CONFLICTS OF THE MIDDLE AGES THE HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR AND THE WAR OF THE ROSES

THE HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR Political instability was a problem of the late Middle Ages – The Hundred Years’ War was the most violent conflict during this period – It would last from 1337 until 1453 In 1328 the French king died without a son – His nephew was King Edward III of England (his mother had been the king’s sister) Under French law, a woman could not inherit the throne nor a man inherit through a woman – He also had a cousin who had served as his regent

– The French decided that the regent was the rightful heir and he was crowned as Philip VI Edward felt that he was the rightful heir King Philip tried to back the duchy of Gascony, one of the last possessions that England still had in France – Due to all of this, Edward declared war on France and invaded with an army in 1337, starting the war The war started out with a lot of knights who viewed battle as a chance to show of their skills – However, the Hundred Years’ War was a turning point in the nature of warfare – Peasant foot soldiers, not knights, won the major battles in this war

The French relied heavily on armed noble knights – Peasants were socially inferior The English also used knights, but they relied more on large numbers of peasants, who were paid to be foot soldiers – English foot soldiers were armed not only with pikes, but also the deadly longbow – It had great striking power, long range, and a rapid rate of fire The first major battle was at Crecy in 1346 – The French followed no battle plan, just simply attacked – The English archers devastated the French knights

At the Battle of Agincourt (1415) 1500 French nobles died on the battlefield – The English won victory after victory and now controlled northern France – The English, under King Henry V, advanced all the way to the gates of Paris – The dauphin (heir to the French throne), Charles, didn’t own enough of France to be crowned as king A French peasant girl named Joan of Arc came to the aid of France and her ruler Charles in 1429 – She was born in 1412 to prosperous parents and was deeply religious – She believed that her favorite saints had commanded her to free France by leading the French into battle

She made her way to court and Charles allowed her to accompany the army to Orleans – Joan’s army defeated a huge English army – She led the French in several more victories – Joan brought the war to a decisive turning point by inspiring people with her faith Joan was captured in 1430 and turned over to the English – The English tried her for witchcraft and condemned her as a heretic – Joan was then burned at the stake After her death, King Charles VII rallied his army and fought on

– They defeated the English at Normandy and Aquitaine, finally winning the war in 1453 – French success was helped by the use of gunpowder and the cannon

THE WAR OF THE ROSES Civil war between the houses of York and Lancaster over the crown of England – The house of York had a white rose as their emblem – The house of Lancaster had a red rose The crown will pass back and forth between the two families for several decades – Edward IV, a member of the York family, took the throne in 1461 – When he died, his two young sons were declared illegitimate and his brother took over as Richard III The princes in the tower mystery – what happened to the young princes? Who killed them?

Henry Tudor of the house of Lancaster then invaded England – At the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, Richard was killed and Henry crowned as the new king – Richard III was the last English king to die in battle and was the last Plantaneget king Henry VII united the two houses by marrying a princess of the house of York and ending the war – Elizabeth was the daughter of the late Edward IV – Henry had her declared legitimate – Their son, Henry VIII, was heir to both houses