The Hundred Years’ War
Through the 100 Years’ War, England and France forged their
identities as nation-states while establishing fundamental
institutions of government.
Importance
 Militarily, it ended both medieval tactics and chivalric rules of war.
 England won most battles, the famous ones being Crecy in 1346, Poitiers in 1356,
and Agincourt in 1415, by using artillery for the first time and the longbow which
unhorsed knights in armor and proved superior to the crossbow.
 The effective use of cannon meant stone castles became obsolete while the
expense of artillery enhanced the power of national governments.
 Emergence of Nationalism
 Public opinion was manipulated on both sides by sensationalizing the evils of the
other fostering mutual hatred that helped nationalism to grow in each.
 French won the war largely because of nationalistic fervor stimulated by Joan of
Arc.
Consequences
 The death toll was huge in contrast to medieval wars.
 The economies of France and the Low Countries were devastated.
 The war helped the development of Parliament in England, as
Edward’s III constant need for money for the war forced him to call
Parliament into session 37 out of 50 years of his reign.
 In other countries, representative assemblies were losing their role as kings
centralized their power.
 But in England, the Commons - consisting of knights and wealthy burghers separated out from the lords and won the right to approve all non-feudal taxes in
1341.
 England was also unusual in that it had one Parliament for the whole country,
while elsewhere, regional assemblies was the norm.