The Hundred Years' War (Part 2)

Read the first part of this article HERE.

So, as we saw last time, by 1360, King Edward III of England had strengthened his position in France.

Unfortunately for him, past that point, the tide began turning.

Eddie had aged and eventually grew more interested in screwing his mistress, Alice Perrers, than in politics. And who could blame him? I mean, which of you wouldn't do the same thing to a chick like her? Just look at her below.

 

Furthermore, his health as well as that of his son, Edward the Black Prince, who had greatly contributed to the English victories until then, deteriorated.

To make matters worse for the English, it was during that time that the French found the skilled leadership they needed, in the persons of King Charles V and Commander Bertrand du Guesclin.

And so, the French began quickly gaining back their lost lands and, by the time Charles V died (1380), the English possessions in France were limited to only a few harbors.

After Charleses death, the war went on hiatus for quite a while (1380-1413), since both England and France had to deal with internal turmoil.

The thing is, the English resolved their issues long before the French. So, by the time England was ready to go at it again (1413), France was still struggling with a civil war.

You see, King Charles VI, the son of Charles V, turned out to be... ahem, a nutjob! Starting from 1492, he lapsed into several psychotic episodes.

This led to a conflict over power between two major parties: The Burgundians (led by the King's uncle, Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy, and, after the latter's death, by Philip's son, John the Fearless) and the Armagnacs (led by the King's brother, Duke Louis of Orleans).

Sometimes one party prevailed, sometimes the other party prevailed. Either way, the situation in the capital, Paris, was constantly fucked up.

Both parties asked for the help of King Henry V of England, who was ravaging France at his leisure meanwhile (Siege of Harfleur, Battle of Agincourt, 1415).

An alliance between Henry and the Burgundians forced Charles VI to sign the treaty of Troyes (1420). According to that, Henry married Catherine of Valois, the daughter of the French King, Henry's sons became the next in line to the throne of France and Charlses son (who had the same name as his father) was essentially given the middle finger.

With Henry V and Charles VI both kicking the bucket soon after (1422), Henry VI, Henry V's baby son, was acknowledged as the rightful king of France by the majority of the French nobility. And so, for a few years, France and England were indeed united into a single sovereign state.

Soon, though, a new, unstoppable force would rise, turning the tide of the war anew. The name of that force? Joan of Arc! But, more about that, next time.

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See you next Sunday!