Was the Hundred Years' War Really 100 Years?
Was the Hundred Years' War really 100 years? What was the Hundred Years' War? Why did it start? Learn all about the Hundred Years' War in this episode!
Transcript
Tzeela: Hi I'm Tzeela and I'm 18
Rina: Hi I'm Rina and I'm 15
Dalia: Hey, I'm Dalia and I'm 11
Penina: I'm Penina and I'm 7
All: And this is Things You Thought You Knew About History!
Tzeela: Where we show you the real story behind historical misconceptions.
Dalia: A long long time ago there was a war called the Hundred Years' War. It lasted for one hundred years...
Penina: No it didn’t.
Rina: It really was longer than a 100 years and wasn’t just one war.
Dalia: Really but why is it called the Hundred Years' War then?
Tzeela: Well, first we should know what the Hundred Years' War was. The 100 years war is the term for the conflict between France and England from 1337 to 1453,
Rina: Even before the start of this conflict there was tension between France and England over the issues of fiefs which are part of the feudal system for land ownership.
Tzeela: So what actually started the war?
Dalia: It started in 1337 over a disagreement about control of the English Duchy of Guyenne
Tzeela: In January 1340 the conflict escalated further as the English King, Edward III claimed the French throne because he was the nephew of the previous French king Charles IV who had died in 1328.
Rina: Philip VI the first cousin of Charles IV had already become king of France because Edward III was a minor when Charle IV died, the French nobility also questioned whether he could inherit through his mother, a female, and they also just wanted a Frenchman as their king and not someone english.
Dalia: After some fighting, there was a treaty in 1360 between France and England called the Treaty of Bretigny which gave Edward control of a fourth of France, in the north and south-west in return for him giving up his claim to the rest of France.
Tzeela: In 1369 Charles V of France decided he didn't like this treaty and began to harass the English part of France and send raids to the coast of England. He successfully got back most of France.
Rina: In June 1389, there was yet another truce and in 1396 to strengthen the relationship between the two countries Richard II of England married Isabella of France daughter of Charles VI.
Dalia: For some time both France and England were preoccupied with their own internal challenges. In England, Henry IV overthrew Richard II and France faced leadership disputes as King Charles VI was not mentally stable enough to rule.
Penina: So then the war was over?
Tzeela: Not yet. In 1415, Henry V of England was determined to prove his worth so he invaded Normandy and the conflict started up again. He won a lot, forcing the French to sign the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. The treaty planned for a dual monarchy of France and England, named Henry V heir of Charles VI, and had him marry Charles VI’s daughter.
Rina: This never actually happened, because Charles VI’s disinherited son Charles didn’t give in. The fighting continued but Henry V died in 1422.
Dalia: Joan of Arc revived the war effort and lead France to an important victory in 1429 and was captured by the enemies and burned at the stake for heresy on May 30, 1431.
Tzeela: The French continued winning though, and took back and united almost all of France through conquest and alliance. Exhaustion on both sides led Charles the VII of France and Henry VI to sign a temporary truce in 1444. Henry VI married Margaret d’ Anjou, a relative of the French monarch in 1445.
Rina: England still had control of Maine, Bordelais, the Pas de Calais, and most of Normandy. By 1448, though, Charles VII attacked these places and tried to take them back. Some were loyal to the English so it took until 1453 to get back all but Calais. This marked the end of the war.
Dalia: Well, kind of! English king Edward IV started preparing for war in 1474, an English army arrived in 1475 to face the new French king Louis XI but before they actually fought, they signed a truce in 1476.
Tzeela: This truce lasted but they never signed a peace treaty and the English kept Calais until 1553. And English Kings continued to claim the title of heir to the kingdom of France until 1801!
Penina: Wow! That’s a long, complicated war!
Dalia: So it was really around 116 years, but it’s called the Hundred Years' War, because it was a series of battles between France and England that lasted close to 100 years?
Rina: Yep pretty much! Now time for some Trivia!! Let’s see how well you know England!!
Tzeela: Here’s how it will work, we’ll ask some questions, countdown from 10, and give you time to answer.
Who was the longest-reigning British monarch?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Queen Elizabeth II
What is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world? 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Windsor Castle
Who chose the site for the castle and when?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
William the Conqueror began building it in 1070
When was Buckingham palace built?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
1703
When did the royal family begin to be called the House of Windsor?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
In 1917
Bye!