The main events of the Hundred Years' War briefly. French succession conflict

Background

Hundred Years' War in the history of Europe: causes, background, main stages, historical significance.

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As a result of a series military reforms conscription was abolished and universal conscription was introduced, which was also a step towards civil society. 1874.

THE REFORM OF ALEXANDER II BROUGHT RUSSIA CLOSER TO ADVANCED COUNTRIES, AND THE INTRODUCTION OF A CONSTITUTION AND PARLIAMENT WAS ON THE AGENDA.

The Hundred Years' War between France and England (1337-1453) became the most difficult test in the long-standing conflict between the two states. It unfolded on the territory of France and was accompanied by a long occupation of the country by the British, leading to population loss, a reduction in production and trade.

The main centers of controversy:

The territory of Aquitaine (especially Guienne, the object of the claims of the English king) is an economically important area for both countries. Wine, salt, steel and dyes went from Guienne to England. The Guienne nobility, seeking to maintain political independence, preferred the nominal power of England to the real power of the French monarch.

Flanders has become the object of aggression for both warring parties.

The Hundred Years' War began and took place under the sign of the dynastic claims of the English monarchy. In 1328, the last of Philip IV's sons died, leaving no heir. The English king Edward III, who, as the grandson of Philip IV on the female side, had a convenient opportunity to unite England and France, declared his rights to the French throne. In France, however, they referred to a legal norm that excluded the possibility of transferring the crown through the female line. The crown was transferred to the representative of the side branch of the Capetians - Philip VI of Valois.

Then Edward III decided to achieve his goal with the help of weapons.

This war has become biggest war European scale. They were somehow involved in it:

HRE, Flanders, Aragon, Portugal - on the side of England

Castile, Scotland and the Vatican are on the side of France

First stage (1337-1360)

The war began in 1337 successful operations British in the north. They won at sea in 1340 (Battle of Sluis off the coast of Flanders). The turning point for the first stage of the war was the British victory on land in 1346 at the Battle of Crécy in Picardy. This allowed them to take Calais - an important strategic port - in 1347.

In the southwest, the British captured Guienne and Gascony from the sea, where his son Edward the Black Prince became the governor of Edward III. Based in Bordeaux, he carried out brutal raids on the central regions of France. When returning from another raid in 1356, his troops were overtaken near Poitiers, but the French, who outnumbered the British, were defeated. The defeat at Poitiers put France in an extremely difficult situation. The treasury was empty, a significant part of the territory was occupied. King John II was captured by the British. The ransom amount for him was determined at 3,000,000 gold ecus.

In 1359, the Peace of London was signed, according to which the English crown received Aquitaine, and John II was released. Military failures and economic difficulties led to popular outrage - the Parisian Uprising (1357-1358) and the Jacquerie (1358).

Truce (1360-1369)

In 1360, peace was concluded in Bretigny. His conditions were of a compromise nature, although they were difficult for France. Edward III renounced his claims to the French crown, but the lands south of the Loire remained in his power, and this amounted to about a third of France.

This peace was essentially a respite, since the continuation of the war was inevitable. This was the goal of the reforms of the next king of France, Charles V, as a result of which taxes were increased, the king's control over the army was strengthened and discipline was improved, and a transition was made to the tactics of small battles. Thanks to all this, a series of military successes for France began.

Second stage (1370-1396)

In the mid-70s, the French army pushed the British in the south of the country to the sea, leaving only Bordeaux, Bayonne and the coast between them under their rule.

With the death of the Black Prince in 1376 and Edward III in 1377, the prince's minor son, Richard II, ascended the English throne. In the 1380s, England faced a new threat to the north from Scotland. In 1388, English troops were defeated by the Scots at the Battle of Otterbourne.

France, meanwhile, was experiencing a series of anti-tax popular uprisings.

Due to the extreme exhaustion of both sides, in 1396 they concluded a truce, which lasted until 1415.

Third period (1415-1453)

In 1415, the English army, led by King Henry V, resumed hostilities in Picardy with the intention of taking Calais. France, weakened by civil strife, lost all achievements in the field of military discipline. France was defeated at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). The British captured Normandy and Maine.

