Miniature of the battle from Jean Froissart's Chronicles, 15th century. The Battle of Sluys was fought on June 24, 1340 as one of the opening conflicts of the Hundred Years' War. Philippe's navy was destroyed, giving the English fleet complete mastery over the channel. Figures for the navies vary widely among historians. The English are said to have had up to 400 ships. The French fleet (combined French, Castilian and Genoese) are said to have had some 250 ships. Most of the ships were extremely small, carrying crews of sailors and fighting men of around 25. By the end of the battle, the French fleet had been broken with the loss of only two English ships captured, and the water was reported to be thick with blood and corpses. Sluys destroyed the French naval capability for some years and enabled King Edward III to land forces in Northern and Western France with little opposition. The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France for control of the French throne. Militarily, it saw the introduction of new weapons and tactics which eroded the older system of feudal armies dominated by heavy cavalry in Western Europe. It is often viewed as one of the most significant conflicts in the history of medieval warfare.