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).
In 1428, the siege of Orleans, the turning point of the war, began. The English were turned away however, as in 1429, the French under command of Joan of Arc defeated the English attackers. She was captured in 1430, and died a year later. In 1450, the French won at Formigny to recapture Normandy, and in 1453, the French won at Castillon, the English lost control of Bordeaux and the war ended without a treaty (Nelson). broken up into three stages or phases. The first lasted until the signature of the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360 (1337-1360). The second phase lasted from 1360-1413 when Henry V became king, and the third phase lasted from 1413-1453. The first phase was marked by English victories in France and alliances with French feudal lords. The second phase was marked by English inactivity and French raids keeping the English on the defensive. The third phase began with major and dramatic English victories but ended in defeat and England's nearly complete withdrawal from France ("Hundred Years War", 223). In the actual war, only a small amount of time, money, and men was taken up by actual combat. Battles lasted less than a day and involved fewer than 3000 troops aside. Sieges were more common, tedious affairs lasting for years. In sieges, the opposing army would surround a town and attempt to take it over. Henry V was a master of siege warfare, allowing for major English victories in the early 1400's. Towns were
Some common words found in the essay are:
Hundred War, Europe European, Treaty Bretigny, Castillon English, King Henry, England France, Joan Arc, English Flanders, Middle Ages, Richard II, hundred war, third phase, western europe, english victories, king france, english lost, king henry, hundred war timeline, treaty bretigny, marked english, philip vi, king edward iii, phase marked english,
Approximate Word count = 970
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|