The situation was aggravated by the position of the Duke of Burgundy, John the Fearless, who in 1416 entered into an alliance with England and provided it with significant assistance. The policy of John the Fearless was continued by his son, Philip the Good. Having received the title of Grand Duke of the West, he began to strive for the crown. The Duchy of Burgundy posed a significant obstacle to the unification of France, and the alliance with the British only added fuel to the fire.

As a result, the British achieved the conclusion of the most difficult peace for France at Troyes (1420). According to him, the English king Henry V was to become the ruler of France, and then the throne was to pass to his son Henry VI. Thus, France lost its independence. In 1422, Henry V died, and ten-month-old Henry VI took the throne, for whom the Duke of Bedford, his uncle, began to rule. However, the Dauphin Charles, despite the peace terms, proclaimed himself King Charles VII and began the fight for the French crown. His power was recognized by some provinces in the south, southwest and center of the country, but they were sparsely populated and scattered.

For France, a new stage of the war began - the struggle for independence. A significant factor in the further development of events was the policy of the British in the conquered lands. Henry V began distributing them to English barons and knights. Such a policy gave rise to resistance among the French population and hatred of the conquerors.

In 1428, the British laid siege to Orleans. The capture of this fortress opened up an almost unhindered advance to the south. Having received reinforcements from Bordeaux, which the British were counting on, they would have made France's position hopeless. During this difficult period for the country, there was a decisive turning point in the course of events associated with the name of Joan of Arc. Jeanne was convinced that it was she who would save France by becoming the head of the army and expelling the British. The king, being in a hopeless situation, put Jeanne at the head of the army, surrounding him with experienced military leaders. Jeanne's deep faith in victory generated incredible enthusiasm in the military ranks.

At the end of April 1428, Jeanne and her army arrived in Orleans. Within four days, the British fortifications around the city were taken by the French, and on May 8 the British lifted the siege. The subsequent liberation of Champagne improved the position of the French king Charles VII, but the attempt to take Paris ended in failure.
In May 1430, Jeanne was captured. At the end of the same year, Jeanne was transported to Rouen - the center of the English occupation - and betrayed to the Inquisition. Charles VII did not provide any assistance to Jeanne, since her influence posed a certain threat to him. The tribunal found her guilty of heresy. In May 1431, Jeanne was burned.

The reforms of Charles VII had a great influence on the further development of events. In 1439 he established a royal monopoly on the tag, a tax levied for public purposes. At the same time, military reforms were carried out, establishing the king’s right to sole command of the army. From now on it was divided into cavalry and infantry.

These reforms led to significant military successes for France. In 1435, the Duke of Burgundy entered into an alliance with Charles VII. The British lost Paris, Normandy, Rouen and Bordeaux. Only Kale remained in their hands. In 1453, the Hundred Years' War ended.

The Hundred Years' War was a series of military conflicts between England and France that lasted from approximately 1337 to 1453.

Reasons for the start of the war

1337 - The French governor of Flanders arrested merchants from England trading here. In response to this, the import of wool from Flanders into England was banned, which could threaten the ruin of the Flemish cities that lived off English trade. They rebelled against French rule, and received open support from the British.

Beginning of the Hundred Years' War - 1337

1337, November - a French flotilla attacked the English coast. After which King Edward III of England declared war on France. On his mother's side, he was the grandson of King Philip IV the Fair and a claimant to the throne of France.

1340, June - the British won naval battle at Sluys at the mouth of the Scheldt River, thereby securing control of the English Channel. In this battle, the French squadron was reinforced by ships hired from the Genoese, but this did not save it from defeat. The British fleet, in turn, was reinforced by light Flemish ships. The French admirals hoped that in the cramped bay the enemy fleet would not be able to maneuver freely. But King Edward was able to rebuild his fleet with the wind and break through the line of French ships. After the victory at Sluys, the British gained supremacy at sea.

The English expeditionary force landed in Flanders, but was unable to capture the fortress of Tournai, which was occupied by a French garrison. King Edward III of England concluded a truce with King Philip VI of France. It lasted until 1346, when the British landed immediately in Normandy, Guienne and Flanders.

