The War
The Hundred Years' War was fought between France and England during the late Middle Ages. It lasted 116 years from 1337 to 1453. The war started because Charles V of France died in 1328 without a son and Edward III of England believed he had the right to inherit the crown of France through his mother. The French did not want a foreign king, so Philip VI of France said he ought to be king because women could not transmit the right to rule to their sons. The two countries went to war because of this disagreement. The war was in fact divided into three or four phrase: the Edwardian War (1337–1360), the Caroline War (1369–1389), the Lancastrian War (1415–1429), and the slow decline of English fortunes after the appearance of Joan of Arc (1412–1431). The war ended up with the House of Valois being victorious over House of Plantagenet.
Legacy
The war that was caused by a dynastic conflict lasted for 116 years. The population in France was reduced by two-thirds. However, the war gave impetus to ideas of both French and English nationalism. In military, it viewed the introduction of new weapons and tactics, which demolished the older system of feudal armies commanded by heavy cavalry. For all this, also for its long duration, it was counted as one of the most significant conflicts in the history of medieval warfare.
