The+Hundred+Years'+War

=The Hundred Years' War=

The Hundred Years' war was a conflict mainly between France and England that lasted from 1337 to 1453 over the French throne. Generally speaking, many different people had claimed the throne for themselves after the passing of the French King Charles IV. Since Isabella of France (of the Valois house, like Charles IV) could not claim the throne as she was a woman, she claimed it for her son, Edward III of England. However, the French claimed that she could not pass on a title which she did not possess, Philip VI took the throne. This claim was accepted by the English until 1337, when Philip interfered in England's war with Scotland. After this incident, Edward III reasserted his claim to the throne, and fighting broke out.

The war is usually broken down into three parts separated by truces, these being the Edwardian Era War (1337–1360); the Caroline War (1369–1389); and the Lancastrian War (1415–1453). This conflict also directly caused several other concurrent conflicts such as the War of the Breton Succession and the War of the Two Peters. As a result, historians typically classify all fighting during this time as The Hundred Years' War, therefore making it the longest military conflict in history. Ultimately, while several English victories in the war made it seem like victory might be in store, the French ended up winning, which led to England losing almost all of its continental holdings.

The war began over possession of the French throne in the year 1337, but it ended up spanning 5 generations of kings in both countries. Conflict began when Philip VI claimed the ownership of Gascony, a region in Southwest France, when that region was previously controlled by Edward III. He also began conducting raids on the English Coast. In response, Edward III reasserted his claim to the French throne, and the war officially started. As the war progressed, English forces won several decisive battles, such as the 1340 victory at Sluys that gave the English control of the English Channel for the rest of the war, and the capture of Calais during the Battle of Crecy. Fighting subsided during this "Edwardian" era of the war in the treaty of Brétigny, which gave Edward III a lot of new territory.

In the time between the Edwardian and Caroline periods of the war, Philip VI of France died and was replaced as king by his son, Charles V, who rebuilt the French military and resumed combat in 1369. The French fortune improved in the Caroline War, as both Edward III and his son (The Black Prince Richard II) were ill and therefore unable to lead attacks. In 1377, Edward III died while trying to negotiate peace agreements, and Charles V died three years later. Both parties, now controlled by child leaders in Richard II of England and Charles VI of France, agreed to peace in the Treaty of Leulingham.

The time after this treaty saw a great amount of discord within each respective country, with Richard II overthrown by Henry IV in England and Charles VI struggling with mental illness in France. Henry IV wanted to resume the war, but internal conflicts with Wales and Scotland kept him from doing so. However, his son Henry V did resume the conflict with France, and won decisive victories at Agincourt and in Normandy. In 1420, he agreed to marry Charles VI's daughter and have his heirs inherit the French throne through the Treaty of Troyes.

Even though the agreement was acknowledged by the law, not all of France accepted this treaty. A group of noblemen known as the Armagnacs believed that Charles VII (the son of Charles VI) was the true king, and resumed fighting. In retaliation, Henry VI (son of Henry V, who had died six years earlier) besieged the city of Orléans in 1428. The English were beginning to gain the upper hand until they were defeated in 1429 by the forces of Joan of Arc. She continued to lead the French to several other victories, and these efforts allowed for the coronation of Charles VII. From here, the French captured Rouen in 1449, and in 1453 Henry VI was forced to abandon the war in order to deal with issues in England that would turn into the English Civil War.

The Hundred Years' War is historically significant for many reasons, as it was the longest period of conflict in history. Not only did the English influence disappear from the mainland European continent, English lords were incredibly upset about the loss of territory which caused the English Civil War, or the War of the Roses. This war also marked the decline of feudalism, an institution which had a large and direct impact on the area we will be visiting. Overall, The Hundred Years' War set the foundation for the Europe we know today.