The first successes were achieved in the south, where British troops were able to capture almost all the castles. The main forces under the command of Edward carried out operations in Normandy. They numbered 4,000 cavalry, 10,000 English and Welsh archers and 6,000 Irish pikemen. Edward moved to Flanders. The king of France came towards him with 10,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry. Despite the fact that the French destroyed the bridges, Edward managed to cross the Seine and Somme and in August 1346 he reached the village of Cressy, where he decided to give battle to the French pursuing him.

The English troops lined up in battle formation at a height facing the enemy with a gentle slope. The right flank was reliably covered by a steep slope and dense forest, the left by a large forest area, which would have taken a lot of time to get around. Edward hurried his knights and sent his horses to the convoy, hidden behind the reverse slope of the hill. The knights stood interspersed with archers, who lined up in a checkerboard pattern of 5 ranks.

On the night of August 26, the French army reached the Abbeville area, approximately 20 km from the British camp. The French had a significant numerical superiority over the enemy, especially in the knightly cavalry, but they were poorly organized. The knights did not obey a single command.

At 15 o'clock the French approached Cressy. Given that his soldiers were tired after a long march, Philip decided to postpone the attack until the next day. But, seeing the English army, the knights already rushed into battle. Then the king of France sent crossbowmen to help them. But English bows shot further than crossbows, and archers spent less time on each shot. The crossbowmen were unable to take advantage of their advantage in shooting accuracy and almost all fled or were killed.

Meanwhile, the French knights managed to line up in battle formation. The left wing was commanded by the Count of Alençon, the right by the Count of Flanders. During the attack, the mounted knights trampled some of their crossbowmen. The French were forced to climb the hillside under a cloud of arrows. Those who managed to reach the enemy line could not withstand the fight with the dismounted English knights. The French were only able to slightly push back the British right flank, but Edward transferred 20 knights there from the center and quickly restored the situation.

The French lost 11 princes, 1,200 knights and 4,000 common cavalry and squires, as well as a significant number of infantry. Philip's army retreated from the battlefield in disorder.

The British had much smaller losses, but they did not pursue the enemy. The dismounted knights needed a lot of time to get back on their horses, and during this time the French cavalry was already far away.

Conclusion of the truce from 1347 to 1355 (8 years)

After the victory at Cressy, Edward laid siege to Calais. The fortress fell in 1347 after an 11-month siege. The British occupied the territory between the Laura and Garonne rivers. 1347 - a truce was concluded, which lasted 8 years.

1355 - fighting resumed. British troops went on the offensive in the north and south. 1356 - The English, led by Edward, the "Black Prince", the eldest son of King Edward III, landed in southwestern France and besieged the fortress of Ramorantin near Orleans. The English army had 1,800 knights, 2,000 archers and several thousand spearmen.

Soon, King John II the Good of France, at the head of 3,000 knights and a detachment of infantry, unblocked the fortress. Edward retreated to Poitiers. He began negotiations for a truce, and then began to withdraw. The French vanguard pursuing the British came under fire from archers, and was then counterattacked by mounted knights.

On the shoulders of French cavalrymen, the British burst into the battle formation of the main French forces. John ordered the knights to dismount, hoping to repeat the success of Edward III at Cressy, but the panic-stricken army could no longer resist. Not everyone was able to escape. Many knights and the king were captured. To ransom John from captivity, a special tax had to be introduced.

Failures in the war and the growing tax burden caused a rebellion in Paris and the cities of Northern France. 1358 - a big fire broke out peasant revolt, called the Jacquerie, but the Dauphin (heir to the throne) Charles managed to suppress it a few months later.

World from 1360 to 1369 (9 years)

1360 - a peace was concluded in Bretigny, according to which the French ceded Calais and the southwestern coast to the British. Returning to Paris, John began to prepare to continue the fight. He created a strong fleet, streamlined the recruitment of troops, and repaired the fortress walls. 1369 - the war resumed.

Truce in the Hundred Years' War from 1380 to 1415 (35 years)

Now the French went on the offensive. They avoided major clashes, but carried out operations on enemy communications and blocked small detachments and garrisons of the British. 1372 - the Castilian (Spanish) fleet, allied with France, defeated the English fleet at La Rochelle. Which made it difficult for the British to transfer reinforcements from the British Isles. By the end of 1374, they only held the cities of Calais, Bordeaux, Brest, Cherbourg and Bayonne in France. 1380 - a truce was concluded that lasted 35 years.

