1337 - Hundred Years War

     The Hundred Years' War was not just one big war, but a series of wars and battles between the English and the French from 1337 to 1453. The whole point of the conflict was to gain control over the lands of France.This tremendously long war resulted in weaking the economical and political system that is also known as feudalism that started in Europe during the Middle Ages. England already claimed the lands of France as their countrys' own, and the French(of course) disagreed because it was their land in the first place.

The English won pretty much all the battles in the beginning of the Hundred Years' War. The Battle of Crecy (1346) is an example of one of Englands' victories. The French had horses that carried knights into battle. The knights wore heavy armor and were armed with swords and crossbows. Meanwhile, the Englishs' attire was light armor and longbows to defend themselves. Some of the soldiers of England were recruits of the common people(usually peasants) and were paid to fight.The longbows and the light armor quickly lead the English to victory of the Battle of Crecy. But then in 1415, King Henry V invaded France. The French now used more modern war tactics and had the inspiration of 17-year-old Joan of Arc, who claimed she heard the voices of the saints telling her to fight for France. She lead the French to victory in 1429 in the Battle of Orleans. Unfourtunatly she was captured a year later and burned at the stake for being a witch. On a happier note, the French finally won the Hundred Years' War 22 years after the death of Joan of Arc.

The Importance of the Hundred Years' War

     The result of the Hundred Years' War was the fall of feudalism by taking away all the power and control from the big-wig feudal lords and giving it to the common people and monarchs who collected taxes to raise and train a proffesional army that didn't call for common people recruits. The common people then felt more loyalty to their king than to the feudal lords, and there was a great feeling of patriotism. And with the new war technology such as gunpowder and cannons, it made knights and castles less important because the knights could easily be killed with longbows and the walls of castles could be quickly be destroyed with a cannonball. Before the war ended, peasants were recruited into battle and had to pay more expensive taxes.Those who survived the terrible battles had to continue fighting. This way the common people came out of the war with a surge of power.

  The French V.S. the English. As you can see, the English on the right have longbows

while the French on the left have swords and crossbows, which don't shoot arrows

as far or as accurate as a longbow.

Sources

   1. Bower and Lobdell, Bert and Jim. History Alive!The Medival World and Beyond.

      United States, Teachers' Curriculum Institute,2005

   2. www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/YALD100.jpg August 26, 2007