Editing Royal Navy (section)

===Earlier fleets===
{{Further|Norman Conquest|First Barons' War}}
<!-- This section is a [[WP:SUMMARY]]. The separate [[History of the Royal Navy (before 1707)]] has much greater detail -->
During much of the medieval period, fleets or "king's ships" were often established or gathered for specific campaigns or actions, and these would disperse afterwards. These were generally merchant ships enlisted into service. Unlike some European states, England did not maintain a small permanent core of warships in peacetime. England's naval organisation was haphazard and the mobilisation of fleets when war broke out was slow.<ref>Rodger, ''Safeguard'', pp. 52–53, 117–130.</ref> Control of the sea only became critical to Anglo-Saxon kings in the 10th century.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Firth|first1=Matthew|last2=Sebo|first2=Erin|date=2020|title=Kingship and Maritime Power in 10th-Century England|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1095-9270.12421|journal=International Journal of Nautical Archaeology|language=en|volume=49|issue=2|pages=329–340|doi=10.1111/1095-9270.12421|bibcode=2020IJNAr..49..329F |s2cid=225372506|issn=1095-9270}}</ref> In the 11th century, [[Æthelred the Unready|Aethelred II]] had a large fleet built by a national levy.<ref>Swanton, p. 138.</ref> During the period of [[Danelaw|Danish rule]] in the 11th century, authorities maintained a standing fleet by taxation, and this continued for a time under [[Edward the Confessor]], who frequently commanded fleets in person.<ref>Swanton, pp. 154–165, 160–172.</ref> After the [[Norman Conquest]], English naval power waned and England suffered large naval raids from the Vikings.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Medieval Maritime Wartime|last=Stanton|first=Charles|publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime|year=2015|location=South Yorkshire|pages=225–226}}</ref> In 1069, this allowed for the invasion and ravaging of England by Jarl Osborn, brother of [[Sweyn II of Denmark|King Svein Estridsson]], and his sons.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-jigBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT422|title=Medieval Maritime Warfare|first= Charles D.|last= Stanton|publisher=Pen and Sword|year=2015|isbn=978-1781592519}}</ref>

The lack of an organised navy came to a head during the [[First Barons' War]], in which [[Louis VIII of France|Prince Louis of France]] invaded England in support of northern barons. With [[John, King of England|King John]] unable to organise a navy, this meant the French landed at [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]] unopposed in April 1216. John's flight to [[Winchester]] and his death later that year left [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke|the Earl of Pembroke]] as regent, and he was able to marshal ships to fight the French in the [[Battle of Sandwich (1217)|Battle of Sandwich]] in 1217 – one of the first major English battles at sea.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Historie des Dues de Normandie et des Rois d'Angleterre|last=Michel|first=F.|year=1840|location=Paris|pages=172–177}}</ref> The outbreak of the [[Hundred Years War]] emphasised the need for an English fleet. French plans for an invasion of England failed when [[Edward III of England]] destroyed the French fleet in the [[Battle of Sluys]] in 1340.<ref>Rodger, ''Safeguard'', pp. 93–99.</ref> England's naval forces could not prevent frequent raids on the south-coast ports by the French and their allies. Such raids halted only with the occupation of northern France by [[Henry V of England|Henry V]].<ref>Rodger, ''Safeguard'', pp. 91–97, 99–116, 143–144.</ref> A [[Royal Scots Navy|Scottish fleet]] existed by the reign of [[William the Lion]] in the late 12th century.<ref name="Tytler1829pp309-10">P. F. Tytler, ''History of Scotland, Volume 2'' (London: Black, 1829), pp. 309–310.</ref> In the early 13th century there was a resurgence of Viking naval power in the region. The Vikings clashed with Scotland over control of the isles<ref>P. J. Potter, ''Gothic Kings of Britain: the Lives of 31 Medieval Rulers, 1016–1399'' (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2008), {{ISBN|0-7864-4038-4}}, p. 157.</ref> though [[Alexander III of Scotland|Alexander III]] was ultimately successful in asserting Scottish control.<ref name="Macquarrie2004p153">A. Macquarrie, ''Medieval Scotland: Kinship and Nation'' (Thrupp: Sutton, 2004), {{ISBN|0-7509-2977-4}}, p. 153.</ref> The Scottish fleet was of particular import in repulsing English forces in the early 14th century.<ref name="Rodger1997pp74-90">N. A. M. Rodger, ''The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain. Volume One 660–1649'' (London: Harper, 1997) pp. 74–90.</ref>