1415 - A large English army under the command of King Henry V again invaded French territory. She captured the fortress of Hafleur at the mouth of the Seine and advanced to Flanders through Abbeville. But at the Somme, Henry’s army was met by well-fortified French troops. The British did not force the river, but went to its upper reaches, where they could easily cross to the right bank.

The French followed a parallel march. On October 25, at Agincourt, they overtook the enemy and blocked his further movement. The French army numbered from 4 to 6,000 knights, crossbowmen and spearmen. The Duke of Brabant hurried with his army to help the main forces of the French. But he and the vanguard arrived only at the very end of the battle and could no longer influence its outcome.

The French positioned themselves on a plowed field between two forests. Their front was about 500 m. Some of the knights dismounted, and the other part formed two cavalry detachments that stood on the flanks of the position. The British army, numbering 9,000 thousand people, had a significant numerical superiority. But the French had more mounted knights - 2–3,000 versus 1,000 for the British.

Henry hastened his knights and mixed them with archers. Before the battle began, it rained throughout the night. The English launched an offensive across a muddy plowed field, across which knights in heavy armor moved with difficulty. Henry ordered them to remain where they were. The archers, having approached the enemy within an effective shot, quickly built a palisade from the stakes they had and began to shoot the enemy knights with arrows. The French counterattack was repulsed.

The retreating mounted knights disrupted the battle formation of their own infantry. Then the dismounted knights of the English arrived and, together with the archers, rushed to the attack. With the help of special darsonnière hooks, French knights were pulled from their horses. Many of them were captured. The overthrown French army retreated in disorder. The British, as usual, did not pursue, because the dismounted knights needed a lot of time to get to their horses in the rear.

In the following years, the French suffered a number of defeats. 1419 - The Duke of Burgundy became the allies of the British. 1420 - peace was concluded in Troyes, which gave a good half of France under the control of the British, and the mentally ill King of France Charles VI the Mad recognized the English King Henry V as his heir. But the son of Charles the Mad, Dauphin Charles, did not recognize this treaty, and the war continued.

1421 - French troops, with the help of Scottish allies, defeated the British at the Battle of Beaujeu. 1422 - Charles the Mad died and his son ascended the throne. But in the next two years, the French army suffered new defeats, and the British did not recognize Charles VII as the French king.

1428 - The British and their Burgundian allies occupied the capital of France and laid siege to Orleans on October 8. The stone walls of this fortress with 31 towers were considered impregnable, and the British were going to starve Orleans out. The siege lasted 7 months.

The British blockade line around Orleans stretched for 7 km and consisted of 11 fortifications. In the spring of 1429, an English detachment of 5,000 people remained near Orleans. King Charles VII of France came to the rescue of Orleans with an army of 6,000. At the same time, an English detachment with a food train was heading towards Orleans. Charles's troops attacked this detachment near the city of Rouvres, but the British took cover behind a well-fortified palisade and, with accurate archery, forced the enemy knights to retreat in disarray.

Joan of Arc in the Hundred Years' War

Charles VII was about to retreat to Provence. But here in the struggle near Orleans a turning point occurred, associated with the name of Joan of Arc, later nicknamed the Maid of Orleans.

The 18-year-old daughter of a peasant from the village of Domremy, in March 1429, dressed in a man's dress, arrived in the city of Chinon, where King Charles was. She told the king that she was sent by God to save him and the people.

Karl allowed Jeanne to form a detachment of volunteers for the relief of Orleans. This detachment was created in the city of Blois.

Jeanne was able to introduce iron discipline among her people. She removed women from the camp, banned robbery and profanity, and made attendance at church services compulsory for everyone. The people saw Jeanne as a new saint. In Blois, she issued a proclamation in which she addressed the British with a stern warning: “Leave, or I will kick you out of France,” “Those who do not leave well will be destroyed.” These words encouraged the French and instilled in them faith in victory.

1429, April 27 - the campaign for the liberation of France began. At the insistence of the military leaders, Jeanne led her detachment to Orleans along the left bank of the Loire. She herself advocated movement on the right bank. Then the French would not have had to cross the river, although they would have been forced to pass by heavily fortified castles occupied by the British.

