BRETIGNY

. A village in the Beauce, Bretigny (Eure-et-Loire) was the site of an important treaty between England and France. Concluded on May 8, 1360, it ended the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War. Having captured John II in 1356, Edward III had negotiated two draft treaties with the French, but when the second was rejected he invaded France in 1359. Unable to force a decisive battle or capture a major town, Edward agreed to the Treaty of Bretigny, which French historians have considered a disaster for their country. It was, in fact, less harsh than the rejected draft of 1359. It provided for major cessions of territory in southwestern France, giving England a large duchy of Aquitaine that would be held in full sovereignty without feudal ties to the French crown. John II would be released in return for a ransom of 3 million ecus (500,000 pounds sterling), 20 percent to be paid before his release and the remainder in six annual installments. The banished supporters of the rival kings would recover their property, and Edward III would abandon his claim to the throne of France. Although ratified at Calais in October 1360, when John was released, the treaty was not implemented in every detail, and war resumed in 1369.

John Bell Henneman, Jr.

[See also: EDWARD III; HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR]

Le Patourel, John. “The Treaty of Bretigny, 1360.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 5th ser. 10(1960):19-39.

Petit-Dutaillis, Charles, and P. Collier. “La diplomatie franyaise et la traite de Bretigny.” Moyen age 2nd ser. 1(1897):1-35.