Hundred Years War, France
Start of the Hundred Years War and early English victories, 1337-1370
Background
The first thing to realise about the Hundred Years War is that it was not one continuous battle between the English and the French. Rather, it was a series of battles, spread over 133 years. The name Hundred Years War did not arise until 1823. The whole Hundred Years War is characterised by the excessive violence, the pursuit of personal interests, and by the presence of several colourful characters whose names have passed into history - including the Black Prince, and Joan of Arc.
Not unusually, the roots of the Hundred Years War lay in part with royal inheritance lines. The Capetian Dynasty, which had ruled in France for over 300 years, had no male heir for the throne, and Edward III, King of England, was the closest male relative. The French did not want an English king, and claimed that the line of inheritance was invalid, since it was not a continuous male line. Therefore, they claimed, Philip of Valois should be King. Both sides had a good case, and historical precedents to support them. Edward III eventually agreed to keep Gascony, in south-west France, in exchange for giving up his rights to the French throne.
All would have been well, perhaps (although improbable), but Edward III went to war against David II of Scotland. At this time, Scotland were an ally of the French. This war escalated, gave Philip an excuse to seize Gascony and to deny the rights of Edward, and in 1337 war was declared between the two nations.
Start of the War
The early years of the war were fought in the north of France, and in the English channel. Despite early naval victories, by 1340 the French fleet had been destroyed and the English maintained control of the channel. Regional battles continued in Brittany and Gascony until 1846, when Edward III mounted a major invasion of France. Edward was unable to make significant headway and was forced to prepare for battle at Crécy. At Crécy, the French outnumbered the English by a substantial margin, but the skills of the English army were superior, and the French suffered a crushing defeat. Following this battle, Edward moved north, and the following year he captured Calais.
At this point the Black Death arrived in Europe, restricting any great ambitions for further battles. It was not until 1356 that the next major battle would be fought. John II had replaced Philip in France, and it was now Edward's son - Edward the Black Prince - who represented England. The Black prince invaded France from gascony, and won a great victory at the Battle of Poitiers. John II was captured during the battle, and signed a truce with the Black Prince. The ransom for the French King was raised, and a new treaty was signed in which the English gained control of a large part of Aquitaine.
An interesting side-note: John II had been allowed to return to France to raise the ransom money, but as part of this agreement several french nobles had gone to England to take his place as hostages. They escaped back to France, which horrified John II, as his royal word had not been kept. He therefore returned to England, and turned himself in. He eventually died in England in 1364, to great fanfare and acclaim from the English for his honourable behaviour.
By 1358-1360 the Black Prince was again invading France. He signed a treaty with Charles (later Charles V) in which he gave up rights to the French throne and received some more of Aquitaine, but in reality this Treaty - the Treaty of Brétigny - had little long term effect, because both parties soon reneged on the deal.
And so the first stage of the war ended, with England having gained significant victories, at land and at sea, and now had a strong foothold in France.
Hundred Years War - Contents
Part 1 - Start of the Hundred Years War
Part 2 - French Victories in the Hundred Years War
Part 3 - English Victories in the Hundred Years War
Part 4 - Joan of Arc and the End of the Hundred Years War