1383–1385: The Norwich Crusade and the Pacification of Flanders

Roosebeke did not immediately extinguish the Flemish crisis. Flanders remained a space where the Hundred Years’ War, the wool trade, and the Great Schism all intersected. Between 1383 and 1385, the Flemish theatre became a ground of indirect confrontations and negotiated equilibria.

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⛪ Crusade and War: The Despenser Expedition (1383)

In the context of the Schism, the Roman camp struck back: Urban VI supported a crusade preached in England by Henry Despenser, Bishop of Norwich. In 1383, the expedition landed at Calais and seized coastal positions (Dunkirk, Bergues, Bourbourg…), before attempting the siege of Ypres.

The Franco-Burgundian reaction was swift: the army was summoned, the English fell back, and the expedition eventually withdrew — leaving the impression of a costly and politically ambiguous operation.

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👑 1384: The Flemish Succession and the Rise of Burgundian Power

At the death of Louis of Male (January 1384), Philip the Bold asserted the succession through solemn entries: the aim was to show that Flanders was held, and that order had returned. A temporary truce limited hostilities, but the question of Ghent remained open.

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🏰 1385: Damme and the Treaty of Tournai

After the resumption of fighting, the French and Burgundians retook Damme (28 August 1385). Ghent was isolated and forced to negotiate. The Treaty of Tournai (18 December 1385) restored peace in the county:

• pardon and confirmation of privileges in exchange for submission;
• a compromise designed to preserve the prosperity of the cloth cities;
• a stabilisation useful for a broader truce policy.

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🧠 Key Takeaways

• Flanders was a crossroads: economy, Schism, and Franco-English rivalry.
• 1383–1385 shows a “negotiated pacification”: repress when necessary, pardon in order to govern.