Hundred year war

The definition of the Golden Rule is that those with the gold make the

rules. In other words, those with the gold have the power as well as those

with the power have the gold. History books will discuss the general reasons

for war such as freedom from adversity or freedom from religion. But the

real issue for any war is the thirst for power and control; and the means to

finance them are the economic issues.

Nations will endure years of fighting for power and control. France

and England fought each other for more than a hundred years to have control

of the Channel trade routes. 1 This century of warring was known as The

Hundred Years' War and is the longest war in record history. It began in

1337 when King Edward III invaded Normandy and ended in 1453 when

France won the Battle of Bordeaux. However, it was not a hundred years of

constant battle; there were periods of truces in between. 2

One cause for the Hundred Years' War was the claim to the French

throne. The conflict began when the direct line of succession died without a

male heir and the nobles decided to pass the crown to a cousin, Philip of

Valois. But this left two other male cousins equally deserving of the crown;

. . .