The Hundred Years's War: The Causes Of The Hundred Years War

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)

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.

The first underlying and precipitating cause of the Hundred Years’ War was that England and France were too closely proximate emergent territorial powers. Another cause of the Hundred Years’ War was that Edward III of England was a vassal of Philip the Fair of France, and therefore held several sizeable French territories as fiefs. Also one of the underlying and precipitating causes of the Hundred Years’ was the quarrel between

Thesis: France was eager to get revenge against Britain, but was later persuaded to end the feud.

Prior to the 14th century, the Crusades were dominating the political system of Europe. However, the new era paved the way for a new political conflict, the Hundred Year War (1337-1453). At the center of every war is always the dispute over territories, and it was no different in the Hundred Years War. The conflict over territories was based on who held the legitimate rights to the French throne. Unfortunately solving the conflict was difficult because of medieval legality which stated that one king could be the vassal of another king if the first inherited land outside his own kingdom.

For more than a hundred years, the Kingdom of England and the House of Valois of France found themselves locked in war for the French throne. The hundred and sixteen year series of battles took place from 1337 to 1453, with historians often separating it into three phases: the Edwardian Era (1337- 1360), the Caroline War (1369- 1389), and the Lancastrian War (1415- 1453). Despite English success that lasted the majority of the conflict, and was revived by Henry V, the war resulted a French victory but high casualty losses on both sides. Beyond this, the war was not only limited to the two belligerents, but also involved Scotland, Spain, and the Low Countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (Villalon). The French victory and resurgence are mostly accredited to the arrival of Joan of Arc and, subsequently, the unity of the French after her execution by the English. Despite this, the question of the significance of Joan of Arc in the context of ending the Hundred

The Hundred Year War was a war between the French and English in the 13th and 14th century. The war was a conflict over land, titles and rights between both the French and English. This involved several generations of French and English who have claimed a period of more than a hundred years(Hundred Years’ War, pars.1). This was said to last form around 1337 to 1453 by the House of Plantagenet. It was accompanied by some significant battles and people during this time period of the Hundred Year War. The origins of the Hundred Years War included Joan of Arc Liberates the Orleans, The Battle of Agincourt and Philip VI.

The next major battle that occurred during the Hundred Year War was the Battle of Poitiers. The Battle of Poitiers was a battle that occurred after a six year break from war, warfare broke out again as Edward III’s son, Edward the Black Prince had attacked France in 1356. The French had a line of defense, however Edward was able to break through the defenses and attacked the French head on. The current king of France was King John II. Edward the Black Prince was able to cause a disastrous battle in France and the result of the battle was that Edward the Black Prince was able to capture King John II (Jean II) as well as almost 2,000 aristocracy members of France. Edward the Black Prince wanted a ransom. France was at a loss without their king and did not know what to do so they signed the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360 that states that they would cede a large amount of northern territory and the shoreline to England. In exchange for this deal, Edward the Black Prince was required to give up his claim to the throne. After the loss of the two great generals of England, Edward III and Edward the Black Prince, the French regained control of most parts of France and in 1389 the two sides signed a true as well as extended the treaty in 1396 for 28 years. In 1964, The Battle of Auray was the battle where the English forces under John Chandos besieged Auray and the leader of the French army, Bertrand du Guesclin, was captured. During this time, the French King known as King Jean II died

Henry II (1133 - 1189) was the grandson of Henry I, but only became king after having invaded England in 1153 and forcing his second cousin, King Stephen to make him heir. He was only able to invade due to his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, as it made him Lord of Aquitaine and gave him more power and influence in France. His succession to the throne in 1154 made him commander of an empire which stretched from northern Scotland to south-western Europe. He made various significant changes to the empire during his rule. He controlled the power of the Church and set in place various legal reforms which became the basis for the legal system still used today. He was known for being ruthless and having a very bad temper, which were some of the

Why did the feudal order of Medieval society fall apart? The feudal order of the Middle Ages was a system of local rule, where powerful lords gave land and protection in exchange for loyalty and military service from lesser lords. Tradition dictated that this exchange would be held in place by the feudal contract, consisting of multiple pledges. This resulted in small communities consisting of one powerful lord, peasants, and serfs who worked for the lord. These people gave their loyalty locally, and had no sense of nationalism. This type of society was predominant in the Early Middle Ages, but soon started to fall apart during the Late Middle Ages. One major event that contributed to the fall of the feudal society was the Hundred Years’ War. This war was fought between England and France, lasting for a total of 116 years. During the war, peasant uprisings became frequent, as the inordinate cost of military campaigns resulted in heavier taxes. Events such as these were caused by the Hundred Years’ War and further contributed to the decline of feudalistic society. The Hundred Years’ War was the most important cause of the fall of the feudal order, acting as a turning point in Medieval society by marking the transition from feudal knights to the masses of common foot soldiers, changing the balance of power within Medieval social hierarchies, and strengthening nationalism while creating a more modern militaristic society.

The Hundred Years War, which took place from 1337-1453, played a significant role in the history of Christendom and a major impact on the balance of power in Europe at that time. The Hundred Years War began over a dispute following the coronation of Edward III at the young age of 14. King Phillip VI of France claimed rights to the throne of England and Scotland using an ancient law of the Franks to justify his claim. This dispute was brought to the forefront after Phillips request to begin a crusade to the Holy Land was denied by Pope Benedict XII. Phillip used the funds planned for the crusade to turn his attention towards England. “He took the money he had collected for the crusade to finance a war against England…. the French king declared

     The truce didn't last. In 1355, the war began again. In 1356 another major battle was fought at Poitiers and the French king was captured. English raids continued until 1360, when another truce was signed.

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,