Hundred Years' War: When England and France engaged in mortal combat
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The Hundred Years War, or the Hundred Years War, is one of the events in history. The armed conflict between neighboring England and France lasted from 1337 to 1453, a period of a little over a hundred years. But the fighting was not continuous all the time, but there were several times of long truces. Again, it does not originate from a specific reason, but at different times the two sides get involved in a test of strength.
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| Two neighbors across the English Channel are embroiled in conflict; Image Source: youthincmag.com |
The question may arise, why is it called the century war? It actually originates from modern researchers. For the convenience of analyzing the bloody struggle between England and France, they conflate the entire conflict.
Why did the war initially begin? It should be remembered that England and France did not emerge as colonial powers at the time being talked about, rather they were just emerging as European superpowers. Both sides are trying to expand their empire across the English Channel. But to look for the roots of the conflict, maybe we have to go back a little further, we have to keep our eyes on Normandy.
Today's Normandy is part of France, but thousands of years ago it was not. The kings of the predecessor kingdoms of France left the region to escape the Viking invasion. The natives of the Vikings were called Northmen, which gradually became corrupted into Normans. Accordingly, the region became known as Normandy.
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| Vikings often raided the French coast; Image Source: history.com |
The ruler of Normandy had the title of duke. Although autonomous, their neighboring powers were bound by custom to the King of France. One of its dukes, William the Conqueror, claimed the throne after the death of King Edward the Confessor of England. In 1066, he defeated his rival Harold in the Battle of Hastings and took the crown of England, resulting in the fall of Norman rule.
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| Battle of Hastings marks the beginning of Norman rule in England © Joseph Martin Kronheim |
William and his successors were sovereign kings on the soil of England, but when they crossed the sea and set foot in Normandy, they became dukes subject to the king of France. There was political tension about this. In addition, the marriage between the royal families of the two countries in 1303, according to the Second Treaty of Paris, created the possibility of the royal family of England's claim to the throne of France. A similar situation arose after the death of King Charles IV of France in 1328. Ignoring the demands of Edward III of England, the French chose Philip II, Duke of Valois, a relative of the dead king, as king.
Tensions between Philip and Edward eventually escalated into war. The two sides engaged in several historic battles. Notable were the Battles of Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt, Formion, Castileon etc. And clashes between small groups of both sides were a daily occurrence.
In total, the fight can be said to be in four stages. The first phase ended with the Second Treaty of London in 1358. England was in an advantageous position in the treaty by using the French King John captured at the Battle of Poitiers as a pawn. However, the French later neglected to implement many clauses of the agreement, resulting in the second phase of the war.
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| King John and Prince Philip of France captured at the Battle of Poitiers; Image Source: britishbattles.com |
The armistice signed at Liulingham in 1389 was the second phase of the Jati tan. France and England were then eager to join the Crusades with the Ottoman Empire, so they stopped bloodshed for the time being. However, after being crushed by the Turks in Nikopolis, tension slowly started again among them. In time, Henry V took over the throne of England, immortalized by Shakespeare as Henry the Fifth. Henry broke the backbone of the French at Agincourt, after which most of France came under the control of England through the Treaty of Troyes.
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| Henry V of England defeats the French at Agincourt © Harry Payne |
But Prince Charles continued to resist. However, even after the death of Henry, he could not rise, on the contrary, the British forces were besieging his stronghold, Orleans. As defeat looms, a teenage girl from a peasant family in Lorraine unexpectedly appears as the savior of the French. The French named her the Maid of Orleans, and the British the Witch of Orleans. But we know her as Joan of Arc.
The fourth phase of the fight begins immediately with Joan. The French continued to take back territories one by one. Their joy continues even after Joan's imprisonment and murder. Charles quickly established himself as the undisputed king of France. But England continued to fight for many more years. Finally, in 1453, their commander-in-chief Talbot fell at Castillon, forcing them to withdraw from most of France after a massive defeat.
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| Joan of Arc © Harold Piffard |
After Castilian, large-scale conflict ceased. The French focused on consolidating their hold on the retaken territories. On the other hand, the War of the Roses started after two years between the York and Lancaster families with the throne of England. As a result, there was no formal peace treaty, but in the following years the two sides settled their disputes through negotiations.
The Hundred Years War also occupies an important place in military history. In the early stages, fighting was fought with shield and sword, with the British bringing their elite archers or longbowmen. The French knights had to face several major defeats due to these archers. Their pride was the cavalry, and the vehicles of those cavalry often became targets for arrows. In addition, arrows entered through the gaps in the armor and the knights started getting casualties. Archers played no small part in Henry's success at Agincourt.
But as the war progresses, military technology also improves, the use of gunpowder is introduced. In this case, the French mastered the use of cannon faster than the British, resulting in the archery being completely ineffective. The French bombarded the British forces with artillery. One of the main reasons for their defeat in the final stages of the Hundred Years' War was the advanced and efficient artillery of the French.
The Hundred Years War is very eventful, and many of the charioteers of history are associated with it. Its details are not possible in short time. Those interested can read the complete history of the Hundred Years War, which will be published in two volumes by Afsar Brothers at the upcoming book fair.