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Ponthieu is a former province
Provinces of France

The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the d?partement in France system superseded provinces....
 of northern France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. Its chief town is Abbeville
Abbeville

Abbeville is a city in Picardie in northern France....
.

hieu was part of the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy

The 'Duchy of Normandy' stems from various Denmark, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 8th century. A fief, probably as a county, was created by the treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in 911 out of concessions made by Charles the Simple, and granted to Rollo of Normandy, leader of the Vikings known as Nort...
 from 911 and played a small but important role in the politics that led up to the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson

Harold Godwinson also known as Harold II, was the last Anglo-Saxons King of Kingdom of England before the Norman Conquest of England. Harold reigned from 5 January 1066, until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October of that same year, fighting the Normans invaders, led by William I of England....
 of England was shipwrecked at Ponthieu, Normandy
Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
 in 1064 and taken captive by Guy I
Guy I of Ponthieu

Guy I of Ponthieu was born sometime in the mid to late 1020s. He was the son of Count Enguerrand II of Ponthieu and the grandson of Hugh II of Ponthieu....
 (or Wido according to the Bayeux Tapestry
Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is a 50 cm by 70 m long embroidery cloth?not an actual tapestry?which explains the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England as well as the events of the invasion itself....
), the then Count of Ponthieu. It is alleged that William (Duke of Normandy
Duke of Normandy

Duke of Normandy is a title held or claimed by various Normans, France, England and United Kingdom rulers from the 10th century until the present, in recognition of their history....
, later William I of England
William I of England

William I , better known as William the Conqueror , was Duke of Normandy from 1035 and English monarchy from later 1066 to his death. William is sometimes also referred to as "William II" in relation to his position as the second Duke of Normandy of that name....
), discovering that Harold had been taken captive, sent messengers ordering Count Guy to hand over his prisoner.






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Ponthieu is a former province
Provinces of France

The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the d?partement in France system superseded provinces....
 of northern France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. Its chief town is Abbeville
Abbeville

Abbeville is a city in Picardie in northern France....
.

History

Ponthieu was part of the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy

The 'Duchy of Normandy' stems from various Denmark, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 8th century. A fief, probably as a county, was created by the treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in 911 out of concessions made by Charles the Simple, and granted to Rollo of Normandy, leader of the Vikings known as Nort...
 from 911 and played a small but important role in the politics that led up to the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson

Harold Godwinson also known as Harold II, was the last Anglo-Saxons King of Kingdom of England before the Norman Conquest of England. Harold reigned from 5 January 1066, until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October of that same year, fighting the Normans invaders, led by William I of England....
 of England was shipwrecked at Ponthieu, Normandy
Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
 in 1064 and taken captive by Guy I
Guy I of Ponthieu

Guy I of Ponthieu was born sometime in the mid to late 1020s. He was the son of Count Enguerrand II of Ponthieu and the grandson of Hugh II of Ponthieu....
 (or Wido according to the Bayeux Tapestry
Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is a 50 cm by 70 m long embroidery cloth?not an actual tapestry?which explains the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England as well as the events of the invasion itself....
), the then Count of Ponthieu. It is alleged that William (Duke of Normandy
Duke of Normandy

Duke of Normandy is a title held or claimed by various Normans, France, England and United Kingdom rulers from the 10th century until the present, in recognition of their history....
, later William I of England
William I of England

William I , better known as William the Conqueror , was Duke of Normandy from 1035 and English monarchy from later 1066 to his death. William is sometimes also referred to as "William II" in relation to his position as the second Duke of Normandy of that name....
), discovering that Harold had been taken captive, sent messengers ordering Count Guy to hand over his prisoner. William then forced Harold to swear to support his claim to the throne, only revealing after the event that the box on which Harold had made his oath contained holy relics, making the promise especially binding.

In 1067 the chaplain of Duchess Matilda
Matilda of Flanders

Matilda of Flanders was Queen consort of the Kingdom of England and the wife of William I of England.She was the daughter of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, and Adela of France, Countess of Flanders , daughter of Robert II of France....
, Guy, Bishop of Amiens, composed a Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 poem on the battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Normans victory in the Norman Conquest of England. It was fought between the Norman army of William I of England, and the English people army led by Harold Godwinson....
.

