Since the Norman Conquest, the kings of England also had several important lands in France, including the Duchies of Normandy and Aquitaine.
King Edward III of England claimed the throne of France in 1337. Edward's mother Isabella was the daughter of King Philip IV of France. The new king, Philip VI, was the nephew of King Philip IV, so Edward, his grandson, had a more direct claim. However, France's salic law barred the daughters of French kings and their children from the throne.
For most of the war, actually a series of wars, the English won most important battles thanks to their superior organization. Foot soldiers carrying long spears (pikes) and archers with Welsh longbows, combined with knights on horseback, defeated the French who relied mainly on knights. Battlefield victories were not enough and the French would attack English areas once the main army withdrew. As a result, the overall war never ended.
English kings were able to use the wars in France as a means of distracting the nobility, who otherwise might fight each other and the king.
King Edward III of England claimed the throne of France in 1337. Edward's mother Isabella was the daughter of King Philip IV of France. The new king, Philip VI, was the nephew of King Philip IV, so Edward, his grandson, had a more direct claim. However, France's salic law barred the daughters of French kings and their children from the throne.
For most of the war, actually a series of wars, the English won most important battles thanks to their superior organization. Foot soldiers carrying long spears (pikes) and archers with Welsh longbows, combined with knights on horseback, defeated the French who relied mainly on knights. Battlefield victories were not enough and the French would attack English areas once the main army withdrew. As a result, the overall war never ended.
English kings were able to use the wars in France as a means of distracting the nobility, who otherwise might fight each other and the king.
The kings of France had been understandably concerned about the English possession of Aquitaine, one of the richest provinces in France. The dukes of Aquitaine, also the kings of England, had refused to swear loyalty to the French king. King Philip VI of France supported the Scots against the English and attempted to seize Aquitaine. King Edward III of England retaliated by claiming the French throne.
For most of the war, the French were unsuccessful against the main English armies; however, the French were able to retake any land that had been surrendered as soon as the main English army withdrew. Toward the end of this period, France was torn apart by civil war between noble families over who would be the guardian of King Charles VI, who had gone insane (he thought he was made of glass). The civil war gave English king Henry V the chance to seize France.
For most of the war, the French were unsuccessful against the main English armies; however, the French were able to retake any land that had been surrendered as soon as the main English army withdrew. Toward the end of this period, France was torn apart by civil war between noble families over who would be the guardian of King Charles VI, who had gone insane (he thought he was made of glass). The civil war gave English king Henry V the chance to seize France.
The dukes of Burgundy were among the richest noble families in Europe. They not only controlled rich farmlands in southern France but also sizable territories in the Holy Roman Empire especially the valuable manufacturing centers in the Low Countries (modern Belgium).
In the early 1400s, the Burgundians fought the Orleans family (later called the Armagnacs) over who should rule while King Charles VI was incapable due to insanity. When England invaded France, the Burgundians remained neutral at first. This allowed the English to crush the royal army made up of the Armagnacs.
In the early 1400s, the Burgundians fought the Orleans family (later called the Armagnacs) over who should rule while King Charles VI was incapable due to insanity. When England invaded France, the Burgundians remained neutral at first. This allowed the English to crush the royal army made up of the Armagnacs.
The Breton family controlled a sizable region in western France (Brittany), which was effectively independent of the king. Other noble families also were effectively out of the king's control. Avignon, a city in southeastern France, was given to one of the rival Popes who had needed to escape Rome.
The improbable English victory at Agincourt forced the French to acknowledge King Henry V of England as the heir to the French throne and husband of King Charles' daughter.
In 1422 King Henry V died, leaving his nine-month old son King Henry VI as the king of England and France. Disputes among the English nobles over the guardianship of King Henry gave the French the chance to retake their country. After the fall of Bordeaux in 1453, England fell into a long civil war, later called the War of the Roses, between the king's supporters and the York family. The civil war prevented any further attempt to retake France.
England would maintain control over Calais, a port city on the English Channel, until 1558.
England would maintain control over Calais, a port city on the English Channel, until 1558.
The Dauphin, the son of King Charles VII, gradually increased his power in France. At first his armies were demoralized, but the victories of Joan of Arc inspired them. Thanks to Joan's victory, the Dauphin (heir to the throne) was confident enough to have himself crowned King Charles VII at the traditional site at Reims Cathedral, deep inside English territory. He did not, however, make any serious attempt to save Joan when she captured by the Burgundians and turned over to the English.
In 1435 Charles brought the Burgundians back to the French side and gradually pushed the English out of France. Noble families, including Burgundy, were forced to submit to the king. In 1488 Brittany, the last major resister, surrendered to the king.
In 1435 Charles brought the Burgundians back to the French side and gradually pushed the English out of France. Noble families, including Burgundy, were forced to submit to the king. In 1488 Brittany, the last major resister, surrendered to the king.
The dukes of Burgundy sided with English for several years. Once the English were clearly losing the dukes switched to supporting the French king. In 1474 Duke Charles of Burgundy fought a war aimed at forming a kingdom of Burgundy. However, the Swiss fought back and ultimately killed him. After his death, the duchy was effectively split into the lands in the Holy Roman Empire and those in France.
French kings Charles VII and Louis XI were able to assert control over the major families through war and marriage. The major French dukes allied by marriage to the French royal family, allowing the king to take over the region if a duke died without a male heir.
The English besieged Orleans hoping to gain a base south of the Loire River from which they could attack the Dauphin (later Charles VII) directly. The Dauphin appointed the seventeen-year old peasant girl, Joan of Arc, to lift the English siege. Inspired by visions of angels she had been having since she was 13, Joan aggressively attacked the English at Orleans and drove them from around the city. It was the first major victory for the French in over fifteen years.