Darby Campbell Ennio Nuila Section 002 French 112 The Hundred Year War The hundred year

war was a conflict betweek England and France spanning 115 Years. I suppose after 100 they got tired of counting. It started in 1337 when English kings were becoming upset with their weakening position in France and loss of territories. The conflict began hundreds of years prior when William the Conqueror, the King of England in 1066, possessed land in France known as the Duchy of Normandy. The French ruler Philip VI was owed feudal homage by English Kings occupying this area because it was under French rule. Feudal Homage was denied by English king, Edward III, which led Philip VI of France to confiscate Edwards land. Edward then went on to say that he was the rightful ruler of France. Many new military advances were made during this war, including heavy cavalry. France and Scotland joined forces to try to overtake the English dynasty. The war continued to wage and Edwards created a tactic to try to gain support from lower countries of France that were to claim they were obligated to oblige to the powers of the true King of France, Edward. In 1346, Edward began a major invasion and had large victories in what is known as the Battle of Crecy. Edward gained the city of Calais, which was then under long-standing English control until after the war. It became a major tactical point by allowing the English to keep troops across the English Channel closer to French territory. The victories were attributed to military mistakes by the French as well as the advantage of English long-bowmen. The Frenchmens Scottish allies tried to counter this attack by invading northern England, but they failed. The Scottish armies were defeated and David II of Scotland was captured.

In 1348, the plague began to ravage Europe so the war took on a bit of a hiatus. When the sickness had subsided slightly, Edwards son, the Prince of Wales, invaded France from Gascony. He was successful in capturing French King, John II. Edward then tried to seize the throne for the third and last time. He failed when trying to capture the city of Reims and moved onto Paris where he also failed. This led to the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360. The wars first peace came from this until it ended in 1369 bringing in a new era of war known as the Caroline Phase. In this phase the war changed when the French made their first successful raids across the English Channel and landed on the coasts of England. The Prince of Wales and Edward III died within the same year in 1377 leading to the appointment of Richard II, a child successor. During this time of his youth the decisions were made by several councils. In 1389 the second peace during the hundred year war came and lasted until 1415. During the next period of the war after 1415, Henry V ruled England and led the English armies against France. In 1415 he sailed to France with an army of 10,000 and took the French city of Paris. The appearance of Joan of Arc led to a revival of French will to fight back against the English. She decided the French military tactics of lining up to a full frontal assault were dated and her new ideas led to more French success in battles. The war continued to wage with French gaining more success and the English were finally defeated at the Battle of Castillon in 1943. The two countries remained officially at war for another 20 years, but the English were could not carry on with so many domestic troubles.