered heavily, including the loss of the carrack
Carrack
A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese , and later by the Spanish, to explore and...
Mary Rose
Mary Rose
The Mary Rose was a carrack-type warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. After serving for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany and after being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her last action on 1545. While leading the attack on the galleys of a...
in the Battle of the Solent. Details of the conflict have not been very well recorded, and some accounts claim that the French were defeated at each battle rather easily.
French strategy was to effect a landing at Whitecliff Bay
Whitecliff Bay
Whitecliff Bay is a sandy bay near the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight, England about 2 miles south-west of Bembridge and just to the north of Culver Down. It is a tourist site , has a popular beach with two hundred metres of sand and shingle, and minimal facilities including 2 cafes...
and cross Bembridge Down to attack Sandown
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, neighbouring the town of Shanklin to the south. Sandown Bay is the name of the bay off the English Channel which both towns share, and it is notable for its long stretch of easily accessible...
, and another landing at Bonchurch
Bonchurch
Bonchurch is a small village to the East of Ventnor, on the southern part of theIsle of Wight, England. It is situated on The Undercliff, which itself is subject to regular landslips. A large section of the settlement is found in Upper Bonchurch, halfway up St Boniface Down on the main A3055 road...
with a view to marching to link up at Sandown. The northern force was intercepted whilst crossing the Down, but fought its way to Sandown Castle
Sandown Castle, Isle of Wight
Sandown Castle was built as one of Henry VIII's Device Forts at Sandown on the Isle of Wight from 1544 onwards. The Device Forts, also known as Henrician Castles, were built by Henry VIII as a network of coastal defences to defend against the threat of the French and Spanish after his break from...
, which was then under construction offshore. Both forces were repulsed after stiff fighting. The event is commemorated by a plaque in Seaview
Seaview, Isle of Wight
Seaview is a small Edwardian resort located on the north-eastern corner of the Isle of Wight, overlooking the Solent.The village is popular with tourists and is only a 15-minute drive from the town of Ryde, where most tourists reach the island by ferry or hovercraft...
which reads: "During the last invasion of this country hundreds of French troops landed on the foreshore nearby. This armed invasion was bloodily defeated and repulsed by local militia 21st July 1545".
The veracity of this account has been challenged by the Isle of Wight Historical Review, pointing out that there were few if any local inhabitants and the militia may have been sent from the mainland and that the numbers involved are uncertain. Contemporary accounts suggest that the French (or their mercenaries) sacked the area in order to provoke the English Fleet into battle against a far larger fleet and the settlement at Nettlestone
Nettlestone
Nettlestone is a village on the Isle of Wight, England about 4 miles south east of Ryde. It is listed in the Domesday Book and was established c.1086...
and Nettlestone Manor were burnt.
Of the invasion Martin Du Bellay
Martin Du Bellay
Martin Du Bellay, Sieur de Langey was a French nobleman and chronicler. His memoirs of the Italian Wars form one of the most significant primary sources for the period.-Works:...
wrote: "...To keep the enemy's forces separated, a simultaneous descent was made in three different places. On one side Seigneur Pierre Strosse was bidden to land below a little fort where the enemy had mounted some guns with which they assailed our galleys in flank, and within which a number of Island infantry had retired. These, seeing the boldness of our men, abandoned the fort and fled southwards to the shelter of a copse. Our men pursued and killed some of them and burned the surrounding habitations..."
A later account from Sir John Oglander says: "...They landed at three several places at one time, purposely to divide our forces. Pierre Strosse landed at St Helens where there was a little fort, and beat our men, being divided from the fort, into the woods. Le Seigneur de Tais
Le Seigneur de Tais
Le Seigneur de Tais was a General of the Foot and a Colonel General of the Infantry of France. He was the commander of the French forces who fought at the Battle of Bonchurch. He also commanded the French infantry at the Battle of Ceresole.-References:...
, General of the Foot, landed at Bonchurch, where there was a hot skirmish between them and us, and on either party many slain..."
The French seem to have landed at undefended points and then attacked defences from inland. At Whitecliff Bay and at Bonchurch
Bonchurch
Bonchurch is a small village to the East of Ventnor, on the southern part of theIsle of Wight, England. It is situated on The Undercliff, which itself is subject to regular landslips. A large section of the settlement is found in Upper Bonchurch, halfway up St Boniface Down on the main A3055 road...
they moved swiftly to seize the high ground. However the attacks were expected and in both cases local forces reached the high grounds to oppose them.
At Bonchurch the French landed easily at Monk's Bay, but were then faced with the difficulty of breaking out from what is known descriptively as the "Undercliff". Their solution -probably with little local knowledge- was to ascend the extremely steep slopes of St Boniface and Bonchurch Downs, which are over 700 feet (213.4 m) high. The defenders thus had them at a considerable advantage, having taken up positions on the top of the hill.