Overview• Began as a dispute over who was the rightful king of France• Lasted from 1337-1453 (116 years)• War consisted mainly of sieges, raids, sea battles, a few land

battles, and long periods of tense truce• Fought entirely in France• By the end feudal armies had been replaced by professional

armies – the first standing armies in Western Europe since the Roman Empire

• High loss of life as a result of new technologies in warfare• Called “Hundred Years War” by later historians to encompass all

of the conflicts that arose between France and England during this era

Background• The French and English royal

families had been tied together through marriage for centuries dating back to William the Conqueror and the Norman invasion of England

• The king of England held land in France as a vassal of the king of France – the kings of England and France had fought over these lands sporadically for centuries

Causes of the Hundred Years War1. Controversy of the

Succession of the French crown

2. French lands belonging to the English king

3. Conflict over Flanders4. Struggle over

Nationalism (later stages of the war)

Kings of France early 14th century

Philip IV d. 1314

Louis X d. 1316

John I d. 1316 (lived 5 days)

Philip V d. 1322 Charles IV d. 1322 Isabella Princess of France

Edward III King of England

and Queen of England

Succession Controversy

Succession Controversy• The French nobility selected Philip of

Valois, (now the VI) cousin to the last French king through the male line– Founded the Valois dynasty that would

last until the 16th century• King Edward III of England was rejected

as the French crown could not pass through the female line

• Edward initially accepted this but when simmering tensions over land claims erupted into conflict Edward declared himself the rightful king of France

French Lands Belonging to English Kings• For their lands in France, English

kings had to pay homage to the king of France and were considered their vassal under the Feudal System

• English kings did not like this – proud English kings often refused to submit resulting in wars

• 1337 – Philip attacked Edward’s lands in France while Edward’s armies were fighting the Scots in the Scottish Wars of Independence

Conflict Over Flanders• Wool industry in Flanders was

highly valuable• Flanders wanted independence

from French control and appealed to the English for help

• Flanders would become an important trading partner with England

• With Flanders as an ally Edward would declare war on Philip VI as well as declaring himself the rightful king of France

Emerging Nationalism• France was not a unified country

before the war• The French king only controlled

about half the country• As the war progressed the

French began to resist the English because of the raiding and pillaging between conflicts

Military Characteristics • Relatively few major land battles• Many short raids and expeditions into

enemy territory• Long periods of tense truces and ineffective

treaties• Relative strengths of each country dictated

the sporadic nature of the struggle

French Advantages• Population of about 16,000,000• Far richer and more populous than England• French could field far larger armies than the

English, often outnumbering the English three-to-one

English Advantages• Superior weapon technologies such as the longbow• More unified than the French• Experienced armies from wars against the Scots• Understood its own strengths and weaknesses and

employed successful strategies:– Avoid pitched battles– Engage in quick, profitable raids

• Steal what you can• Destroy everything else• Capture enemy knights to hold for ransom

The French The English• Created a contract army in

which soldiers were paid for military service – professional soldiers

• Peasant longbowmen formed the cornerstone of the English army

• Soldiers were also offered a portion of any loot collected

Comparing Armies

• Maintained the feudal tradition of requiring vassals to devote 40 days a year to military service

• Hundreds of well armed knights were the cornerstone of the French army

• In battle the English took a defensive position utilizing the longbow

• Adopted from the Welsh during the conquest of Wales by Edward I

• Could pierce an inch of wood or the armor of a knight at 200 yards

• More penetrating power, greater distance, and fired more rapidly than a crossbow

The Longbow

• 9000 (5,500 longbowmen) English vs. 30,000 French

• Edward III picked the terrain and waited for Philip VI and the French

• Wave after wave of French cavalry charged – the best in Europe

• Mowed down by the English longbowmen• Deaths and Casualties:

– English 300– French 10,000

• Nobles had been annihilated by peasant archers– “There died that day…the finest flower of French

chivalry• Edward III would then move to take Calais in what

would be the longest siege in Medieval history

Battle of Crécy - 1346

• At this time the Black Plague was sweeping across Europe

• Break time

The Black Plague

• When the war resumed the English won another important victory led by Edward III’s son, Edward the Black Prince

