Over the years, there have been a number of military conflicts which
helped to shape the world. It is important to examine the Hundred Years'
War, its chief participants and the trade routes involved at this time in
order to gain a better understanding of its impact on history.
The Hundred Years' War was the "common name given to the series of
armed conflicts, broken by a number of truces and peace treaties that were
waged from 1337 to 1453 between the two great European powers at that time,
England and France. An immediate pretext for the war was the claim of the
kings of England to the French throne. The origin of the dispute lay in
the fact that successive kings of England, beginning with William the
Conqueror, controlled large areas of France as feudal fiefs and thus posed
a threat to the French monarchy." [i]
William the Conqueror was the "natural son of Robert, Duke of
Normandy. He was brought up at the court of the King of France, and
succeeded to the duchy at the age of eight. However, during his minority
there were frequent revolts of the nobles, and his authority was not fully
The beginnings of the Hundred Years' War "can be traced back to
William the Conqueror and his conquest of England in 1066."[iii] William
invaded England when his claim to the English throne was denied upon the
death of the King of England, Edward the Confessor. When he became king
after his "victory at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, he united
England with Normandy in France, and ruled both as his own."[iv]
During William's reign, he destroyed villages "from York to Durham,
attacked the fortified camp of Hereward in the Isle of Ely, and burnt the
town of Mantes."[v] The last assault cost him his life when his horse
shied away from burning embers, causing internal injuries when he fell
Henry Plantegent was a significant underlying cause of the Hundred
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