Hundred Years War of Middle Ages

Between the years of 1337 and 1453, England and France engaged in battle. The conflict consisted of numerous engagements separated by protracted stretches of peace.

Where did it begin?

For years, there had been minor disagreements and clashes between the French and the English. However, King Edward III of England asserted his claim to be the legitimate ruler of France in 1337. The protracted conflict between the two nations began as a result.

The fighting continued for more than a century due to other disagreements. These included squabbles over specific pieces of land, the control of the lucrative wool trade, and French assistance for Scotland.

Edward III

King Edward III felt that, through his mother Isabella, he was the legitimate heir to the French throne. When he was fifteen years old and King Charles IV of France passed away without a male heir, he first declared his right to the throne. The French people elected Philip to be their king in place of Edward.

King Edward III made the decision to fight back when King Philip VI of France seized possession of Aquitaine from the English in 1337. He made the decision to invade France in order to reclaim the French monarchy.

Chevauchées

Edward made no attempt to annex and rule over French territory. Instead, he oversaw raids into the chevauchées-inhabited region. He would make a deep inroad into French territory, destroying cities, burning crops, and wreaking devastation.

Prince Black

King Edward III’s intrepid son Edward the “Black Prince” served as the commander of the monarch’s army in the 1350s. The Black Prince rose to fame as a hero among the English and was regarded as a gentleman. Major French victories were achieved under the leadership of the Black Prince. King John II, the reigning monarch of France, was taken prisoner by the Black Prince at the Battle of Poitiers.

Peace

King Edward consented to King John II’s release in exchange for three million crowns in ransom and some more land. After King Edward passed away, Richard II, the Black Prince’s son, ascended to the throne. Only ten years old, he was. Between England and France, there was a time of largely peaceful coexistence.

Battle of Agincourt

King Henry V once more asserted his claim to the French throne after ascending to the throne of England in 1413. He invaded France and destroyed a considerably bigger French force of about 25,000 with only about 6,000 warriors at the crucial battle of Agincourt. King Charles VI finally won over the French and designated Henry as the heir to the throne.

Joan of Arc

The majority of people in southern France opposed English rule. The English started invading southern France in 1428. They started laying siege to Orleans. Joan of Arc, a young peasant woman, seized charge of the French army, though. She insisted that she had witnessed a divine vision. In 1429, she led the French to victory at Orleans. Before being captured by the English and executed at the stake, she led the French to a number of more successes.

End of the War

The courage and sacrifice of Joan of Arc served as an example for the French. They kept fighting back. The Hundred Years War came to a conclusion in 1453 when they drove the English army out of France and captured Bordeaux.

Facts worth knowing about the Hundred Years War

Their triumphs were largely attributed to the English longbow. It was more powerful than the French crossbow and could fire farther.

France’s transformation from a collection of feudal lands to a national state was greatly influenced by the conflict.

The Black Death of the bubonic plague caused a protracted halt to the conflict.

The Edwardian War (1337–1360), the Caroline War (1369–1389), and the Lancastrian War (1415–1453) are the three primary time periods into which historians frequently divide the conflict.

It lasted for 116 years instead of the exact 100 years. That indicates that a significant number of people lived through the war.