On the morning of the 29th, the French passed the southern English fortifications. But the Loire still had to be crossed. A headwind prevented the French ships from ascending the river. Zhanna predicted that the wind direction would soon change. In fact, the wind soon changed to fair, and the ships arrived at Chessy, where Jeanne’s detachment was located. But there were too few of them. Jeanne crossed with only 200 horsemen, and returned the rest of the soldiers to Blois to continue on to Orleans along the right bank.

Upon arrival in Orleans, Jeanne demanded that the British leave French soil. The English commander responded by promising to burn Joan if she fell into his hands. On the fourth of May, part of the Orleans garrison, led by Jeanne, left the city to meet her detachment that had come from Blois. The French passed the English fortifications without hindrance. The English blockade force was too weak to attack them.

On May 6, the French attacked the Bastille of Augustine and, after a fierce battle, captured it. On May 7, Jeanne led the attack on the last English fortification on the left bank of the Loire. She was wounded by an arrow, but continued to inspire the soldiers until the English tower was taken. The next day, the British lifted the siege of Orleans and retreated.

On September 8, Charles allowed his army to storm Paris, but the attack ended in failure. The French retreated to the Loire. Subsequently, the fighting was concentrated at Compiegne, where the Burgundians, allies of the British, operated. 1430 - in one of the skirmishes, the Burgundian detachment took Maid of Orleans captured

1431 - Jeanne was tried in Rouen, found guilty of witchcraft and burned at the stake as a witch. 1456 - as a result of a new trial, she was posthumously rehabilitated, and in 1920 Catholic Church canonized her as a saint.

Results of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453)

The death of Joan of Arc did not change the unfavorable course of the Hundred Years' War for the British. 1435 - the Duke of Burgundy went over to the side of Charles VII, which predetermined the final defeat of the British. IN next year French troops liberated Paris. Normandy came under French control by 1450, and Guienne, with the exception of Bordeaux, by 1451. In 1453, the surrender of the English garrison of Bordeaux ended the Hundred Years' War - without the formal signing of any peace treaty, in the natural course of things. The British managed to keep only the port of Calais in France. It went to France only in 1558.

England failed to conquer France, and France failed to annex the lands of Flanders. The French kings had much greater human resources than the English, and this doomed the English occupation of France to failure. The British simply did not have enough strength to hold the occupied territories. In addition, they failed to attract any of the major French feudal lords to their side for any long time.

But the French troops, which consisted mainly of knightly militia, were inferior in combat training to the English infantry archers. In addition, the French knights did not obey a single command. All this did not allow inflicting such a defeat on the English army that could radically suppress its power. The French could not land on the British Isles due to English supremacy at sea. There is no reliable data on the losses of the parties in the Hundred Years' War.

The history of mankind is full terrible wars. Some lasted literally a few days, others for many years. The longest war that took place in the Middle Ages was called the Hundred Years' War. Briefly speaking, it lasted 116 years.
The Hundred Years' War was a long military conflict between France and England that began in 1337 and ended in 1453. More precisely, it was a series of military clashes. The name of this longest feud in history appeared in the early 19th century.
Causes of the war
There were several of them. On the part of France, it was a desire to oust the British from their original French land in Guienne. The English authorities, on the contrary, sought to defend this province, and at the same time regain the recently lost rich lands of Normandy and Anjou. The conflict was fueled by the confrontation over Flanders, which formally belonged to France, but maintained close trade ties with England. It must be said that the inhabitants of Flanders did not at all strive to completely come under the rule of the French king and in the future conflict they sided with England.
The Hundred Years' War, in short, began due to the claims made by Edward III to the French throne. In fact, its origins go back to the distant 11th century, when the Duke of Normandy, William, conquered England. He became the king of this country, but at the same time retained his possessions in France. And so it turned out that England for a long time owned part of the French lands.

Progress of the war
The first stage of the war took place from 1337 to 1360. The French were defeated in all battles, lost the port of Calais and were forced to agree to difficult peace conditions. The main reason The failures were the backward French army and outdated weapons. Charles V, King of France, realized this and decided to eliminate the gap between his army and the English one. He successfully reorganized the army, partially replacing knights with mercenary infantry, and also brought order to the tax system. This led to French success during the second stage of the Hundred Years' War in 1369-80. English troops were driven out of previously occupied territories to the sea. Now England agreed to a truce.
The third period of the Hundred Years' War (1415-24) fell on a very difficult period for France and ended in complete defeat. Almost the entire territory was in the hands of the enemy.
And then a third force entered the war - the French people. Guerrilla warfare began. With the appearance of Joan of Arc in the ranks of the people's militia, the war went well for France and ended in 1453 with the surrender of the English army.

