hundred years war
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Hundred Years War. HH World Studies 2012-2013. Series of conflicts between England and France that were fought on and off over a hundred years and have become known as the Hundred Years War. The Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Causes of the war. French king died without an heir - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Hundred Years WarHH World Studies2012-2013
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453)
• Series of conflicts between England and France that were fought on and off over a hundred years and have become known as the Hundred Years War
CAUSES OF THE WAR
succession
• French king died without an heir • Two claims to the throne• Edward III of England
(direct claim to the throne)• Philip of Valois (the French choice)
French Family Tree
French Lands
• The King of England is a vassal to the French king• The proximity of France
to England and the overlapping political and economic interests set the two nations on a collision course.
French lands
English monarchs owned lands in Normandy (since the conquest) and Aquitaine (through marriage)
France was not a united country. The king only controlled about half of his own lands.
National Unity
• In the absence of feudal lords, peasants looked to strong kings with sovereign power for protection and security. Loyalty to sovereign kings gave Europeans a sense of national identity.
• This is a large factor in the decline of feudalism
Economic Rivalry
• Flanders: area in Northern France was the leading industrial center in Europe• Heavily involved in trade with
England • When France tried to exert its
control over Flemish wealth, they turned to the English for help
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSESBefore the War
French Advantages
• Larger population (about 16,000,000)• Home-field advantage • Far richer than England
• At one point, the French fielded an army of over 50,000 at most, Britain mustered only 32,000.
French Disadvantages
• Internal disunity and social conflict • Lack of good leadership
English Advantages
• Strong Central Government • Military discipline• Technological/weapons superiority • Relied on strategy rather than numbers • Avoided pitched battles• Preferred quick raids
The Longbow
• One of the greatest English technological advantages was the use of the longbow.
• Could pierce an inch of wood or the armor of a knight at 200 yards!
• A longbow could be fired more rapidly.• 6 arrows per minute.
The British Longbow: The Battle of Poitiers, 1356
The Use of the Cannon at Orleans
THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR IN 3 PARTS1. English Advances into France2. Internal Struggles3. French Rally, Joan of Arc
I. English Advances
• England army seizes Calais on the French mainland• France suffers from
internal conflict• Aristocracy demand
political rights• Peasants revolt in 1358
• English momentum ends with the death of Edward III
Early English Victories Height of English dominance
II. Internal Struggles
• Both nations experience peasant revolts (peasants were taxed most heavily to pay for the war)• Resulted in a
temporary truce
III. The French Rally
• French rally around Charles VII• Joan inspires the French to a series of
victories • 1453, French expel English from the
mainland (except for port city of Calais)
Joan of Arc
• French peasant girl• Received a revelation from God• Mission to restore the heir to the
throne • Captured and executed as a heretic• Became an inspiration to the
French Resistance and a symbol of national identity
EFFECTS OF THE WAR
French Outcomes
• Awakened French nationalism• Helped the state become more centralized • Heavy taxes fell on the peasantry
English Outcomes
• War of the Roses – Civil War between two nobles houses competing for the throne • Develop their own clothing industry
Larger Impacts
• Burden falls hardest on peasants • Downfall of feudalism• Revolution in European warfare• English longbow meant the end of knights• Gunpowder and cannons could take down
castle walls • Allowed strong and wealthy king to centralize
power at the expense of rebellious nobles