LECTURE NOTES VI

ENGLAND DURING THE GREAT CONFLICTS (I)

THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR
Sources
Primary sources:
- Shakespeare, W., King Henry V, ed. J.H.Walter (London: Routledge, 1991)
Secondary sources
- Griffiths, R., The Later Middle Ages in Morgan, K.O., ed., The Oxford History of Britain.
(Oxford: OUP, 1988), pp. 192-256
Maurois, A., A History of England, trans.H.Miles (London:Cape, 1937)pp.141-186
- McDowall, David. An Illustrated History of Britain (London: Longman, 1989), pp.43-54
- Trevelyan, G.M., An Illustrated History of England [1926], Romanian version: F.E
Condurachi, and D. Hurmuzescu (Bucuresti: Ed. Stiintifica, 1975) pp.262-313
I. England before the great conflicts
The reign of Edward I (1272-1307). General characteristics
1.Class structure
The rise of a new class [yeomanry], consisting of free men [yeomen]
- an active intelligent class that balances the other extremes, the lord of the manor and the serf
- the backbone of the English army is made up of yeomen: they are archers, with a marked
national pride, well equipped with long bows, a combination that makes them efficient in battle
2. Political aspects
The consolidation of Parliament
(i) General features:
- under Edward I (like later under Henry VIII) Parliament grew in importance and contributed to
the rise of the middle class
- the king tried to make Parliament an instrument of mediation between the institution of the
monarchy and the population
(ii) The structure of Parliament
- under Edward I there was only one Chamber, presided by the King or by his Chancellor seated
on the sack of wool (later retained by the House of Lords)
members:
- lay barons and clergy, convened by a writ
- the representatives of the knights and townspeople, convened by the local sheriff
- Parliament was convened:
(i) for petition gathering
(ii) for taxation purposes
(iii) to explain the royal policy to the local people
The emergence of British Parliament marked
- the beginning of a political education and
- an effective awareness of national unity:
"It was not the English who created Parliament but Parliament which created the English people"

(iii) The origin of the House of Commons:

- the House of Commons began as unofficial series of meetings of the knights and townspeople
- they discussed and decided their positions and answers to be given in Parliament prior to the
reunions and the Speaker who was to speak on their behalf
- the English Parliament later evolved in a different direction than similar institutions in Europe,
which were divided into three categories or general estates (the nobles, the clergy and
townspeople)
- the English Parliament later came to consist of two Chambers,
the House of Commons (barones minores)
the House of Lords (barones majores).
3. Legislation
- Edward I was a great legislator [compared with the Byzantine emperor Justinian (6 th c)]:
- if treatises such as The Clarendon Constitutions and The Magna Carta aimed at reinforcing the
law, under Edward I there are laws that are able to alter the law
(i) Laws: tried to regulate the bequest [inheritance] of rural properties and the transactions
concerning land in general
(ii) The creation of the Inns-of-Court:
- the inns-of-court were medieval associations as well as colleges of professional jurists who had
the right to appoint barristers
- the inns-of-court were:
The Inner Temple
The Middle Temple
Lincoln's Inn
Gray's Inn
- contributed to the rise of a new class of well-educated, secular people (men-of-law), who were
able to promote or to support important contributions to social and political reforms in England
(iii) The creation of the Annual Books/Records
- unofficial reports concerning legal procedures (in French) that built up English legislation
II. England during the great conflicts
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
A. General characteristics
1.The situation of England
- first war to be called "national"
- marked by English incursions into French territories
- the looting expeditions were justified by political reasons and genealogical claims
- Froissart (The Chronicles of Froissart): describes the English as wealthier during the wartime
than in peacetime, greedy and envious, loving their king only when he was victorious in battle
which forced the king to comply with their desires
2. The situation of France
- France was a conglomerate of feudal properties

-there was a deep division of the classes, which prevented the building up of a national, unifying
spirit
- the armies were gathered by feudal obligation and lacked military and political discipline
3. Profound social crises
- marked the conflict, both England and France:
- in England: under Richard II, a peasant revolt occurred led by Wat Tyler (1381)
- in France: the popular uprising called Jacquerie was brutally suppressed by 1357
4. Military aspects and technologies
(i) Characteristics :
- the English kings employed a militia based on yeomen from various shires
- this militia constituted the backbone of the long hostilities in France
- when the yeomen were no longer employed in France, they became part of the forces involved
in the subsequent War of the Roses
- the French kings used Italian mercenaries and French soldiers
- these were not feudal armies or armies based on compulsory drafting but armies on contract to
the king, who was the only one who could financially afford such a force
B. Main stages of the War:
Stage I: The first English victories
Edward III (1327-1377)
- the king, initially involved in a conflict with Scotland, turns his attention to France
- after the battle of Sluys, Edward claimed to be master of the sea, crosses the channel and lands
in France, conquers Calais and strengthens his position in France
- Coins: Four things our noble sheweth me: // King, ship, sword and power of sea"
(i)The English defeat the French
- 1340, the Battle of Sluys
- 1346, Crecy, where the English massacre the heavy French cavalry
- 1349 - the rendition of Calais, following which the English gain control over Calais
and establish a base in France, meant to secure their trade with the Flemish
- 1356 Poitiers, the English defeat the French again
- 1360 Peace is declared
(ii) Critical situation of France:
- during this time the French are confronted with the Black Death (plague), famine,
peasant revolts
- the Jacquerie [Jacques, proper name as a common designation of the French peasant]
Stage II. Reverses of fortune: French progress
(i) in France
- by 1369 Charles V managed
- to drive the English away from the north coast
- to break the alliance between the English and the Flemish, and
- to replace it with a Burgundian- Flemish alliance profitable to France (the Count of
Burgundy was his brother)
(ii) in England

