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The hundred year war

By Isaac Wood

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How did it start

When Charles IV, the king of France died in the 1300s, he had no heir. His nephew, Edward III of England believed he had the right to rule, but since his relationship was through his mother, Philip VI was crowned king instead. England had wanted one of their nobles to rule France, so they went to war over who would rule France.

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Battles

There were 54+ battles in the hundred year war, but not all of them would have a large effect on English/French history.

  • The Battle of Crecy - Despite the fact that the French had incredible strength in numbers, the English completely destroyed them. They were no match for the English longbowmen, and after this battle Edward was able to lay siege to Calais, and take control of the city just one year later.
  • The Battle of Agincourt - The son of Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, had already taken a large portion of France, but almost 60 years later, Henry V ascended to the throne. The Battle at Agincourt allowed him to take most of France. However, after this battle, the French started to gain control over England.
  • The lift of the siege of Orleans - Joan of Arc led the battle that took back Orleans, and allowed Charles VII to be crowned the king of France. Unfortunately, Joan of Arc was captured and turned over to the English, and then burned at the stake for heresy.
  • The Battle of Castillon - Despite a treaty never being signed, this battle was the end of the Hundred Year war. France had regained control of everything except Calais, which was recaptured later.

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Importance

  • The English Territory had been extensive since the battle of Hastings, but this reduced it to Calais, which was later lost.
  • After one hundred years of war, the English citizens and French citizens Were sort of locked in a warlike mindset. For many years after this war the people both countries weren’t too fond of each other.
  • There was a much bigger sense of patriotism in England. People were more eager to pay taxes, and support the English government.
  • It also contributed to the War of the Roses, a power struggle within England.

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Effects

  • France was damaged by the English burning villages and killing civilians.
  • France was also damaged economically. Towards the end of the war they were paying a lot of money to support the soldiers and pay for supplies like weapons and gunpowder. There had been little to no taxes at the start of the war, but at the end the tax situation was worse than England’s had been.

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Sources

http://historylists.org/events/list-of-5-most-significant-battles-of-the-hundred-years-war.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Years%27_War

http://www.history.com/topics/hundred-years-war

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