The Hundred Years' War is the name of a long military conflict between England and France (1337-1453), caused by England's desire to return Normandy, Maine, Anjou, etc., which belonged to it on the continent, as well as by the dynastic claims of English kings to the French throne. England was defeated; on the continent it retained only one possession - the port of Calais, held until 1559.

The Hundred Years' War 1337-1453, a war between England and France. Basic reasons for the war: France’s desire to oust England from the southwest of the country (Guienne province) and eliminate this last stronghold of English power in France. ter., and England - to gain a foothold in Guienne and return previously lost Normandy, Maine, Anjou and other French. areas. Anglo-French contradictions were complicated by rivalry over Flanders, which was formally under French rule. king, but factually independent and bound by trade, ties with England (English, wool was the basis of cloth making in Flanders). The reason for the war was the claims of the English king Edward III

to the French throne. The Germans, feudal lords and Flanders took the side of England. France enlisted the support of Scotland and Rome. dads. The English army was mainly mercenary, under the command of the king. It was based on infantry (archers) and hired knightly units. Basis of French The army was a feud, a knightly militia (see Knightly Army). The first period of S. century. (1337-1360) was characterized by the struggle of the parties for Flanders and Guienne. In 1340 the British attacked the French. The fleet suffered a heavy defeat and gained supremacy at sea. In Aug. 1346 at the Battle of Crecy they achieved superiority on land, and during the 11-month period. The sieges were taken over by pestilence. fortress and port of Calais (1347). After an almost 10-year truce (1347-55), the English army launched a successful offensive to capture the southwest of France (Guienne and Gascony). At the Battle of Poitiers (1356) the French. the army was again defeated. The exorbitant taxes and levies imposed by the British and the devastation that reigned in the country became the cause of the French uprisings. people - the Parisian uprising led by Etienne Marcel 1357-58 and Jacquerie (1358). This forced France to sign a peace treaty in Bretigny (1360) for extremely difficult conditions

Second period of S. century. (136 9-8 0). In an effort to eliminate the conquests of England, King Charles V of France (reigned 1364-80) reorganized the army and streamlined the tax system. Franz. The knightly militia was partially replaced by hired infantry. detachments, field artillery and a new fleet were created.

Commander-in-Chief A talented military leader, B. Dgogsk-len, was appointed army (constable), who received broad powers. Using tactics of surprise attacks and par-tease. war, French army by the end of the 70s. gradually pushed the English troops back to the sea. To the success of the military. actions were facilitated by the use of French. army art-i. Having retained a number of ports on the French coast (Bordeaux, Bayonne, Brest, Cherbourg, Calais) and part of the French. ter. between Bordeaux and Bayonne, England, due to the aggravated situation within the country (see Wat Tyler's uprising of 1381), concluded a truce with France, in which people also began. unrest. Third period of the Northern century. (141 5-2 4). Taking advantage of the weakening of France caused by the aggravation of internal. contradictions ( internecine war

feud, groups - Burgundians and Armagnacs, new uprisings of peasants and townspeople), England resumed the war. In 1415, at the Battle of Agincourt, the British defeated the French, and with the help of the Duke of Burgundy, who entered into an alliance with them, they captured the North. France, which forced France to sign a humiliating peace treaty in Troyes on May 21, 1420. Under the terms of the treaty, France became part of the united Anglo-French. kingdoms. English, King Henry V was declared the ruler of France as a regent, and after the death of the Frenchman. King Charles VI received the rights to the French.

