HENRY IV AND THE VIER LEDEN:

CONFLICT IN ANGLO-FLEMISH RELATIONS

1402-1403

Piracy at the beginning of the fifteenth century constituted a major threat to the maritime trade of northwestern Europe. It became so intense in the Channel and the North Sea during the early years of Henry IV's reign in England that commerce between his kingdom and the County of Flanders was gravely affected. As a contemporary complained, piracy had become so prevalent that the seas were no longer safe and lawful trade had been made impossible ('). Both countries sought every remedy to end the menace, but their efforts met with little success. Much of the trouble stemmed from the activities of privateers who, although occasionally sailing under letters of marque, often plundered merchantmen or fishing boats even when they were unlicensed. Controlling such unruly subjects proved difficult because they frequently served their ruler at home in some legitimate capacity or were in- dispensible in time of war when their ships could help repel a foreign invasion or perhaps launch one. The purpose of this paper is to examine a very brief period in the history of Anglo-Flemish relations (2) — only one year (March, 1402-April,