Battle of Saint-Mathieu

This article is about the 1512 battle. For the 15 May 1293 battle, also between English and French sailors, see Gascon War.
"Battle of St Matthew" redirects here. For the 1217 battle during the Livonian Crusade, see Battle of St Matthew's Day. For the 20th-century Northern Irish battle, see Battle of St Matthew's.
Battle of Saint-Mathieu
Part of the War of the League of Cambrai

Le Combat de la Cordelière contre une flotte anglaise, en 1512, au large de Saint-Mathieu, an 1838 painting of the battle by Pierre-Julien Gilbert showing later 16th century ships
Date10 August 1512
Location
Off Pointe Saint-Mathieu, Iroise Sea
48°20′N 4°46′W / 48.33°N 4.77°W / 48.33; -4.77
Result English victory
Belligerents
 France
Brittany		  England
Commanders and leaders
René de Clermont Edward Howard
Strength
22 warships
3 engaged		 25 warships
3 engaged
Casualties and losses
1,230 killed
1 warship destroyed (exploded)
1 warship damaged		 400 killed
1 warship destroyed (destroyed in the explosion)
2 warships damaged

The naval Battle of Saint-Mathieu took place on 10 August 1512 during the War of the League of Cambrai, near Brest, France, between an English fleet of 25 ships commanded by Sir Edward Howard and a Franco-Breton fleet of 22 ships commanded by René de Clermont. It is possibly the first battle between ships using cannon through ports, although this played a minor role in the fighting.[citation needed] This was one of only two full-fledged naval battles fought by King Henry VIII's Tudor navy, along with the later Battle of the Solent.[1] During the battle, each navy's largest and most powerful ship — Regent (previously Grace Dieu) and the Marie-la-Cordelière (or simply Cordelière) – were destroyed in a large explosion aboard the latter.

  1. ^ Konstam, Angus (2008). Tudor Warships (1): Henry VIII's Navy. Osprey Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 978-1846032516. Retrieved 9 August 2012.[permanent dead link]