Ponthieu
Ponthieu is a
former province of northern
France. Its chief town is
Abbeville.
Ponthieu was part of the
Duchy of Normandy 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, or
Harold II of England was shipwrecked at Ponthieu,
Normandy in
1064 and taken captive by Guy (or
Wido according to the
Bayeux Tapestry) who was the then Count of Ponthieu. It is alleged that William (
Duke of Normandy - later
William I of England) 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, Gin de Ponthieu,
Bishop of Amiens, composed a
Latin poem on the
battle of Hastings.
In
1150 the Count of Ponthieu built a fortress for himself at Crotoy, a strategic point on the mouth of the river
Somme.
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. The army led by
Philip IV of France catches up with him at nearby
Crécy-en-Ponthieu, leading to the
famous battle.
In
1360, the
Treaty of Bretigny between King
John II of France and
Edward III of England gave control of Ponthieu over to the English, (along with
Gascony and
Calais) 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 conquers Ponthieu, and a month later declares war on England (he had done so previously in
1368 as well). As a result, Edward publicly reassumes the title 'King of France' in June.
In
1372 an English army under the leadership of
Robert Knolles invades Ponthieu, burning the city of Crotoy before crossing the
Somme at the ford of
Blanquetaque.
Also during the Hundred Years' War; in
1435,
Charles VII of France bribed
Philippe le Bon,
Duke of Burgundy, 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.
*
Count of Ponthieu*
Dynasty of Ponthieu - in French
Note: This site says Guy I is brother of Enguerrand II (which matches other research) and which I use above, but it fails to connect "Robert II of Alencon" with "Robert de Belleme".
*
Counts of Ponthieu, genealogy - not necessarily reliable
*
Hundred Years' War timeline*
Detailed Hundred Years' War timeline
