Hundred Years War
How long did the Hundred Years War last? The answer is actually a surprising 116 years. The Hundred Years war is the name given to the series of on and off warfare fought between the kings of England and France, from 1337 to 1453. The war consisted of sieges, raids, sea and land battles, and long periods truce ("Hundred Years War", 222). The war shaped the way the time period ended and the way western Europe looks today. The events of the Hundred Years War created a framework for the way we look at the Middle Ages. A major cause of this outbreak of battle was the battle over Flanders, an industrial center of northern Europe. The counts of Flanders were vassals to the king of France, but the English saw Flanders as their major center of foreign trade due to its cloth manufacture. This caused fighting between the two countries to begin. The English also controlled southern France after Eleanor of Aquitaine married King Henry II in the mid-12th century. Therefore, the French allied the Scots to control a northern stronghold, called the "Auld Alliance". The two countries also fought over control of the English Channel and the North Sea. All of these forces caused the long war to begin (Nelson).
Sea battles involved 20-50 castle-like ships. The war inspired poems, patriotic songs, tournaments, and scholarly/historical writings about war, royal power, pacifism, and individual liberties. Warfare between England and France lasted for about 800 years from the 11th to the 19th century ("Hundred Years War", 224). In 1340, the English won a major naval victory at Sluys. The most significant result was that the nobility and secular leaders were busy fighting each other at a time when western Europe desperately needed leadership (Rosenwein, 176). The siege cannon, used after 1400, led to the end of the castle and fort. The first phase was marked by English victories in France and alliances with French feudal lords. Raids continued in France during periods of formal truce that devastated the country economically. In 1428, the siege of Orleans, the turning point of the war, began. In 1356, in the English victory at Poitiers, King John II was captured. In sieges, the opposing army would surround a town and attempt to take it over. She was captured in 1430, and died a year later. In 1360, the Treaty of Bretigny was signed, giving the English complete control of Aquitaine and ending the first phase of the long war (Hundred Years War: Timeline).
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