Hundred Years War Weaknesses

Wars were also part of the crisis, notably the Hundred Years War between England and France. In 1328 the French Capetian line ended. England’s Edward III (d.1377) claimed the French throne, but a cousin to the Capets, Philip of Valois, became king (d.1350). War soon began. Armored knights on horseback were the backbone of medieval armies, but English peasants using the longbow had begun to change the face of war. When the French king was captured, a treaty was signed in 1360: France agreed to pay ransom, the English received land in France, and Edward renounced his claim to the throne. Using guerilla tactics, the French regained their lands, but in 1415 England’s Henry V (d.1422)

Joan of Arc was important because she was and still is known as a national heroine in France. Even though she had one of the worst beginnings in life she fought thorough it and became someone who is still remembered until today. She put her life on the line to save her home country and gained much from

The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the House of Valois, rulers of the Kingdom of France, over the succession to the French throne. Once this war was over people were able to travel without having an immediate threat because no one was roaming the sea.

The Hundred Years War was a pivotal moment in the relationship of England and France. The war caused trouble for both countries and their allies. France was even lead by Joan of Arc. Both countries suffered because of the long, drawn out war. They also had benefits.

1. What were the underlying and precipitating causes of the Hundred Years’ War? What advantages did each side have? Why were the French able to drive the English almost entirely out of France?

In a public letter addressed to English Secretary Conway, Will Alfred states, “... it was not the burden of the tax to be raised, but the manner in which it was imposed, that created the discontent.” (Document B) Apparently, the actual payment of the tax was not the issue in this case, but the way the King established

Henry V and Charles VI died within a few months of each other. Soon after, the baby Henry VI was announced to be the king of England and France

The 100 Years’ War was given a misleading name, as this conflict between England and France was not a war that lasted one hundred years, it was rather a series of related clashes that lasted just over a century. However, the fact that this conflict lasted more that one hundred years meant that many new tactics and weaponry came into play that changed the concepts of warfare forever. During this one hundred years, tactics changed from the system of feudal armies dominated by heavy Calvary, to the first attempt at some sort of ‘standing army’. The evolution in the types of tactics and weapons that nations used caused the battlefields of Europe to be covered in blood, as the more advanced the weapons, became, the more casualties amounted. The 100 Years’ War was the first time that strategy was used in order to command troops on the battlefield, and it was during this time that the fabrication of early martial handbooks also came into the battle. One of the more famous authors of one of these books was “the great Swabian practitioner and teacher, Johannes Liechtenauer” . Unfortunately, there are no French texts concerning martial handbooks that predate 1570, meaning that in order to look at tactics, sources from surrounding nations at the time have to suffice. Another thing that evolved extremely rapidly during the 100 years’ war, was the escalation of the types of weapons used during conflicts. Inasmuch there were 100 years of outright fighting, each side had a chance to

For example, it featured rapid military innovation. Over the course of the war, weapons, the structure of an army, military tactics, and the very meaning of a war all changed (Curry). In addition, the war left both England and France with a changed meaning of their setting. France, after being divided for years, was finally once again united and shared nationalistic sentiment that had been lacking prior to and during the course of the war (Curry). Meanwhile, the English found themselves losing almost all of their land outside of their island territory. Thus, this awakened their need to develop a navy, which would be one of the most notable parts of the British Empire in their future (Villalon). Therefore, the Hundred Years War has found itself a pivotal place in history and worthy of study, thus bringing into question the true cause of the end of the

She led several French assaults and eventually defeated her greatest enemies, the Anglo-Burgudians. Her great army forced them to move back across the Loire River. French forces all over the country soon heard of Joan and the power she had. Four months after Joan began her journey to Orleans, Charles VII was crowned king, just as Joan had predicted; but along the way Joan and her army took towns that resisted them access to pass through, by force. Joan even wanted to take over Paris but Charles told her no. George de ls Tremoille, a count and friend to Charles, suspected that Joan was beginning to have too much

After the Crusades, trade began to revive in Italy, largely because neither trade nor towns had declined as much there as elsewhere. As trade grew in other countries, fairs were set up as places where merchants could exchange large amounts of goods. In 1346 the bubonic plague, a fatal disease, swept through Europe killing one third of the population. The Hundred Years’ War, which began in 1337 and was between England and France, brought important developments to European culture.

     For the first few years of the war there wasn't much happening except English raids into France and Flanders. Then, in the 1340s, England and France took opposite sides in the long-running civil war over who should be the duke of Britanny. In 1346 this resulted in a French invasion of Gascony and the shattering French defeat at Crecy. The English then rampaged through western France, until a truce was signed in 1354, brought on by the devastation of the Plague, which hit France heavily in 1347 to 1348.

France refused to negotiate; so King Henry asked the Parliament to tax France for the inheritance that they owed him. France ignored England’s demands. On April 14, 1415, King Henry V asked the Parliament to sanction war against France. The Parliament agreed and the Battle with France will soon follow. England was preparing for the Battle of Agincourt (Middle-Ages.org).

A few years later, Henry V landed in France with ten thousand men and besieged Harfleur, a port town along the French coast. The siege lasted for a month, and Henry marched into the town, victorious, with very few men, because most of them died from disease. He then set course for Calais, but was stopped by French forces in Agincourt. Henry had only about six thousand men and the French force had twenty thousand. Henry used the woodland to give his forces a better chance. The French, on the other hand, set up three lines with knights in front. The knights were easily taken down by English longbowmen, the second line was slowed down by muddy swampland, and the third line retreated. This was a decisive victory for Henry and his outnumbered army. Henry continued advancing to Calais. Next, Scottish and French armies join forces and raid English holdings in Normandy. The English forces were decimated by the combined forces of France and Scotland. Soon after that battle, The French and Scottish tried once more to remove English control of Normandy, but their forces were easily cut down by longbowmen. Scotland stopped aiding France in the war, and England kept their hold in Normandy. The English started to take control of most of France again, started winning more battles. “The balance of power changed in 1429, with the appearance of Joan of Arc,

War is a very horrible and destructive form of conflict, it is a horrific approach to a disagreement and usually leads to many casualties, there have been many forms of war over the past years, war is usually not a good way to go about disagreements but it can at the same time be very effective. Medieval war is one war that represented brutality and gore. Modern warfare is much different due to all the new technology like tanks, bombs and guns. The impact that war has on society is usually very devastating. These are the topics that I will go into further detail about.