Editing History of Jersey (section)

== 14th and 15th centuries ==

=== Plague and Hundred Year's War (1337–1455) ===
In 1336, the Scots king David Bruce attacked the Channel Islands, committing arson, murder and other atrocities.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=40}} Due to this attack, other attacks<ref>Including twice in the [[English Channel naval campaign, 1338-1339|1338-39 Channel campaign]]</ref> and the threat of further attacks from the Scots, an Island Militia was formed in 1337, which was compulsory for the next 600 years for all men of military age. In November 1337, King Edward III broke off negotiations with the French, starting the [[Hundred Years' War|Hundred Year's War]].

In March 1338, a French force led by Admiral Béhuchet landed on Jersey, intent on capturing the island.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=41}}<ref>Watts (2007), pp. 8-17</ref> The French devastated the island. In four parishes, all tithe corn was burnt.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=41}} Although the island was overrun, Mont Orgueil remained in English hands, besieged by Béhuchet.<ref>Ford (2004), pp. 18–25</ref><ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=41}} The French remained until September, when they sailed off to conquer Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark. In 1339, the French returned, allegedly with 8,000 men in 17 [[Genoa|Genoese]] galleys and 35 French ships. Led by Robert Bertrand, to whom the islands had been transferred by the French King, the French forces promised islanders their ancient liberties, which had not been ratified by the English King in recent times. A number of senior islanders were pro-French at the time. Again, they failed to take the castle and, after causing damage, withdrew.<ref>Ford (2004), p. 22</ref>

In 1341, in recognition of islanders' efforts during the war, Edward III declared that Jerseymen should 'hold and retain all privileges, liberties, immunities and customs granted by our forebares'. This began the tradition of successive Monarchs devolving powers over the island to Islanders, giving them certain privileges and protecting the separation between the Channel Islands and the rest of their royal realm.<ref name=":7" /> In 1342, the Warden Sir Thomas of Hampton attempted to recapture Castle Cornet with a contingent of Jerseymen. His Lieutenant Henry de la More however lost the faith gained from the islanders by the King's charter. Islanders petitioned the King to punish de la More and Hampton. The island was thrown in a sullen revolt, which sometimes broke out into fighting.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=42–3}}

The change in England to a written language in "English" was not taken up in Jersey, where Norman-French continued until the 20th century.<ref name="BHJ" />{{rp|44}}

In 1348, when the [[Black Death]] would likely have reached the island, there are no kept records for the number of deaths seen on the island. Coastal France was highly affected by the plague and it is likely that the death toll was around 30–40 percent in Jersey. In the wake of the plague, the island experienced economic stagnation but high levels of employment, with population numbers kept down by late marriage and declining fertility.<ref name=":7" />

In July 1373, [[Bertrand du Guesclin]] overran Jersey and besieged Mont Orgueil. His troops succeeded in breaching the outer defences, forcing the garrison back to the keep. The garrison came to an agreement that they would surrender if not relieved by [[Michaelmas]] and du Guesclin sailed back to Brittany, leaving a small force to carry on the siege. An English relief fleet arrived in time.<ref>Ford (2004), p. 23</ref>

In 1378, the island was placed in an awkward position during the [[Western Schism]]. The island was under the Diocese of Coutances in France, while administered politically by England. Therefore, as France supported Clement's claim to the Papal see and England supported Urban's, there was tension in the island between the Government and Church. The Warden ordered the banishment of the Dean, labelled a 'supporter of the anti-Pope'. The island was placed under an Urbanite Administrator, as a separately administered part of the Coutances diocese.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last1=Syvret |first1=Marguerite |title=Balleine's History of Jersey |last2=Stevens |first2=Joan |publisher=Phillimore & Co. Ltd for Société Jersiaise |year=1998 |isbn=1-86077-065-7 |location=West Sussex}}</ref>{{Rp|page=48}}

In the 1390s, under [[Richard II of England|Richard II]] who was eager for peace with France, the island was almost recognised as an integral part of Normandy and returned to the French Crown.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=49}} He did however in 1394 grant the islands the right of exemption from tolls, duties and customs in England.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Thornton |first=Timothy John |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/843179654 |title=The Channel Islands, 1370-1640 : between England and Normandy |date=2012 |publisher=GB |isbn=978-1-84383-711-4 |oclc=843179654}}</ref>{{Rp|page=17}}

