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Anne Curry is one of the most respected experts on the period of the Hundred Years War, and the author of a series of excellent books on the subject. It is thus no surprise that this Osprey Essential History is an excellent introduction to the conflict.
We start with a look at the background to the war, which make sit clear that England and France were at war far more often than just during the period of the Hundred Years War. This included a war in 1324-27, only ten years before the outbreak of war in 1337. We get a brief look at the military systems of the two kingdoms, showing that the French generally had the potential to raise larger armies, although the English could normally rely on Gascon support. The arms and armour section shows that both sides used the same equipment, but with more longbows on the English side and more crossbows on the French. At sea the French started the war with an advantage, with a Royal navy and Genoese allies, while the English used requisitioned merchant ships given temporary fighting structures. Financially the King of France had five times more income from royal lands than the King of England, but less access to credit
Given that most of the war was fought in France, and for much of the time the King of England claimed the throne of France, it is perhaps surprising that the outbreak of war in 1337 owed much to French aggression. Philip of France had been planning a crusade, but in 1336 the Pope told him that it couldn’t go ahead until Gascony and Scotland were settled. As in most of the recent wars the main issue was Gascony, with Philip planning an invasion. French ships raided Orford and the Isle of Wight. Philip then ordered Edward to hand over Robert of Artois, his brother in law, who was in exile in England. This was deliberately provocative, suggesting that Edward’s status as a vassel of France in Gascony gave Philip authority over him in England. Both sides now prepared for war.
We reach the actual war about a third of the way into the book. Although battles such as Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt are still famous in England, the general course of the war is less familiar. It is thus very useful that we get a good account of the early years, which saw the French invade Gascony and raid the South Coast of England, followed by a largely ineffective English invasion of northern France. The first significant actions didn’t come until 1340 – in this year Edward declared himself King of France and won a major naval victory at Sluys (near Bruges). This is one of the less famous battles of the war, but was as significant as any of the later ones, seeing a vast French fleet destroyed with very heavy loss of life and ending for the moment any prospect of a major French attack on England.
After this we follow the war through its many phases – expanding into Brittany, being changed by the major English victories at Crecy and Poitiers, resulting in the first break in the conflict, the treaty of Bretigny of 1360, when Edward was given full sovereignty in Aquitaine, Calais, Ponthieu and Poitou in return for dropping his claim to the French throne.
The second phase of the war, from 1369-96, went badly for the English. Edward III was increasingly elderly and infirm, his son Edward was ill and died before his father, and his successor Richard II came to the throne as a child. By the end of this phase the English only held their original Gascon lands and Calais.
The final phase saw a period of low level conflict under Henry IV followed by the resumption of open war under Henry V. This was perhaps the most dramatic period of the entire conflict, so we follow Henry as he won an unexpected victory at Agincourt, was acknowledged as heir to the throne of France, but then died only weeks short of actually becoming King of France. Even so there was a period when the English (and allies) held Paris. However the French fought back, inspired by Joan of Arc, while the English position was weakened by the youth of Henry VI.
The World Around War chapter is rather longer than is often the case in this series, and looks at the impact of the war on civilians on both sides, looking at the impact of active warfare, as well as the routiers, gangs of unemployed soldiers who ravaged the French countryside, the impact on trade, the impact of increased taxation
The final phase of the war, from 1449-53 gets its own chapter. We see how the English used the truce of 1444 to cut costs, leaving Normandy vulnerable to invasion, while the French used the time to improve their army. The French invasion of Normandy in 1449 was thus a major success, resulting in the rapid conquest of the Duchy. The English sent an army, but it was heavily defeated at Formingy in 1450. Bordeaux fell in 1451, but was recaptured in 1452, but the succesful British commander, Lord Talbot, was defeated and killed at Castillon in 1453, effectively ending the entire conflict, and reducing the English to just Calais.
Chapters
Introduction
Background to War
Warring Sides
Outbreak
The Fighting
The World Around War
How the War Ended
Conclusions and Consequences
Chronology
Author: Anne Curry
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 144
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2023