Overview 1337-1453 (116 years) Began as a dispute over who was the rightful king of France War consisted of a handful of land battles, raids, sea battles, many sieges, and long periods of tense truces Fought entirely in France By the end feudal armies had been replaced by professional armies the first standing armies in Western Europe since the Roman Empire High loss of life as a result of new technologies in warfare Called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 War 1. Controversy of the succession of the French crown 2. French lands belonging to the English king 3. Conflict over Flanders 4. Struggle over Nationalism (later stages of the war) Succession Controversy Philip of Valois was selected by the French nobility to be king of France Philip was a cousin of the last king through the male line Crowned Philip VI he founded the Valois dynasty which would last until the 16 th century Edward III of England was rejected as it was deemed the crown could not pass through the female line 1340 Edward declared himself the legitimate king of France War had broken out between England and France three years earlier and this declaration may have been an attempt to apply pressure on France 1
French Lands Belonging to English Kings For their lands in France, English kings had to pay homage to the kings of France and were considered their vassal under the Feudal System Homage was an act of pledged submission and obedience a vassal would perform to his feudal lord 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 Aquitaine/Gascony Aquitaine had been a possession of English kings since 1154 and its borders had fluctuated greatly over time Roughly encompassed the Gascony region of France today Had been lost to and gained from France multiple times over the centuries The value of the wine industry to the kings of England was critically important The English could not afford to lose this region to France again 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 within three years Emerging Nationalism France was still a feudal land and not yet a unified nation The French king controlled about half of the country, the rest was controlled by feudal lords with questionable loyalty including the king of England As the war progressed the peasants of France began to resist the English because of the raiding and pillaging between conflicts Characteristics of the War There were relatively few major land battles Each side would periodically raid enemy territory these raids could be large military expeditions Throughout the War there were long periods of tense truces and treaties with varying degrees of success England and France had different military strengths and weaknesses each tried to play to its strengths France s Strengths France had a much larger population than England - ~16,000,000 On the whole, France was a far wealthier kingdom than England French armies and French knights were larger and better armed than the English it had been knights that had won battles thus far in the Middle Ages 2
Feudal Knights The knight was the backbone of an army in the High Middle Ages Knights were nobles who owned large pieces of land which peasants worked The armor, weapons, and horses of a knight were incredibly expensive and thus only lords could afford to be effective knights The knight owed fealty to a more powerful noble or lord such as a Duke or a Baron In theory, the most powerful lord in the land was the king in reality this wasn t always the case This was the basis of the feudal system in Europe during the High Middle Ages The knights of France were considered the best in Europe and the king of France could call upon thousands of them to fight England s Strengths 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: Only fought battles it was confident it could win Destabilize the country through raids and scorched earth policies Captured many nobles and knights to ransom back to the French kept the English war effort funded The Longbow 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 Comparing Armies The French Maintained the feudal tradition of requiring vassals to devote 40 days a year to military service Thousands of well armed knights were the cornerstone of the French army 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 Battle of Crécy 1346 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 3
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 The Black Plague 1347 - The Black Plague began sweeping across Europe The plague affected both peasants and nobles killing a third to one half of the population of Europe The War could not continue at this time Battle of Poitiers 1356 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 France paid a huge ransom to free their captive king The Black Prince Prince Edward became the principal commander of English forces Was an accomplished military commander playing a role at the Battle of Crécy and leading English forces to victory at the Battle of Poitiers 1348 Became the first Knight of the Garter Died one year before his father due to illness His son, Richard II, became king at age 10 Creating of National Symbols The Order of the Garter 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 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 4
War Continues 1369-1395 The French slowly took 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 Domestic Turmoil England The Peasants Revolt broke out in 1381 Partly a legacy of the turmoil of the Black Plague Partly in response to high taxes due to the War Was a significant threat to the young English king Richard II The revolt was put down through a series of negotiations and military actions England was internally weak with more turmoil to come 1399 Richard II was forced to abdicate by Parliament after being charged with tyranny Henry IV was selected as king of England the first of the house Lancaster Wanted to keep the nobility happy by not raising taxes Negotiated a truce with France Henry V King of England from 1412-1422 Gained military experience crushing rebellions in Wales and Northern England Renewed England s claim on the French throne and the War resumed Remembered as one of England s greatest warrior- kings Battle of Agincourt Oct. 1415 Henry led the English forces to a great military victory over a much larger French force Longbowmen won the battle for Henry France was crushed militarily The French were forced to negotiate The Burgundians The Burgundians were one of the most powerful families in France Their allegiance to the English was a major reason the French were losing This was a prime example of feudal politics France was not yet a united nation Treaty of Troyes 1420 Henry V married Catherine, princess of France Henry s son would be the heir of both the English and French thrones Charles VI of France was forced to disinherit his son It appeared that Henry V had led England to victory 1422 Both Henry V and Charles VI died unexpectedly Henry VI, an infant, was declared king of England and France 5
France Fights Back The death of both kings destabilized the political situation The disinherited Dauphin (French prince) Charles VII refused to give up the throne England appeared firmly in control of Northern France but resistance was growing Siege of Orléans The French town of Orléans had been under siege by the English for six months It was believed that if the town fell England would gain ultimate victory in the War A peasant girl named Joan of Arc arrived and within nine days the English were defeated This marked the turning point in the War and began Joan s legend Joan would be known as the Maid of Orléans Joan of Arc (1412-1432) 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 Dressed like a man and served as a source of tremendous inspiration to the French She carried a flag with her on the front lines rallying French forces wherever she went 1429 - Charles VII was crowned King of France in Reims after the town had been liberated Death of Joan May 1430 - Joan was captured by the Burgundians and turned over to the English She was charged with heresy (for wearing men s clothes) and burned at the stake at the age of 19 1456 the Pope pronounced her innocence and declared her a martyr 1909 She was beautified 1920 She was canonized Introduction of Gunpowder Gunpowder units had slowly been turning up on European battlefields Cannons had been used at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 By the mid- 15 th century they were becoming far more common and effective Walled cities and fortresses were becoming increasingly vulnerable English- held fortresses in France were no longer safe from French armies 6
End of the War Joan became a national symbol for France French forces continued to win 1435 the Burgundians switched sides joining the French and returning Paris to Charles VII 1450 The English only held Calais 1453 The French took a small fortress from the English using cannon the last battle fought of the Hundred Years War No treaty of peace was signed 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 The feudal system itself was undermined as knights were no longer the cornerstone of an army Professional armies consisting of archers, pikemen, and gunpowder units were what won battles Knights were no longer as important to a king the power of kings rose while that of the nobles declined 7