In 1150 the Count of Ponthieu built a fortress for himself at Crotoy, a strategic point on the mouth of the river Somme
Somme

The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
.

The Hundred Years' War

During the Hundred Years' War, Ponthieu changed hands a number of times, although the English claimed control of it from 1279–1369, and then later until 1435. During English control of Ponthieu, Abbeville was used as the capital.

In late August of 1346, during his campaigns on French soil, Edward III of England reached the region of Ponthieu. While there, he restored the fortress at Crotoy that had been ruined. He forced a passage of the Somme at the ford of Blanchetaque
Battle of Blanchetaque

The Battle of Blanchetaque in 1346 was the second of the three battles which made up what became the Crecy campaign of King Edward III of England during the early stages of the Hundred Years War....
. The army led by Philip VI of France
Philip VI of France

Philip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the List of French monarchs from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Counts and Dukes of Anjou, Counts and Dukes of Maine, and Count of Valois from 1325 to 1328....
 caught up with him at nearby Crécy-en-Ponthieu
Crécy-en-Ponthieu

Cr?cy-en-Ponthieu is a small village and commune in France of the Somme d?partement in France, in northern France, located south of Calais....
, leading to the famous Battle of Crécy
Battle of Crécy

The Battle of Cr?cy took place on 26 August 1346 near Cr?cy-en-Ponthieu in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War....
.

In 1360, the Treaty of Bretigny
Treaty of Brétigny

The Treaty of Br?tigny was a treaty signed on 8 May 1360, between Edward III of England of England and John II of France of France. The treaty was signed at Br?tigny, Eure-et-Loir, a village near Chartres, and marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War , as well as the height of English hegemony on the Continental Europe....
 between King John II of France
John II of France

John II , called John the Good , was Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, and Duke of Normandy from 1332, Count of Poitiers from 1344, Duke of Aquitaine from 1345, and King of France from 1350 until his death, as well as Duke of Burgundy from 1361 to 1363....
 and Edward III of England
Edward III of England

Edward III was one of the most successful List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of Englands of the Britain in the Middle Ages. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II of England, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into the most efficient military power in Europe....
 gave control of Ponthieu (along with Gascony
Gascony

Gascony is an area of southwest France that constituted a Provinces of France prior to the French Revolution. In historic references dating from the beginning of the Roman era, it was part of Gaul and became part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the conquests of Clovis I ....
 and Calais
Calais

Calais is a town in northern France in the Departments of France of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
) over to the English, in exchange for Edward relinquishing his claim to the French throne. Edward took the land but still refused to surrender his claim.

In April, 1369 Charles V of France
Charles V of France

Charles V , called the Wise, was List of French monarchs from 1364 to his death and a member of the House of Valois. His reign marked a high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armies recovering much of the territory ceded to England at the Treaty of Br?tigny....
 conquered Ponthieu, and a month later declared war on England (he had done so previously in 1368 as well). As a result, Edward publicly reassumed the title 'King of France' in June.

In 1372 an English army under the leadership of Robert Knolles
Robert Knolles

Sir Robert Knolles was an important England soldier of the Hundred Years' War, who, operating with the tacit support of the Crown, succeeded in taking the only two major France cities, other than Calais and Poitiers, to fall to Edward III of England....
 invaded Ponthieu, burning the city of Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy

Le Crotoy is a communes of the Somme d?partement in the Somme d?partement in France in the Picardie region of France. The inhabitants are known as Crotellois...
 before crossing the Somme
Somme

The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
 at the ford of Blanchetaque.

Also during the Hundred Years' War; in 1435, Charles VII of France
Charles VII of France

File:Charles VII Franc a cheval 1422 1423.jpgCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was List of French monarchs from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent ruled much of France from Paris....
 bribed Philippe le Bon, Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Sa?ne which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's West Franks....
, to break his alliance with the English in exchange for possession of Ponthieu. This arguably marked a turning point leading to the end of England's part in the conflict 40 years later.

See also

  • Count of Ponthieu
    Count of Ponthieu

    The County of Ponthieu was a province of Normandy centered on the mouth of the Somme, and its counts played an important role in the early history of Normandy....


External links

  • - in French


  • - not necessarily reliable