100 Years War Socials 8

Background William won the Battle of Hastings = King of England, but still maintained some land in France (Gascony – salt and wine) The French resented this and many battles were fought for control of these areas 1337 Philip reclaims Gascony = 100 Years war begins

100 Years War Struggle between the monarchs and nobles of France and England War began over a disagreement about who should be King of France The French supported Philip (cousin of dead king Charles) and later Philip’s son (dauphin) Charles England supported the current English King Edward III (married to dead Charles mother, Isabella) and later Edward’s son Henry Edward III was the nephew of the deceased French king and believed he had a stronger claim Edward III invaded France

Phillip vs Edward III’s Claims Deceased king of France with no heir Edward III and Philip VI both claim to be rightful heir to throne

What happened? During the war the English controlled vast areas of France, but by the end they only held the port city of Calais Though the English had many early victories, The French won Ideas of Nationalism were born in both England and France

Why 100 Years? Lasted from 1338-1453 (115 years) Why did it last so long? Frequent truces Often did not fight in the winter when roads were too muddy or blocked by snow Troops travelled by foot Even during an active military campaign, the armies spent less time fighting, and more time manoeuvring for position, burning homes, and raiding farmers’ food stores

Technology and Tactics English had one powerful weapon that the French did not have: archers skilled in the use of the longbow. English Archers were ordinary villagers who used a longbow. They shot metre-long arrows from bows almost two metres in height. The longbow was so powerful that it could send an arrow through the armoured leg of a mounted knight, the body of his horse, and the knight’s leg on the other side.

English Longbow Archers

French vs English Archers Although the French knights could fight as well as the English, they were defeated many times during the Hundred Years’ War. In 3 important battles, French knights refused to fight the ‘low birth’ archers and tried to ride past them to their equals the English knights. If they did attack the archers, the arrows were so deadly that the battles were often disastrous for the French.

Tactics French Advantages: Greater population than England At some point, the French army numbered 50, 000 while the English had just a little more than half of this English Advantages: Successful strategies: avoided big battles and banked on small, profitable raids. Steal what you can Destroy everything else Capture enemy knights to hold for ransom

Taking the Castle No invading army could control an area without controlling the castle there. Two basic ways to attack a castle: (a) Get inside and overpower the occupants. This required smashing their way in (using a trebuchet or cannon) or climbing walls. (b) Surround the castle and starve the occupants into submission. This could take months.

Trebuchet A kind of catapult developed in the late Middle Ages Most powerful of siege weapons Wooden trebuchets were light and easy to build It could hurl a boulder weighing hundreds of kilograms against a castle wall

Cannons By the 1300’s, cannons were being used in battle Cannons at first were very heavy and expensive which made them impractical Improvements in metalworking made for lighter, cheaper cannons and cannonballs Cannons were used in both sieges (overtaking of a city/castle/etc) and pitched battled (chosen location)

Battle of Agincourt One of the most important battles of the Hundred Years’ War. Major English victory French had outnumbered the English However, the use of the English longbow won the battle

Battle of Agincourt Where: Northern France near the village of Agincourt The battlefield lay on 1,000 yards of open ground between two woods, which prevented large-scale maneuvers. When: October 25, 1415 Who: King Henry V of England and his army against the French army What: Henry V marched his army to Calais to meet his fleet and return to England. At Agincourt, however, a vast French army of 20,000 men stood in his path, greatly outnumbering the exhausted English archers, knights, and men-at-arms. French knights, weighed down by their heavy armor, began a slow advance across the muddy battlefield. The French were met by a furious bombardment of artillery from the English archers, who wielded innovative longbows with a range of 250 yards.

Battle of Agincourt French cavalrymen tried and failed to overwhelm the English positions, but the archers were protected by a line of pointed stakes. As more and more French knights made their way onto the crowded battlefield, their mobility decreased further, and some lacked even the room to raise their arms and strike a blow. At this point, Henry ordered his lightly equipped archers to rush forward with swords and axes, and the unencumbered Englishmen massacred the French.

Battle of Agincourt Result: Almost 6,000 Frenchmen lost their lives during the Battle of Agincourt, while English deaths amounted to just over 400. After further conquests in France, Henry V was recognized in 1420 as heir to the French throne and the regent of France. He was at the height of his powers but died just two years later of camp fever near Paris.

Battle of Agincourt Significance: English army of mainly archers defeated French knights Demonstrated the power of new technology (longbow) and its ability to change the outcome of a battle Ordinary people and not nobles (knights) became important in battles

French Victory By the end of the war, the French began to use more effective artillery Lighter cannons were mounted on mobile carriages This made the cannons useful on the battlefield and during sieges The manufacturing of gunpowder and iron cannonballs also gave the French an advantage Cannons gave the French an advantage over the English longbow French were victorious and the war was over in 1453

How did the 100 Years war lead to the decline in Feudalism??? Common archers made knights obsolete

Decline in Feudalism The conflict of The Hundred Years’ War changed the way wars were fought. Power shifted from the feudal lords to monarchs and the common people. During the war, monarchs on both sides had collected taxes and raised large professional armies. As a result, kings no longer relied on nobles to supply knights for the army. Changes in military technology made the nobles’ knights and castles less useful. The longbow proved to be an effective weapon against mounted knights. Castles became less important as armies learned to use gunpowder to shoot iron balls from cannons and blast holes in castle walls.

Decline in Feudalism Nationalism also shifted power away from lords. Previously, English and French peasants felt more loyalty to their local lords than to their king. The war created a new sense of national unity and patriotism on both sides. Peasants were forced to fight in the army and pay higher and more frequent taxes. If they survived the war they were needed as paid soldiers and workers to rebuild the economy. The common people emerged from the conflict with greater influence and power.

Joan of Arc 1429, a 17 year old peasant woman arrived at French court claiming angelic voices had told her to drive the English out of France The dauphin (eldest son of French king) gave her armour and troops She was a very inspirational leader Most famous victory was the capture of Orleans

Joan of Arc Helped the people of France rally together behind their king Began to think of themselves as a nation (vs. individual fiefdoms) Played a role in the decline of Feudalism Inspired nationalism within France After her death the French really rallied together to win the war

Joan of Arc After other military triumphs, she was at the dauphin’s side when he was crowned King Charles VII of France. She was captured by enemies of King Charles and sold to the English. She was put on trial in an religious court for heresy (claiming opinions against the church beliefs) and witchcraft.

Joan of Arc Captured by the English and King Charles (France) refused to pay her ransom In 1431, she was burned at the stake at the age of 19

How did Joan of Arc Play a role in the decline of Feudalism? Young peasant woman Made important decisions and lead an army Inspired others to be loyal to the king rather than the lord Commoners became nationalists and patriots

Joan of Arc Canonized Although burned at the stake as a witch and accused of heresy, Joan of Arc was officially canonized (Roman Catholic Church declares a dead person to be a saint) in 1920. She was considered one of history’s greatest saints Symbol of French unity and nationalism Joan of Arc is now the patron saint of France