Hundred Years WarHH World Studies2012-2013

The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)

• Series of conflicts between England and France that were fought on and off over a hundred years and have become known as the Hundred Years War

CAUSES OF THE WAR

succession

• French king died without an heir • Two claims to the throne• Edward III of England

(direct claim to the throne)• Philip of Valois (the French choice)

French Family Tree

French Lands

• The King of England is a vassal to the French king• The proximity of France

to England and the overlapping political and economic interests set the two nations on a collision course.

French lands

English monarchs owned lands in Normandy (since the conquest) and Aquitaine (through marriage)

France was not a united country. The king only controlled about half of his own lands.

National Unity

• In the absence of feudal lords, peasants looked to strong kings with sovereign power for protection and security. Loyalty to sovereign kings gave Europeans a sense of national identity.

• This is a large factor in the decline of feudalism

Economic Rivalry

• Flanders: area in Northern France was the leading industrial center in Europe• Heavily involved in trade with

England • When France tried to exert its

control over Flemish wealth, they turned to the English for help

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSESBefore the War

French Advantages

• Larger population (about 16,000,000)• Home-field advantage • Far richer than England

• At one point, the French fielded an army of over 50,000 at most, Britain mustered only 32,000.

French Disadvantages

• Internal disunity and social conflict • Lack of good leadership

English Advantages

• Strong Central Government • Military discipline• Technological/weapons superiority • Relied on strategy rather than numbers • Avoided pitched battles• Preferred quick raids

The Longbow

• One of the greatest English technological advantages was the use of the longbow.

• Could pierce an inch of wood or the armor of a knight at 200 yards!

• A longbow could be fired more rapidly.• 6 arrows per minute.

The British Longbow: The Battle of Poitiers, 1356

The Use of the Cannon at Orleans

THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR IN 3 PARTS1. English Advances into France2. Internal Struggles3. French Rally, Joan of Arc

I. English Advances

• England army seizes Calais on the French mainland• France suffers from

internal conflict• Aristocracy demand

political rights• Peasants revolt in 1358

• English momentum ends with the death of Edward III

Early English Victories Height of English dominance

II. Internal Struggles

• Both nations experience peasant revolts (peasants were taxed most heavily to pay for the war)• Resulted in a

temporary truce

III. The French Rally

• French rally around Charles VII• Joan inspires the French to a series of

victories • 1453, French expel English from the

mainland (except for port city of Calais)

Joan of Arc

• French peasant girl• Received a revelation from God• Mission to restore the heir to the

throne • Captured and executed as a heretic• Became an inspiration to the

French Resistance and a symbol of national identity

EFFECTS OF THE WAR

French Outcomes

• Awakened French nationalism• Helped the state become more centralized • Heavy taxes fell on the peasantry

English Outcomes

• War of the Roses – Civil War between two nobles houses competing for the throne • Develop their own clothing industry

Larger Impacts

• Burden falls hardest on peasants • Downfall of feudalism• Revolution in European warfare• English longbow meant the end of knights• Gunpowder and cannons could take down

castle walls • Allowed strong and wealthy king to centralize

power at the expense of rebellious nobles