The battle took place on 24 June 1340, three years into the Hundred Years War. It was a naval battle of a sort, and its scale and casualties made it far more consequential than the sieges and smaller actions that preceded it. Edward III and Lord Admiral William de Clinton faced the French commanders Hugues Quiéret and Nicolas Béhuchet. Irish and Scottish lords also served with Edward, which explains the occasional use of British even though English versus French is more precise.
Chapter · 8:23-10:03
Sluys opens the Hundred Years War at sea
The Battle of Sluys is introduced as the first major clash of the Hundred Years War and an unusually lethal medieval naval action.