Hundred Year's War
The Hundred Years War was fought between England and France and lasted from 1337 to 1453. The war was a series of battles with long periods of peace in between.
Background:
In 1307, Edward II succeeded to the throne following his father's death. In 1308, he married Isabella of France, the daughter of the powerful King Philip IV, as part of a long-running effort to resolve the tensions between the English and French crowns.
In 1328 A.D., when the king of France died without leaving a direct heir, the situation became dangerous. King Edward III of England was the grandson of the former French King. As such, he was the rightful successor to the French throne. This gave King Edward III the right to rule both England and France from a single throne.
The French were not ready to be ruled by an English King. Feelings between the English and French were too bitter. A Frenchman by the name of Philip of Valois, who was the nephew of the former king of France, also claimed the right to the throne.
The Hundred Year's War:
Edward III was only eighteen years old. War broke out in 1338. At first the English won some big battles. But the war went on and on, even after Edward III died in 1377.
The conflict was fought through the reigns of the French kings Philip VI, John II, Charles V, Charles VI, Charles VII, and of the English kings Edward III, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI.
At first, it appeared as though England would win the war especially with their superior technology. Under their new young king Henry V, the English won a especially big battle at Agincourt in 1415, where Henry used a new weapon, cannons, to help him win the battle. The English managed to take over almost all of France. But Henry V died young, in Paris, and after he died, the French started to win again under a great military leader, a woman named Joan of Arc, who recaptured the towns of Orleans and Reims, among other places, for her king, Charles VII.
End of the War:
The French were inspired by Joan of Arc's leadership and sacrifice. They continued to fight back. They pushed the English army out of France taking Bordeaux in 1453 signaling the end of the Hundred Years War. After more than one hundred years of fighting, the French were eventually able to declare victory over the English.
Interesting Facts about the Hundred Years War
- The English longbow played a large part in their victories. It could fire faster and farther than the French crossbow.
- The war had a lot to do with transforming France from a number of feudal lands to a national state.
- The war stopped for a long period during the Black Death of the Bubonic plague.
- It didn't last exactly 100 years, but 116 years. That means a lot of people lived their entire lives while the war was going on.