The Hundred Years War May 1337 – October 1453

Cause #1 English Edward III asserted claim to the French throne after the French king Charles IV died The French barons chose Philip VI to become king

Cause #2 England and France were emergent territorial powers too close to each other Edward was actually a vassal of Philip VI Edward chose not to pledge allegiance to France or send taxes

Cause #3 and #4 England and France were fighting over Flanders There was a long history of prejudice and animosity between the English and French

French Weaknesses Disarray caused by social conflicts French kings depreciated the currency and borrowed heavily from Italian bankers Estates General exploited the king’s plight to advance their own interests

English Military Superiority Well trained infantry Use of the long bow

Conflict during Edward III Edward embargoed English wool to Flanders Flemish cities revolted against the French and signed alliance with England

Edward won the first the first major battle of the war in June 1340 Exhaustion from both sides and the onset of the Black Death forced a truce in 1347

In 1356, the English took the French king, John II, captive Power in France now lay in the hands of the Estates General, whose members tried to secure their own rights

Due to the harsh treatment of the peasants, a series of rebellions known as the Jacquerie took place On May 9, 1360, England forced a peace treaty on France By Edwards death in the late 1360’s, France had beaten the English back

French defeat and the Treaty of Troyes England’s war effort lessened During the reign of Richard III, Wat Tyler’s Rebellion took place England recommenced the war under Henry V Henry’s army routed the French at Agincourt on October 25, 1415

The Treaty of Troyes in 1420 proclaimed Henry V the successor of the French king, Charles VI Henry and Charles died within a month of each other, and the infant Henry VI was proclaimed to be the king of both France and England

Charles’ son went into hiding He became known as Charles VII to most of the French people, who ignored the Treaty of Troyes

The War’s Conclusion Joan of Arc presented herself to Charles VII in March 1429 English forces were at the point of withdrawal when she arrived with French troops She gave the French an enraged sense of national identify and destiny

Within a few months of the liberation of Orleans, Charles VII received his crown But he was quick to remember his liberator

The Burgundians captured Joan in Mary 1430 Charles did little to help her She was turned over to the Inquisition Executed May 30, 1431

Effects of the Hundred Years War Helps destroy the manor system Allows peasants to join army First inklings of nationalism England and France were enemies until World War I