Treaty of Brétigny and Peace of Calais

The Treaty of Brétigny, agreed in May 1360 and confirmed at Calais in October, followed years of English victories, the capture of John II of France and Edward III’s unsuccessful winter campaign. The settlement granted the English crown enlarged territories in south-western France and set a vast ransom for the French king.

The peace did not immediately end violence. Soldiers and mercenaries who had depended on campaigning, plunder and ransom formed or joined free companies, moving through regions whose governments could not readily control them. Local communities therefore experienced continued coercion even while kings formally suspended hostilities.