Editing Guernsey (section)

===Early modern period===
As part of the peace between England and France, [[Pope Sixtus IV]] issued in 1483 a [[papal bull]] granting the "Privilege of Neutrality'", by which "the Islands, their harbours and seas, as far as the eye can see," were considered neutral territory.<ref>{{harvnb|Cooper|2006|p=13}}</ref> Anyone molesting Islanders would be excommunicated. A [[Royal charters applying to the Channel Islands|royal charter]] in 1548 confirmed the neutrality. The French attempted to invade Jersey a year later in 1549 but were defeated by the [[Royal Militia of the Island of Jersey|militia]]. The neutrality lasted another century, until [[William III of England]] abolished the privilege due to [[privateer]]ing activity against Dutch ships.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wimbush |first=Henry |title=The Channel Islands |date=1924 |publisher=A&C Black |page=89}}</ref>

In the mid-16th century, the island was influenced by [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] reformers from Normandy. During the [[Marian persecutions]], three women, the [[Guernsey Martyrs]], were [[burned at the stake]] for their [[Protestant]] beliefs,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ogier |first=Daryl Mark |title=Reformation and Society in Guernsey |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |year=1997 |isbn=978-0851156033}}</ref> along with the infant son of one of the women. The burning of the infant was ordered by Bailiff Hellier Gosselin, with the advice of priests nearby who said the boy should burn due to having inherited moral stain from his mother.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789004364950/B9789004364950_009.xml |chapter=Pleading the Belly: A Sparing Plea? Pregnant Convicts and the Courts in Medieval England |first=Sara M. |last=Butler |title=Crossing Borders: Boundaries and Margins in Medieval and Early Modern Britain |pages=131–152 |editor-last1=Butler |editor-first1=Sara |editor-last2=Kesselring |editor-first2=K. J. |date=2018 |publisher=Brill |doi=10.1163/9789004364950_009 |isbn=978-90-04-33568-4}}</ref> Later on, Hellier Gosselin fled the island to escape widespread outrage.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=1972-07-18 |title=The Guernsey Martyrs were burned at the stake |url=https://history.gg/guernsey-martyrs-burned-stake/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=On this day in Guernsey}}</ref>

[[File:Jacob Knyff - An English Ship and other Shipping off Castle Cornet, Guernsey - WGA12219.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.35|[[Castle Cornet]] over the harbour of [[St Peter Port]] in the second half of the 17th century]]
During the [[English Civil War]], Guernsey sided with the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]]. The allegiance was not total, however; there were a few Royalist uprisings in the southwest of the island, while [[Castle Cornet]] was occupied by the Governor, [[Peter Osborne (1584-1653)|Sir Peter Osborne]], and Royalist troops. In December 1651, with full honours of war, Castle Cornet surrendered—the last Royalist outpost anywhere in the British Isles to surrender.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 65 |page=621}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 July 2012 |title=History of the Castle |url=http://www.museums.gov.gg/castlehistory |access-date=19 September 2017 |website=Guernsey Museums & Galleries}}</ref>

Wars against France and Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries allowed Guernsey shipowners and sea captains to exploit the island's proximity to mainland Europe by applying for [[Letter of marque|letters of marque]] and turning their [[cargo ships]] into [[privateer|privateering vessels]].<ref name="Hillman_2011">{{cite journal |last1= Hillman |first1= Henning |last2=Gathmann |first2=Christina |date=2013-03-22 |title=Overseas Trade and the Decline of Privateering |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23018337 |journal=The Journal of Economic History |volume= 71 |issue= 3 |pages= 730–761 |jstor= 23018337 |access-date=2024-04-18}}</ref><ref name="Timewell_2013">{{cite journal |last1= Timewell |first1=H. C. |date=September 2011 |title=Guernsey Privateers |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00253359.1970.10658533 |journal=The Mariner's Mirror |volume= 56 |issue= 2 |pages= 199–214 |doi= 10.1080/00253359.1970.10658533 |access-date=2024-04-18}}</ref>

By the beginning of the 18th century, Guernsey's residents were starting to settle in North America,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guernsey's emigrant children |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/immig_emig/channel_islands/guernsey/article_1.shtml |access-date=22 November 2017 |website=BBC Legacies}}</ref> in particular founding [[Guernsey County, Ohio|Guernsey County]] in Ohio in 1810.<ref>{{harvnb|Jamieson|1986|p=281}}</ref> The threat of invasion by [[Napoleon]] prompted many defensive structures to be built at the end of that century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=18th & 19th Century Defences |url=http://www.museums.gov.gg/defences |access-date=18 September 2017 |website=Guernsey Museums & Galleries|date=19 July 2012 }}</ref> The early 19th century saw a dramatic increase in the prosperity of the island, due to its success in the global [[maritime trade]], and the rise of the stone industry. Maritime trade suffered a major decline with the move away from sailing craft as materials such as iron and steel were not available on the island.<ref>{{harvnb|Jamieson|1986|p=291}}</ref>

[[Braye du Valle, Guernsey|Le Braye du Valle]] was a tidal channel that made the northern extremity of Guernsey, Le Clos du Valle, a [[tidal island]]. Le Braye du Valle was drained and reclaimed in 1806 by the British Government as a defence measure. The eastern end of the former channel became the town and harbour (from 1820) of [[Saint Sampson, Guernsey|St Sampson's]], now the second biggest port in Guernsey. The western end of La Braye is now Le Grand Havre. The roadway called "The Bridge" across the end of the harbour at St Sampson's recalls the bridge that formerly linked the two parts of Guernsey at high tide. New roads were built and main roads were metalled for ease of use by the military.<ref>{{harvnb|Crossan|2015|p=241}}</ref> Infrastructure was funded by [[Money creation|creating money]] debt-free starting in 1815.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Edward Holloway|url=http://archive.org/details/HowGuernseyBeatTheBankers|title=How Guernsey Beat the Bankers}}</ref>