However, this matter was interrupted by the usurpation of [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] in England in 1399. When he seized the throne, Henry renewed the charters confirming the privileges of Jersey. Henry's much firmer stance on relations with the French caused the war with France to resume.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=49}} On 7 October 1406, 1,000 French men at arms led by Pedro de Niño, a Castilian nobleman turned corsair, invaded Jersey, landing at St Aubin's Bay and defeated the 3,000 defenders but failed to capture the island.<ref name="BHJ" />{{rp|50–1}} They landed in St Aubin's Bay (at the islet where Elizabeth Castle now stands) at night, then the next morning advanced across the beach towards the town, but lost the battle. The next day they moved towards Mont Orgueil. An agreement was reached with the invaders that the island would pay a hefty ransom and they left on 9 October.<ref name="RL" />{{Rp|page=37}}

In 1412, [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] came to the throne with a renewed vigour to reclaim England's former continental possessions. In 1413, Parliament ordered the transfer of all foreign-owned property to the Crown, which led to the closure of six priorities in England and the cessation of tithes to the Church in France. Instead, the tithes from the Church's land in Jersey was reverted to the Crown. Henry's successful campaign against the French involved Jerseymen: in the siege of Cherbourg in 1418, every boat on the island was called out to support the blockade. In 1420, Henry entered Paris, leaving Jersey no longer an outpost of the English realm, leading to years of prosperity and the enlargement of many parish churches. When Henry called the bishops of Normandy to do him homage in Rouen, only Coutances obeyed. As a result, Jersey was returned to his full jurisdiction.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=52–3}}

From 1429, animosity towards the English rulers by the French and the subsequent rise of [[Joan of Arc]] inspired France to evict the English from mainland France, with the exception of Calais, returning Jersey to the front line.<ref name="BHJ" />{{rp|54}} This eviction cemented Jersey's Britishness. Had England not lost its possessions, France would certainly have become the dominant part of the Anglo-French combined realm, and its relative geographic and cultural proximity would have made Jersey markedly part of France.<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|page=54}}

=== War of the Roses (1455–1487) ===
During the [[Hundred Years' War]] (1337–1453), the French did not succeed in capturing Jersey. However, during the [[Wars of the Roses|War of the Roses]] (1455–1487), [[Margaret of Anjou]], queen consort of England, made a secret deal with [[Pierre de Brézé]] to gain French support for the Lancastrians, leading to the French capturing Mont Orgueil in the summer of 1461.<ref name=":6" /> In 1462, de Brézé issued ordinances outlining the role of the bailiff and the jurats.<ref name="RL" />{{Rp|page=38}} Jersey was occupied by French forces until 1468 when Yorkist forces and local militia recaptured the castle.<ref name=":6">Watts (2004), pp. 16–17</ref>

[[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] oversaw the administrative separation of Jersey and Guernsey. In 1469, he issued separate charters of privilege for the bailiwicks and from 1478 the islands had different captains (albeit with a common captain in chief).<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=60}}

It may well be during this occupation that the island saw the establishment of the States. Comte Maulevrier, who had led the invasion of the island, ordered the holding of an Assize in the island. Maulevrier confirmed the place of existing institutions, however created the requirement for Jurats to be chosen by Bailiffs, Jurats, Rectors and Constables.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bisson|first=Mike|title=Constitution - theislandwiki|url=https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Constitution|access-date=2021-03-15|website=www.theislandwiki.org}}</ref>

=== Tudors and Reformation (1485–1603) ===
The accession of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] is determined as the 'final separation [of the Channel Islands] from Normandy'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eagleston |first=A. J. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1286548 |title=The Channel Islands under Tudor government, 1485-1642 : a study in administrative history |date=1949 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |oclc=1286548}}</ref> The end of the War of the Roses marked the end of the previously complex, war-torn relationship with Normandy.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=61}} In 1496, King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] obtained a Papal bull to transfer the islands from the Bishop of Coutances to Salisbury, although for nearly 50 years after, due to the proximity of the isles to Coutances, the Bishop continued to act as the de facto bishop of the islands.<ref name="BHJ" /><sup>:67</sup>

