An overview of the early years of the Hundred Years War and its impact on British culture

Mondo History Updated on 2024-01-19

After the death of King Philip IV of France, he was left with a series of troubles. The nephews of Edward III and Philip IV of England both claimed legitimate rights to the French throne, which eventually led to the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. The British won a series of victories in their attack on France, first defeating the French navy at the Battle of Sluys and gaining control of the English Channel, and then winning a crucial victory at the Battle of Crécy, capturing the French city of Calais. In addition, England managed to repel the Scottish invasion and capture the pro-French Scottish king David II. However, the Black Death then broke out in Europe, and the details of this plague were detailed in our previous program, and in general, the Black Death caused a large number of corpses to be scattered in Europe, and the population was reduced by a third. This was more terrible than both the English broadsword and the French hoplite. Because of this great plague, Britain and France had an armistice for ten years.

In 1356, the English invaded France again, capturing large territories and capturing King John II of France at the Battle of Poitiers. As soon as the French king was captured, the British extorted extortion from the French, imposed extortion, and imposed large taxes on the occupied territories. Unfortunately, King John II of France was not released until his death and found himself in a very miserable situation. It is worth noting that after the British captured the French king, France fell into a leaderless predicament, but the British missed the opportunity and chose to sign the Peace of Bretini with France, demanding that France cede all the territory south of the Loire to the Pyrenees, pay an indemnity of three million gold coins, and at the same time Edward gave up the struggle for the French throne. The Anglo-French War also evolved from a struggle for the throne to a war of aggression and counter-aggression. With the French facing a huge disadvantage, how are they going to unfold the Jedi Great **?

In the early stages of the war, Britain won a series of victories, capturing large swathes of French territory and capturing the French king alive. They forced France to sign unequal treaties. However, after the humiliation, France welcomed a great monarch, the famous Charles V. Even before the treaty was signed, Charles began to plan a counterattack against the British. In 1364, after Charles officially ascended the throne, he actively prepared for war and prepared to regain the lost territory. During this period, an outstanding hero emerged in France, who was known as the Eagle of Brittany, named Bertrand du Guecland. He used tactics such as sneak attacks, detours, and guerrilla attacks to continuously deplete the British army, and although the British army was still stronger than the French army as a whole at that time, the French gradually turned the situation around. Subsequently, France regained lost territory, and by 1380 it had regained large swaths of territory, forcing England into the French coast. Eventually, the Twenty-Year Armistice was signed between England and France in 1396, when England had only five port cities left in France.

At the same time as the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France, exchanges between Britain and France and other European countries also deepened, which greatly promoted the development of English literature, art and other fields. During this period, Britain ushered in the birth of the world-renowned writer Geoffrey Chaucer. His early works were influenced by France and Italy.

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