'L'Entente Cordiale': The arrival of the French Fleet in Cowes Roads in the summer of 1905

After many centuries of armed conflict, Britain's alliance with France [against Russia] during the Crimean War (1854-56), at last began a process of reconciliation between the two nations. Latent hostility amongst the general public on both sides of the Channel, however, was far more entrenched and it was to be another half-century before matters improved significantly. Eventually, after several years of prolonged negotiations to settle several outstanding territorial disputes across the world, the Anglo-French agreement, signed in Paris, on 8th April 1904 finally ushered in a new era of understanding between Britain and France. Although essentially an inter-governmental agreement, the so-called 'Entente Cordiale', as it soon became known, was also the result of the personal involvement of King Edward VII, especially during his triumphant state visit to Paris in May 1903. As a means of cementing the raw alliance and also to impress the wider world, the French President decided to send his country's main battlefleet on a goodwill visit to Portsmouth in the summer of 1905.