- after the death of Edward III, his grandson, Richard II (d.1400) was confronted with an internal
crisis
- in 1381, as a result of high taxation to support the war, a peasant revolt breaks out led by Wat
Tyler; eventually the revolt is repressed and its leader killed
- Richard II was forced to abdicate
(iii)Further developments in France:
- in the 1380s the French raid the coast of Britain (Sandwich) S and E coast and by 1386 they
were contemplating an invasion
- in 1380 the French king Charles V died and was succeeded by Charles VI, who later became
insane and died without an heir
- in 1407 dynastic fights began, which divided the French royal family: the House of Orleans and
of Burgundy
- these conflicts left France in a fragile state
Stage III. New English victories
England
- Henry V [1413-1422] acceded to the throne,
- took advantage of the unclear situation in France and invaded the north of France
- 1415 Agincourt, the English won the battle despite being surprised by the French army
- Henry further expanded his conquest to the NW territories in France (fulfilling Edward III's
dreams)
- 1420, the Troyes peace treaty was finally concluded after negotiations, which sanctioned
Henrys marriage to Katherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI, and legitimized his claims as
heir to the French crown after Charless death
- 1421 Henry died unexpectedly of dysentery in his last military campaign in France, at
Vincennes, near Paris, appointing his brother guardian to his son, Henry VI
Stage IV. France to the French
France
- in 1429 a young peasant, Joan of Arc united the French armies behind the future Charles VII
- after relieving the siege of Orleans she led the future King to be crowned at Rheims
- she was apprehended by the Burgunds who handed her over to the English who, after a
superficial trial condemned her to be burned at the stake as a witch (1431).
- Charles VII, who managed to conquer back the French territories
- he drove the English from France by capturing the last English strongholds: Cherbourg (1450)
and Bordeaux 1453)
- Calais remained the only English possession
- in 1475 a formal peace treaty between France and England was signed
C. Effects of the War.
- with its two series of victories over the French, the 100 years war contributed to the rise of
English national awareness and pride and to the shaping of national identity
- in the conflict, England lost its major European possessions and became uninterested in
pursuing further European adventures,
- as a result, it began to direct its attention to the sea and other continents
- no longer useful in France, the yeoman militias were next employed by the two main factions

involved in the next war, which took place on English soil, the War of the Roses
III. Major Personality: Henry V [1413-1422]
Henry V :
- Son of Henry of Bolingbroke and Mary de Bohun
- Came to be heir apparent to the throne when, after the deposition of his cousin Richard II, his
father Henry of Bolingbroke acceded to the throne as Henry IV
- Educated at Oxford and with a good military training, as show his campaigns against the
Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr and then helped his father in his fight against Henry Percy, earl
of Northumberland [Hotspur] at Shrewsbery (1403)
- At Shrewsbury, Henry is gravely wounded by an arrow but manages to escape
- During his fathers temporary illness, he is asked to take over and administer the country, but
his father does not agree with Henrys measures and, on his return to power, he dismisses him
- After Henry IVs death, when Henry accedes to the throne, he concentrates mostly on his war
with France, managing to obtain an important victory at Agincourt, 1415
- Following his marriage to Catherin of Valois, daughter of Charles VI, and according to the
Treaty of Troyes, Henry was recongnized as legitimate heir to the French throne
- Unfortunately, he dies of dysentery at Vincennes, in 1421, a little before the death of his
father-in-law
- His son, Henry VI, at the time only a few months old, was given to the care of Henrys
brother, John, duke of Bedford, who was appointed regent

IV.TEXTS:
William Shakespeare, King Henry V
Hen:This day is called the Feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day and comes safe home
Will stand a-tiptoe when this day is named
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall see this day and live t' old age
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours
And say, "Tomorrow is Saint Crispian."
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars
And say, "These wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the good man teach his son,
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered,
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

For he today that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition.
And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day.
[IV, iii]
Source:
Shakespeare, W., King Henry V, ed. J.H.Walter (London: Routledge, 1991)