Treaty of Sablé
The Treaty of Sablé (also known as the Treaty of Verger or the Treaty of Le Verger) was signed on 20 August 1488 in Sablé between Duke Francis II of Brittany and Charles VIII of France. The original Treaty of Sable was written between the Duke of Brittany and Charles VI of France shortly before his death. At the end of the life of Henry V, the throne of France went to his baby son, Henry VI of England and France. A year after the signing of Sable the treaty was reneged upon in favour of a tripartite alliance at Amiens with Burgundy and England. The town of Sable was therefore chosen for a summit in 1488 when the duchy was forced to do homage to the King of France for the very last time. The duchy was later merged into the kingdom. The Duke who under the terms of the treaty, was integrated a member of the French nobility, died on 9 September 1488.
| Treaty of Sable | |
|---|---|
| Type | Treaty of Sable |
| Context | Hundred Years' War |
| Date | 20–31 August 1488[lower-alpha 1] |
| Place | Sable, Duchy of Brittany, France |
| Parties | Duchy of Brittany Kingdom of France |
| Outcome | The King of France began the process of the annexation of the duchy and absorption into the kingdom |
Based on the terms of the accord, the Duke of Brittany acknowledged himself as a vassal of the King of France. Moreover, the Duke of Brittany pledged the territories of Saint Malo, Dinan, Fougères and Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier to be controlled by the French crown. Also, Francis promised to remove all foreign troops from his territories, as well as ensure to seek Charles's consent before marrying off his daughter, Anne. In return, Charles removed his forces from Brittany except in the town garrisons of the territories pledged by Francis.[2] In another aspect of the treaty, the Duke of Brittany was no longer permitted to summon any troops from England.[3]
Notes
- Stanley Chrimes offers the alternative date of 31 August 1488.[1]
References
- S.B. Chrimes, Henry VII (Yale University Press, 1999), 1.
- Fisher, p. 29. On August 20, [1488] a treaty was signed at Sablé between Francis and Charles. The Duke of Brittany acknowledged himself a vassal of the French crown; he placed St. Malo, Dinan, Fougères, and St. Aubin du Cormier in the hands of the French king as pledges; he promised to expel the foreign troops; he promised that Anne should not be married without Charles's consent. The French king in return for these concessions engaged to withdraw his army, saving the garrisons necessary to hold the towns which had been given him in pledge.
- Craik and MacFarlane, p. 295. La Tremoille took Dinant and St. Malo, and threatened to besiege the unfortunate Duke Francis in Rennes, his capital. Finding that no assistance arrived from England or from any other quarter, Francis at last accepted the hard terms offered by the French court; and in the middle of August (1488) he signed the treaty of Verger. Hereby, the claims of the French crown to the duchy were submitted to the consideration of certain commissioners: the French were to retain the conquests they had made, and the duke was bound never more to call in troops from England or any other country, and not to marry either of his daughters without the full approbation of his suzeraine lord the King of France.
Sources
- George Lillie Craik and Charles MacFarlane. The Pictorial History of England: Being a History of the People, as Well as a History of the Kingdom. Charles Knight and Company, 1841 (Original from the New York Public Library).
- Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher. The History of England, from the Accession of Henry VII, to the Death of Henry VIII, 1485-1547 (Volume V). Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906.