Fourth period of the Northern century. (1424-1453). With the introduction of people. masses in war nar-tiz. the struggle (especially in Normandy) acquired a wide scope. Partiz. detachments provided great assistance to the French. armies: they set up ambushes, captured tax collectors and destroyed small detachments of the army, forcing the British to keep garrisons in the rear of the conquered territory. When on Oct. 1428 The English, the army and the Burgundians besieged Orleans - the last strong fortress on the territory not occupied by the French, which would liberate the nation. the struggle intensified even more. It was headed by Joan of Arc

, under the leadership of which the battle for Orleans was won (May 1429). In 1437 French troops took Paris, in 1441 they recaptured Champagne, in 1459 - Maine and Normandy, in 1453 - Guienne. Oct 19

1453 The English army capitulated in Bordeaux. This meant the end of the war.

Siege of Orleans by the British

Joan of Arc leads the French into battle

S.v. brought huge disasters to the French. people, caused great damage to the country's economy, but it contributed to the growth of the national economy. self-awareness. After the expulsion of the British, historical progress ended. process of unification of France. In England S. century. temporarily consolidated the dominance of feudalism, aristocracy and chivalry, which slowed down the process of centralization of the state. S.v.

demonstrated the advantage of the English mercenary army over the French. feud, knightly militia, which forced France to create a permanent mercenary army. This army, in the service of the king, had the features of a regular army in organization, military discipline, and training (see Ordonan-savy companies). Political and the material basis of the mercenary army was the alliance of royal power and townspeople interested in overcoming feudalism and fragmentation. The war showed that the heavy knightly cavalry had lost its former importance, the role of the infantry, especially archers, had increased, who successfully fought with the knights. Firearms that appeared during the war. Although the weapon was inferior to the bow and crossbow, it was increasingly used during battles.

Changing the nature of the war, turning it into a people's liberation war led to the liberation of France from the invaders. (For the map, see the inset on page 401.)

N. I. Basovskaya.

Materials from the Soviet Military Encyclopedia in 8 volumes, vol. 7, were used. Read further: Literature:

Pazin E. A. History of military art. T. 2. M., 1957,

Delbrück G. History of military art within

Brune A. H. The Agmcourt war. A military history of the latter part of the Hundred years war from 1369 to 1453. L., 1956;

Contamine Ph. La guerre de Cent ans. P., 1968.

"The Hundred Years' War" is a general name for a series of military conflicts that occurred between France and the Kingdom of England. Allied countries on both sides also took part in the clashes. This happened from 1337 to 1453.

In general, the event consisted of three wars at different intervals, as well as long period ousting the British from French lands, which became the final stage. Historians dubbed it the “Hundred Years’ War,” and that was only later.

The beginning of the war and its causes

Events began with the Edwardian War. King Edward III of England became the instigator of the conflict, declaring his rights to a significant part of French territory.

He supported his opinion with a number of arguments:

• His mother was the daughter of Philip IV, King of France.
• Philip had no male heirs left to whom he could pass the throne.
• For this reason, the French elected a man from the new Valois dynasty as king.

Edward III considered himself heir to the throne on an equal basis with the one who occupied it. France was categorically against it. This is why the war officially started. But in fact it was a struggle for the territories of France. Flanders – industrial area, interesting with economic point view, interested the British. They also wanted to return previously lost areas that previously belonged to the Kingdom of England.

France, in turn, had long been not averse to taking Guienne from the British and returning Gascony, which at that time belonged to England. The conflict had been brewing for a long time, but it never came to war. The decisive moment was Edward III's declaration of his rights to the throne and his further actions.

Stage One: Edwardian War

The Edwardian War began in the autumn of 1337. The English army had excellent combat training, which the French could not boast of.

The fact that part of the French population on the border with England took the side of the opponents also had a significant influence. Separatist sentiments had been observed there for a long time, and many feudal lords supported Edward III. Therefore, some of the territories were conquered quite quickly.

But the first three years of the war were successful only in terms of conquests. Meanwhile, there was no economic growth in the Kingdom of England. Edward concluded an alliance with the Netherlands and established relations with Flanders, which had been conquered at that time. But poor management of funds led to the fact that by 1340 the treasury was in a state of bankruptcy.

This damaged the king's reputation and also prevented further successful conquest of French lands. Therefore, in the next 20 years, until the end of the Edwardian War, events developed more slowly.

