I wrapped up The Plantagenets, and another topic really interested me beyond the King John and the Magna Carta. That was a deeper look into the Hundred Years War than I'm sure I've ever had before.
How could a single conflict conceivably last (over) a hundred years? Well, in the case of the Hundred Years War it didn't, really. There were several active phases separated by periods, in one case decades, of peace. But the main resolution of the quintessential medieval war between England and France, which began in 1337, didn't come until 1453. I'm writing this because I'd forgotten the causes, course, and wide-ranging impact of this war. We'll mostly stick to the early part and learn a bit about one of the primary English heroes, who I like for somewhat silly reasons.
We already know that since the Norman Conquest the kings of England also controlled land in France. From then these kings primarily spoke French and spent most of their time on the continent, holding court there and frequently warring with the French king in particular. King John eventually lost his family's ancestral home of Normandy and the rest of northern France but kept a slice of Aquitaine, inherited from his mother. Henceforth he was in reality confined to the British Isles. This situation largely held for more than a century, which mostly saw inept kingship (the exception being 'Longshanks' Edward I) and an inability to change the status quo abroad. But the dynastic dreams in France never subsided and would survive as long as the kings held some territory there.
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Edward III, John's great-great-grandson, became king at 14 in 1327 but didn't hold the reins of power for a few years. With high ambitions for himself, for England, and for the nobles and knights that surrounded him, he learned from the mistakes of his predecessors. His father, Edward II, was a disastrous king that got himself removed from the throne. His great-grandfather, Henry III, was weak, on multiple occasions allowing others to (poorly) rule the kingdom. In both cases, plus John, these kings lost the faith and consent of the other leading men of the realm, leading to growing power and importance of Parliament. Edward III knew he needed to tether these men closely to his rule if he was to be successful. For starters, he loved jousting tournaments and the pageantry of kingship and connected with the class of men who shared this. But he had greater designs.
Part of King Edward's far-reaching plans grew from his blood. His mother was daughter to one French king and sister to three others. In 1328 all were gone and the direct male Capetian line died with them. The next all male descendant was the previous French king's cousin. Edward thus had a claim to the French throne, albeit not a great one as Salic Law prohibited the crown passing through a woman. He decided to press his claim in 1337, styling himself King of England and France and the result was the Hundred Years War. It was the peak of medieval chivalry and delineated what it meant to be English or French.
The early years of the war saw several notable English victories including Sluys at sea and Crecy on land, combining to establish English martial ascendence. To prevent his thirst for war from leading to revolution at home, as had afflicted his ancestors, Edward schemed to bind his most skillful warriors to himself and emulate the legendary King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. In 1348 he created the Order of the Garter, to which exactly 24 of the best knights in the land were named. As far as we can tell it was indeed named for the article of clothing, which young and flamboyant knights would often wear to battle. This creation was the first English order of knighthood, still the highest today, and the beginning of the British Honours system. And it worked, becoming a prestigious and distinctly national award, one that could only be won serving England and its king.
Besides the king himself, the first knight named to this new chivalrous order was Edward's eldest son, also called Edward. Later called 'the Black Prince' (which I think is a terrific and terrifying nickname for a military leader), he was still a teenager at the time. However, already the hero of Crecys and part of the successful capture of Calais, he'd earned the position and would further build his reputation as English hero. Btw, this is who James Purefoy portrayed in A Knight's Tale.
The incredibly effective Black Prince would win quite a few battles, not least Poitiers in 1356 (already nearly 20 years into the war) and seemed to have destiny on his side. There the English, rampaging through southwest France since the previous autumn, were finally confronted by the French king and a considerably larger army. After a rout the French king himself and many other French nobles were captured. In 1360 a peace was established guaranteeing the expanded English position in southwest France and the channel ports, ending the 'Edwardian' phase of the Hundred Years War. It was thoroughly dominated by the English, who now held much more than a foothold in France.
This next period, between active phases of the war, is notable for other reasons. In 1362 English finally became the language of the government, where it was required in Parliament and the courts. The upper classes were speaking it and so was the king himself. This change was cultural and popular, as everywhere else it'd been commonplace for ages. Several notable English writers and poets, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, even appeared on the scene. The bible was finally translated into the vernacular as well.
Meanwhile the Black Prince was named Prince of Aquitaine, taking over the land he conquered. It was normal, even expected, for the heir to the throne to be granted a principality to keep busy and make money for starters. Things didn't go well from that point. He foolishly pursued a campaign in modern-day Spain that bankrupted him, even though he once again proved his mettle in battle. It was also where he contracted some sort of serious disease (Dan Jones suggests dysentery, malaria or dropsy) that would slowly destroy his body and lead to an early grave. In an attempt to regain a financial footing he raised harsh taxes on the lords of Aquitaine, who already did not love the recently arrived English prince. This would, in the end, drive them to openly support the return of their longtime French king overlord. When war broke out again in 1369 the Black Prince's territory melted away. At one point, he retook a city called Limoges that had easily surrendered to the enemy and quickly massacred a number of its citizens. This brutal action, and others, likely led to the adoption of his moniker and is why he remains a hated figure in France.
In the 1370s King Edward himself was old and in full mental decline. The Black Prince worsened as well and died, in his 40s, in 1376, followed shortly by his father in 1377. The second phase of war did not go England's way without either of its most capable leaders. Neither did the rest of the Hundred Years War in the long run. Agincourt in 1415, the most famous usage of the longbow and perhaps greatest English victory of all time, ushered in a new period of English success but again it wouldn't last. This remainder included Joan of Arc and a subsequent rising French national spirit. In time the English would be entirely pushed out of southwest France, finally ending hundreds of years of continental dispute by the English kings. Their loss in fact so weakened the monarchy it led to the Wars of the Roses. Through it all, however, the identities and national pride of both England and France were solidified in battle, and in other important ways like language. The two nations would then forever be separate geographically and culturally.
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