By August Charles had captured John and reduced his partisans back to just one fortification, Brest in western Brittany. An English fleet broke the blockade of Brest on 18 August. On 30 September a numerically inferior English army inflicted a heavy defeat on the French at the battle of Morlaix. Edward was supposed to arrive with the next contingent of his army shortly after the first, but had severe difficulties gathering sufficient shipping.
On 6 October he abandoned his siege train and set sail with those troops he was able to embark onto the available ships. They reached Brittany on 26 October after a storm-wracked three-week passage and Edward advanced on the major Breton town of Vannes. The naval component went ahead, was mauled by a force of mercenary galleys and then failed in an attempt to take Vannes by a coup de main.
The land component was delayed building siege engines before attempting to storm the town on 29 November. The newly reinforced French garrison repelled this assault and a siege began. English raiding parties devastated large parts of eastern Brittany, but attempts to reinforce or supply Edward from England failed. A large French army was raised with difficulty and advanced to Malestroit , 18 miles 29 km from the English camp.
Philip moved his court to Brittany and entered into negotiations with Edward. The Truce of Malestroit , which was supposed to pause hostilities for three-and-a-half years, was agreed on 19 January It is widely seen as favouring the English. Edward arrived back in England on 1 March. During the early 14th century Brittany was a province of France , but while the dukes of Brittany were vassals of the French kings they governed the duchy as independent rulers.
Joan, as a woman, was unable to hold the title but could transmit it to her husband, who was Charles of Blois , a nephew of the king of France. John's more limited support came largely from the lower levels of society, especially in the towns.