• The French fleet, together with mercenaries, for three years kept the English army from freely landing on the continent, was defeated in 1340. The English Channel came under British control.
• In 1346, the Battle of Creisy took place, where France was also defeated.
• In 1347 the port of Calais was conquered.
• A little later in the same year, a truce was concluded. However, it turned out to be just a formality. Until 1355, a truce agreement was in force, but attacks continued.
• The year 1355 is the time when the fragile world was finally destroyed. Edward III's son, Bordeaux, known as the "Black Prince", launched a new offensive against France. The following year the French were defeated at the Battle of Poitiers.

The head of the French throne of that time, John II, was also captured there. For his release, he promised the Kingdom of England half of France and a significant amount of ransom. But the Dauphin, Charles V, who temporarily ruled for him, refused to fulfill these conditions.

By this time, the reputation of the French ruling dynasty Valois. The people were indignant, and there were enough reasons for that. The war destroyed many cities and peasant farms. People suffered hardships, crafts and trade fell into decline. Along with this, taxes only increased: money was needed to wage the war. The result of popular discontent was the Paris Uprising in 1357.

By 1360 a number of peace agreements had been signed, but this only happened because France had no choice. In fact, the truce meant that the French had surrendered, albeit not completely. The Edwardian War gave the British about a third of all the lands of France.

Second stage: Carolingian War

The peace concluded between the countries could mean only one thing: the humiliating position of France. Charles V, the new king, could not tolerate this. His desire to win back his territories resulted in a war that began in 1369, after 9 years of truce.

Time was not wasted: they happened economic reforms and the reorganization of the French army. As a result, in just 1 year the British were ousted from the conquered lands. It also played a role that the King of England Bordeaux at that time was fighting another war - on the Iberian Peninsula. It was difficult to control everything at once.

The situation for the English kingdom worsened when one of the military leaders was killed and the second was captured. From 1370 to 1377, several cities in France were sequentially liberated.

At that time, the French army was already significantly exhausted in battles, and had also lost its chief strategist. But there were even more troubles on England's side: popular uprising, military clashes with Scotland and the defeat of the army in one of the battles with it. The parties concluded a truce in 1396. As a result of the war, France recaptured O most of its territories, but not all.

Stage Three: Lancastrian War

If the first war actually left the British as victors, then the second – the French. And history repeated itself: now the King of England, Henry V, did not want to put up with the past defeat. He, just like Charles V had once done, thoroughly prepared for the attack, taking advantage of the calm and the fact that no one was expecting an attack.

The first offensive took place in the autumn of 1415. France was defeated at the Battle of Agincourt. In 1418-1419, the siege of Rouen took place, followed by its capture. After this, all of Northern France was captured, and in 1420 the French were forced to sign a treaty, according to which:

• Charles VI was no longer the ruler of the country;
• Henry V became heir to the throne by marrying his sister.

But after 2 years, both Henry V and Charles VI died. France split. The one-year-old son of Henry V, Henry VI, was declared the new king. The Duke of Bedford was declared regent. At the same time, Charles VII, who until the treaty of 1420 was the legal heir to the throne, declared his rights to the throne. France was divided into two warring parts.

Clashes and wars continued. If at the very beginning of the Hundred Years' War many of the captured regions of France shared separatist sentiments, now their attitude has changed. In the “English” part there were robberies, destruction, and the population paid huge taxes. From 1422 to 1428, other territories of France were gradually conquered.

Completion: People's Militia

The turning point came in 1429. A simple village girl, Joan of Arc, led the people's war against the British. The siege of Orleans by English troops ended in their defeat. Later during the year she was released O most of the territories. The impetus for this was two reasons: the reluctance of the people to endure oppression further and a person who knows how to ignite hearts with words. Suddenly people wanted to go into battle themselves, and this gave a sip fresh air French army.

In 1430, Jeanne was captured and burned at the stake. But even this step did not stop the people's troops. In addition, the damage inflicted at that time was too great for England, and it was already difficult to recover. Clashes continued for 6 years, although there were no significant battles. In 1336, France began to reconquer its lands with renewed vigor. Until 1444, a harsh war lasted, battles broke out here and there. At the same time, epidemics were claiming lives in both countries. Adding to England's unenviable position were disagreements within the royal court.

Clashes continued for several more years, and in 1453 the war ended when the French finally defeated the enemy army. As a result of the Hundred Years' War, England received only Calais. All other regions went to France.