During the 16th century, ideas of the reformation of the church coupled with the split with the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] Faith by [[Henry VIII]], resulted in the islanders adopting the [[Protestant]] religion, in 1569 the churches moved under the control of the [[Diocese of Winchester]].<ref name="BHJ" />{{rp|81}} During the reign of [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]], the Government issued a new prayer book, which was translated into French, however did not arrive in the island until the throne had changed hands to [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary]], who led the restoration of Catholicism in England. However, Jersey did not have any death sentences issued for Catholicism, due to the island being kept out of the limelight by its Governor Poulet. The island did not become Catholic, with numerous anti-Papists still in position.<ref name="BHJ" /><sup>:79</sup>

During the reign of [[Elizabeth I]], [[Calvinism]] took hold in Jersey due to the immigration of French Huguenot refugees. This meant that life became very austere: laws were strictly enforced, punishment for wrong doers was severe, but education was improved – a school was started in every parish and support was given for Jersey boys to attend Oxford. Each elder knew every family within his vingtaine, 'whether they have household prayers morning and evening, say grace after meals and live in peace and concord.'<ref name="BHJ" />{{rp|83–6}} The excommunication of [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth]] by the Pope increased the military threat to the island and the increasing use of gunpowder on the battlefield meant that the fortifications on the island had to be adapted. A new fortress was built to defend [[Saint Aubin, Jersey|St Aubin's Bay]], the new [[Elizabeth Castle]] was named after the queen by Sir [[Walter Raleigh]] when he was governor. The island militia was reorganised on a parish basis and each parish had two cannon which were usually housed in the church – one of the [[Saint Peter, Jersey|St Peter]] cannon can still be seen at the bottom of Beaumont Hill.

In 1540, there was an outbreak of plague on the island, and the Lieutenant Governor, Robert Raymond, ordered the closure of all markets, fairs and public assemblies.<ref name="BHJ" /><sup>:70</sup>

In 1541, the Privy Council, which had recently given a seat to Calais, intended to give two seats in Parliament to Jersey. Seymour, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Island, wrote to the Jurats, instructing them to send two Burgesses for the isle. However, no further steps seemed to have been taken since the letter did not arrive in front of the States Assembly until the day the elected persons were required to arrive in London.<ref name="BHJ" /><sup>:70</sup>

=== Jersey's role in early colonialism ===
During the Elizabethan Era, Europeans began to explore and establish [[Colony|colonies]] in [[Americas|the Americas]]. The Jèrriais were no exception to this. Jersey was a notable trading port, on the route linking the Netherlands to Spain and between England and France. A number of locals were colonialists to [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] from its discovery by Europeans in 1497.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ommer|first=Rosemary E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nrdYUXv817sC&pg=PA13|title=From Outpost to Outport|publisher=[[McGill-Queen's University Press]]|year=1991|isbn=0-7735-0730-2|pages=13–14}}</ref> By 1591, Jerseymen were sailing small boats across the Atlantic in the spring and not returning to the island until the autumn ploughing. In 1611, [[St Brelade's Church]] was allowed to hold Communion early, such that the travellers could communicate before sailing from St Aubin. [[Southampton]] was also an important port for the Jersey people, with a number of them settling and taking important roles in the town.<ref name="BHJ" />{{Rp|88–9}}

[[Image:Map of Jersey by G Mercator 1639..JPG|thumb|250px|This map of Jersey, published in 1639, shows interior details such as Le Mont ès Pendus (the gallows hill, now called Westmount). At first sight, the coastline appears wildly inaccurate, but if the image is rotated a little clockwise, the shape becomes much closer to what is known today.]]
One of the favourable trade deals with England was the ability to import wool (England needing an export market but was at war with most of Europe).<ref name="RL">{{cite book |last=Lempriére |first=Raoul |title=History of the Channel Islands |year=1974 |publisher=Robert Hale Ltd |isbn=978-0709142522}}</ref>{{rp|108}} The production of knitwear in the island reached such a scale that it threatened the island's ability to produce its own food, so laws were passed regulating who could knit with whom and when. The name jersey being synonymous for a sweater, shows its importance.