Truce of Malestroit
The ruins of the Chapel of the Madeleine, Malestroit (in 2013), where the treaty was sealed | |
| Type | Time-limited truce |
|---|---|
| Context | Hundred Years' War |
| Drafted | January 1343 |
| Location | Malestroit, Brittany, France |
| Sealed | 19 January 1343 |
| Effective | 19 January 1343 |
| Expiration | 29 September 1346 |
| Expiry | 15 June 1345, repudiated by the English |
| Mediators | Cardinals Annibaldo Caetani and Pierre Desprès, on behalf of Pope Clement VI |
| Original signatories | |
| Parties | |
The Truce of Malestroit was sealed by King Edward III of England and King Philip VI of France on 19 January 1343 in Malestroit, Brittany, with the intention of pausing the Hundred Years' War until 29 September 1346. It laid down that a peace conference was to be held in the interim to negotiate an end to the war.
The war had broken out in 1337 and Edward had formally laid claim to the French crown in 1340, possibly as a diplomatic manoeuvre. On 25 September 1340 the Truce of Espléchin, which was mediated by emissaries of Pope Benedict XII, was agreed. This was intended to pause hostilities until 24 June 1341 but was later extended to 24 June 1342. During 1341 a succession war broke out in the Duchy of Brittany, a semi-autonomous province of France. Philip VI backed one of the factions – led by Charles of Blois – and early in 1342 Edward III backed the other – led by John of Montfort. Edward landed in Brittany in October 1342 with a small army; a lack of shipping prevented many of the available English troops from crossing the Channel with him. This English force struck at the important town of Vannes. A naval attack in November failed to take the town, and an assault by the main English army later in the month was also beaten off. The French raised a much larger army and marched it into Brittany, but halted at Malestroit, 20 miles (32 km) from Vannes.
There two cardinals mediated a truce in the course of a few days. This was sealed on 9 January 1343 and was due to last until 29 September 1346. Both monarchs pledged to send delegations to negotiate in Avignon, then the seat of the Papacy. There, mediated by Pope Clement VI, a treaty to permanently end the war would be drafted. In reality each king saw the truce as a mere pause and neither intended to negotiate in good faith; the truce had only been agreed because each felt it was beneficial to him. When the conference finally convened in late 1344 the proposals made by each side were unacceptable to the other, with neither displaying any willingness to compromise, and it rapidly collapsed. After mutual provocations Edward formally renounced the truce on 15 June 1345 and full-scale war resumed.