Hundred Years' War
For more than a century, Europe was riven by fire and ambition as English and French dynasties bled the land in pursuit of a crown—leaving behind fields sown with bones and a continent forever changed.
Quick Facts
- Period
- 1337 - 1453
- Region
- Europe
- Casualties
- 2 to 3 million dead, including soldiers and civilians, from battle, famine, and disease.
- Outcome
- The Kingdom of France emerged victorious, ending English territorial claims on the French mainland and reshaping the medieval order of Western Europe.
- Key Figures
- Charles VII (Charles Albert of Bavaria), Edward III, Henry V +2 more
Key Figures
Charles VII (Charles Albert of Bavaria)
King of France
FranceCharles VII, born Charles Albert of Bavaria, was a man torn between dazzling ambition and persistent self-doubt—a prince...
Edward III
King of England
EnglandEdward III was a monarch whose restless ambition became both his driving force and, ultimately, his undoing. Ascending t...
Henry V
King of England
EnglandHenry V stands as a study in the contradictions of kingship—a man shaped by conflict, driven by insecurity, and consumed...
Joan of Arc
Military Leader / Saint
FranceJoan of Arc was an anomaly—a teenage peasant whose force of personality and conviction thrust her to the center of one o...
Philip VI
King of France
FrancePhilip VI, the first French king of the Valois dynasty, came to the throne in 1328 amid a maelstrom of doubt, expectatio...
The Story
This narrative combines documented history with dramatized scenes for storytelling purposes.
Tensions & Preludes
In the early fourteenth century, the tapestry of Western Europe was woven with fragile alliances, simmering rivalries, and wounds that refused to heal. The king...
Spark & Outbreak
The year was 1337. History turned on the flourish of a royal seal as Edward III, in a gesture that stunned Europe, declared himself the rightful king of France....
Escalation
By the mid-1340s, the Hundred Years’ War had grown into a vast and unrelenting storm. No longer confined to isolated skirmishes or sporadic raids, the conflict ...
Turning Point
**CHAPTER 4: Turning Point** The tide of the Hundred Years’ War, after decades of devastation, began to shift in the late 1420s. For years, English fortunes ha...
Resolution & Aftermath
The final years of the Hundred Years’ War were marked by exhaustion and collapse, not only on the battlefield but across the battered landscape of France. By 14...
Timeline
Confiscation of Aquitaine
Philip VI of France formally confiscates the Duchy of Aquitaine from Edward III of England, escalating tensions and providing the immediate pretext for war.
Location: Paris, France
Battle of Sluys
The English fleet defeats the French navy in a bloody engagement off the Flemish coast, securing control of the English Channel and crippling French maritime power.
Location: Sluys, Flanders
Battle of Crécy
Edward III's English army, outnumbered but disciplined, annihilates French chivalry with devastating longbow volleys, marking a turning point in medieval warfare.
Location: Crécy, France
Siege of Calais
After a grueling eleven-month siege, English forces capture Calais, securing a vital foothold on the continent that will remain in English hands for over two centuries.
Location: Calais, France
Battle of Poitiers
The Black Prince leads English forces to a stunning victory, capturing King John II of France and destabilizing the French monarchy.
Location: Poitiers, France
Jacquerie Peasant Revolt
Desperate French peasants, driven by war and famine, rise up in violent rebellion; the revolt is crushed with brutal reprisals by the nobility.
Location: Northern France
Treaty of Brétigny
The treaty temporarily halts the war, granting large territories to England and a hefty ransom for the release of the French king, but fails to secure lasting peace.
Location: Brétigny, France
Battle of Agincourt
Henry V's English army, exhausted and outnumbered, slaughters the French nobility in mud and rain, cementing his reputation and reigniting English hopes.
Location: Agincourt, France
Treaty of Troyes
This treaty disinherits the French dauphin, recognizing Henry V as heir to the French throne and uniting the crowns in theory, but sowing seeds of further conflict.
Location: Troyes, France
Relief of Orléans
Joan of Arc leads French forces to lift the English siege of Orléans, reversing French fortunes and inspiring a nationwide resurgence.
Location: Orléans, France
Execution of Joan of Arc
Captured and tried for heresy, Joan of Arc is burned at the stake in Rouen, her martyrdom galvanizing French resistance.
Location: Rouen, France
Battle of Castillon
French artillery crushes the last major English force in France, killing John Talbot and effectively ending the Hundred Years' War.
Location: Castillon, France
Sources
- wikipediaHundred Years' War
Comprehensive encyclopedia article on the war's causes, battles, and aftermath.
- bookThe Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453
Desmond Seward's acclaimed narrative history of the conflict.
- bookThe Hundred Years War: A People's History
David Green's analysis focusing on the war's impact on ordinary people.
- podcastBBC In Our Time: The Hundred Years War
Scholarly discussion of the war's causes, events, and legacy.
- documentaryThe Hundred Years War (Part I and II)
Documentary series by Kings and Generals on YouTube.
- wikipediaThe Black Prince
Biography of Edward, Prince of Wales, a key English commander.
- bookJoan of Arc: A History
Helen Castor's biography of Joan of Arc and her role in the war.
- bookAgincourt: The King, the Campaign, the Battle
Juliet Barker's detailed account of the Battle of Agincourt.
- bookFrance in the Later Middle Ages 1200-1500
David Potter's analysis of French society and politics during the war.
Connected Across The Archives
Explore specific connections to other archives—civilizations, dynasties, companies, and treaties that share history with this conflict.
Civilization Archive
(2)Anglo-Saxon Civilization
The Hundred Years' War, occurring long after the Anglo-Saxon era, solidified English national identity, echoing Anglo-Saxon cultural legacies.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire's decline during the Hundred Years' War shifted European power, influencing territorial ambitions and diplomatic relations.
Lineage Archive
(1)
Treaty Archive
(2)Treaty of Brétigny
The Treaty of Brétigny temporarily halted the Hundred Years' War, redefining English and French territorial control and influencing future conflicts.
Treaty of Troyes
The Treaty of Troyes attempted to unify English and French crowns, underscoring the complexity and enduring nature of the Hundred Years' War.
Explore Related Archives
Wars reshape borders, topple dynasties, and transform civilizations. Explore the broader context of history's conflicts.
