The Battle of Dover was a naval battle fought in early 1217 between an English fleet of 30-40 ships under Hubert de Burgh and a French fleet of 80 (mostly small craft) under Eustace the Monk. An English victory, the battle is notable as the first known example of the use of sailing tactics. During the First Barons' War, the rebelling barons had asked Prince Louis take the throne of England away from King John. In 1216, Louis had landed in England and captured all of the Cinque Ports in the southeast, except for Dover, where de Burgh stubbornly held out against a siege of many months.