Battle of La Rochelle

Long, long ago, in a place called France, there was a city called La Rochelle. It was like a very important port, where ships came and went. But some people in France, called Huguenots, wanted to practice their religion freely.

The King of France didn't like that very much. So, he sent his army to surround La Rochelle. To help the people inside, the English sent ships with soldiers and money to fight the French.

It was like a big game of tag, but with real ships and swords!

In the summer of 1372, two big fleets met near La Rochelle. One fleet was English, trying to help the city. The other fleet was from a place called Castile, and they were helping the French King.

The Castilian ships were like speedy rowboats with sails, called galleys. The English had bigger sailing ships. The Castilians were super smart and surprised the English.

They attacked them with arrows and swords, and soon, most of the English ships were captured or sunk. It was a huge win for the Castilians!

After winning the big battle, the Castilian ships sailed away. But they weren't done yet! They spotted four more English ships and grabbed them too.

This victory was a really big deal. It meant the English couldn't easily send supplies or soldiers to help La Rochelle anymore. It was like their secret tunnel to the city was blocked!

This made it much harder for the English to keep their lands in France, and it showed everyone how strong the Castilian navy had become.

The main boss of the Castilian ships was a brave sailor named Ambrosio Boccanegra. He was the Admiral, which is like the captain of all the captains! He led his ships to a fantastic victory.

On the English side, the leader was John Hastings, who was called the Earl of Pembroke. He was sent with soldiers and lots of money to help La Rochelle. Even though he was in charge, his fleet didn't win this time.

But it's important to remember the names of the people who were there!