L’Écluse is the French name for the Dutch village of Sluis, in the Zwin estuary. On June 24, 1340, the first major feat of arms of the Hundred Years War took place there.
Philippe VI, King of France, had at that time a large fleet, gathered for many years in anticipation of a constantly postponed crusade. In June 1340, the king instructed this fleet, commanded by a brave Genoese sailor, Barbavera, and two French leaders without much experience, Quiéret and Béhuchet, to stop the English ships of Edward III, who planned to land in Flanders. On June 24, the French fleet anchored off L'Écluse, its ships tight against each other, when the enemy presented itself; instead of reaching the high seas, the French remain motionless. The battle begins in the morning, and the English archers quickly gain the advantage over the slow Norman or Genoese crossbowmen. However, the English victory was only assured at the end of the day, when the Flemish fleet came to reinforce that of Edward II I. Out of approximately 200 French ships, only about thirty were able to escape. Quiéret has his head cut off, his body is thrown into the sea, Béhuchet is hanged from a mast. The Battle of the Sluis assures England, for many years, of mastery of the sea.