• Longbowmen again were instrumental in English victory

• The French king, John II, was captured along with many French knights

• A treaty was signed recognizing Edward III as the ruler of Aquitaine

• French paid a huge ransom to free their captive king

Battle of Poitiers - 1356

• 1369-1395 – The French slowly take back the lost territory

• There were no large battles during this time

• The peasants suffered horribly from raids and scorched earth tactics used by both sides

War Continues

The Order of the Garter

Creating of National Symbols

• Created by Edward III – his was the most prestigious knightly order in English history

• Induction to the order was based on merit on the battle field – not family connections

• Modeled on the knights of Arthur’s round table – these men would be loyal to the king and by extension England above all else

St. George

Creating of National Symbols

• Edward III also venerated St. George and would have his knights fight under the cross of St. George

• St. George was the personal saint of the English Royal Family

• The flag of England was thus created

Trouble in England• Peasant Revolt in 1381 was put down by King

Richard II [r. 1377-1399].• After charges of tyranny, Richard II was forced to

abdicate in 1399.• Parliament elected Henry IV [r. 1399-1413], the

first ruler from the House of Lancaster.• Henry avoided war taxes.• He was careful not to alienate the nobility.

• Therefore, a truce was signed ending French and English hostilities [for the time being, at least].

• Renewed his family’s claim to the French throne.

• At Agincourt in 1415, the English, led by Henry himself, goaded a larger French army into attacking a fortified English position.• With the aid of the dukes of

Burgundy, Henry gained control over Normandy, Paris, and much of northern France

King Henry V (r. 1412-1422)

• Charles VI’s son [the future Charles VII], was declared illegitimate and disinherited.

• Henry V married Catherine, the daughter of Charles VI.• Henry was declared the

legitimate heir to the French throne

• A final English victory seemed assured, but both Charles VI and Henry V died in 1422.

• This left Henry’s infant son, Henry VI [r. 1422-1461], to inherit BOTH thrones.

Treaty of Troyes (1420)

Height of English DominanceHeight of English Dominance

• The two kings’ deaths ushered in the final stage of the 100 Years’ War [1422-1453].

• Even though in 1428 the military and political power seemed firmly in English hands, the French reversed the situation.

• In 1429, with the aid of the mysterious Joan of Arc, the French king, Charles VII, was able to raise the English siege of Orleans.

• This began the reconquest of the north of France.

The French “Reconquest”

• The daughter of prosperous peasants from an area of Burgundy that had suffered under the English.

• Like many medieval mystics, she reported regular visions of divine revelation.• Her “voices” told her to go to the

king and assist him in driving out the English.

• She dressed like a man and was Charles’ most charismatic and feared military leader

Joan of Arc (1412-1432)

• Turning point of the war.• French gain the upper

hand.• Joan of Arc led

thousands of soldiers and drives the English from their positions.

• The next day the English abandon the siege.

Siege of Orléans

Joan of Arc (1412-1432)• She brought inspiration and a sense of national identity and self-

confidence.• With her aid, the king was crowned at Reims [ending the

“disinheritance”].• She was captured during an attack on Paris and fell into English hands.

• Because of her “unnatural dress” and claim to divine guidance, she was condemned and burned as a heretic in 1432.

• She instantly became a symbol of French resistance.

The End of the War• Despite Joan’s capture, the

French advance continued.• By 1450 the English had lost all

their major centers except Calais.• In 1453 the French armies won

the last battle of the war at Castillon• This was the first major

engagement to be decided by gunfire

• There was no treaty, only a cessation of hostilities.

Legacy of the Hundred Years War• The peoples of England and France and the countries in which

they lived were deeply changed by the experience of the Hundred Years War.

• What began as a feudal and dynastic struggle between two monarchs ended as a national conflict.

• England’s defeat left it weaker and clearly inferior to France– the Wars of the Roses – a series of civil wars in England would

follow and last almost 40 years• France, with a powerful king, a professional army, and a strong

sense of national identity would be the most powerful force in Europe