Hundred Years' War

Hundred Years' War was a conflict between England and France that officially began in 1337 when Edward III of England laid claim to the French throne. The intermittent fighting (which actually lasted 116 years) culminated in the expulsion of the English from the European continent (excluding the region of Pale).

1. The actual length of the war: 116 years
2. The longbow was a major advantage for the English
3. Joan of Arc played a major role in reviving French morale near the end of the war
4. Frequent bouts with dysentery led many English bowman to fight naked from the waist down
5. Result: House of Valois gains control of all France
6. The war is normally divided into three phases: Edwardian War, Caroline War and Lancastrian War
7. Edward III claimed rights to the French throne, which was rebuked and lead to the war
8. Gunpowder introduced in the war along with cannons

A number of advancements in weaponry were established during the 116 years of war in western Europe. The English gained a strategic advantage in battle because of the use of the longbow, which was already in wide use before the war started. The French use of the crossbow was advantageous due to the lack of skill needed to operate the weapon. The most advance development came in 1375 when forces used gunpowder and cannons at the Battle of Castillon.

• 1337: Philip VI of France begins causing trouble in Aquitaine

• 1338: Edward III of England claims French Crown

• 1340: England nearly destroys French Fleet at the Battle of Sluys

• 1341: Breton War of Succession

• 1346: Battle of Crécy

• 1348: The Black Death sweeps across Europe

• 1350: Les Espagnols sur Mer

• 1356: The Battle of Poitiers

• 1358: The Jacquerie peasant rebellion

• 1360: Treaty of Brétigny

• 1364: Charles V of France is crowned | Battle of Auray | end of Breton War of Succession

• 1367: Battle of Battle of Nájera

• 1369: Charles V declares war again

• 1372: Battle of La Rochelle

• 1377: Edward III dies | Richard II of England takes throne

• 1381: The Peasants' Revolt in England

• 1389: Truce

• 1392: Charles VI suffers bouts of insanity

• 1399: Henry of Bolingbroke seizes the English throne

• 1415: Battle of Agincourt

• 1420: Treaty of Troyes

• 1429: The Battle of Patay partially credited to Joan of Arc

• 1431: Joan of Arc burned at the stake

• 1436: Charles VII captures Paris

• 1453: Battle of Castillon ends the war without a treaty