English expedition to Flanders (1297–98)
| English expedition to Flanders (1297–98) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of England
 County of Flanders
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 Kingdom of France
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Edward I of England
Guy, Count of Flanders
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Philip IV of France
 Robert II of Artois
 Rainier Grimaldi
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| Strength | |||||||
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895 knights and 7560 infantry and bowman |
30,000 knight, infantry and bowman | ||||||
The English expedition to Flanders (1297–98) was an English expedition to Flanders that lasted from August 1297 until March 1298. King Edward I of England in an alliance with Guy, Count of Flanders, as part of the wider Anglo-French War (1294–1303), led an English force to Flanders, hoping to form military alliances and support to lead a combined force against King Philip IV of France. The expedition was a failure in gaining military support and after a peace was reached between King Edward I of England and King Philip IV of France, Edward left Flanders in March 1298.
In 1294, Guy, Count of Flanders turned for help to King Edward I of England, arranging a marriage between his daughter Philippa and Edward, Prince of Wales. However, King Philip IV of France imprisoned Guy and two of his sons, forcing Guy to call off the marriage, and imprisoned Philippa in Paris. Philippa remained imprisoned until her death in 1306.
The Count of Flanders was summoned before King Phillip again in 1296, and the principal cities of Flanders were taken under royal protection, until Guy paid an indemnity and surrendered his territories, to hold them at the grace of the King. After these indignities, Guy attempted to seek revenge on Philip by an alliance with King Edward I of England in 1297, which was at war with France. Philip responded by declaring Flanders annexed to the royal domain and sent a French army under Robert II of Artois to conquer Flanders.
Guy's eldest son Robert of Bethune occupied Mortagne, at the confluence of the Scheldt and the Scarpe rivers, and the castle of Helkijn. In March 1297, King Philip arrested all partisans of the Count of Flanders and seized all their property. Philip then occupied the castle of L’Ecluse near Douai. In June 1297 Philip gathered an army of about 3,000 knights at Compiègne. The French army marched on Arras (6 June), Lens (12 June) and reached the Franco-Flemish border near Douai on 14 June 1297. The next day part of the French cavalry, led by the King's brother Charles of Valois and by Raoul de Nesle crossed the border near Râches and encountered part of the Flemish army, consisting of German mercenaries, which was defeated. After this setback Orchies surrendered to France. Valois' troops, raided and burned the countryside up to Lille, but then returned to the French main army.
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