This Day in History: 1353-03-01

In early March 1353, Henry, Duke of Lancaster and lord of Pontefract, along with the ex- Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of Norwich, Keeper of the Privy Seal and others crossed the Channel to begin negotiations at Guines, overseen by Cardinal Guy of Boulogne. Initial discussions, signed and sealed on 10th March 1353 and ratified as a treaty on 4th April 1354, revolved around Edward III being given sovereignty of Gascony in exchange for his dropping the title King of France. Further follow-up negotiations were proposed for mid-May but John II of France regarded Guy of Boulogne’s compromises as unacceptable and the so-called Hundred Years’ War resumed in earnest in 1355.