The History Book Club discussion

This thread is dedicated to the discussion of the Hundred Years War:

How did I miss this section! Well here are some of my favourite books starting with those I have read to date:

by Richard Barber

by Robin Neillands
This is a good, concise and easy to read history of the Hundred Years War. For those looking for something more in-depth I would suggest:

and by Jonathan Sumption

This final volume I haven't read yet:

by Jonathan Sumption

You are making me laugh...I think you were on the Military History folder and did not see the British History one (lol)

The Hundred Years War

by Desmond Seward

Synopsis

"DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT I LIVE BY WAR AND THAT PEACE WOULD BE MY UNDOING?" -Sir John Hawkwood

From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though it was a small, poor country, England for most of those "hundred years" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominated the war. The protagonists of the Hundred Years War are among the most colorful in European history: Edward III, the Black Prince; Henry V, who was later immortalized by Shakespeare; the splendid but inept John II, who died a prisoner in London; Charles V, who very nearly overcame England; and the enigmatic Charles VII, who at last drove the English out. Desmond Seward's critically-acclaimed account of the Hundred Years War brings to life all of the intrigue, beauty, and royal to-the-death-fighting of that legendary century-long conflict.

"[Desmond Seward] is blessed with a talent for presenting historical facts in an accessible narrative.... An ideal author for recounting this complex period." -The Antioch Review

Another well done book covering the Hundred Year's War.

The Hundred Years' War

( by Alfred H. Burne

Synopsis

The Hundred Years War between England and France began in 1337 with Edward III's claim to the throne of France. Some of the most famous battles in history were fought during this long and bloody conflict:Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt. Although the English leaders - Edward III, the Black Prince and Henry V - fought valiantly, often achieving amazing victories against the odds, it was the French who won the war. Alongside the vivid description of individual campaigns, the author introduces some of England's most celebrated historical figures, including Harry the King, Warwick, Salisbury, Chandos and the peerless Talbot, as well as famous French warriors, such as Bertrand de Guesclin, La Hire and Joan of Arc.

I am about 250 pages into Sumptions 1st volume and find it every good indeed. I presume that Burne's is a more compact history.

4ZZZ wrote: "I am about 250 pages into Sumptions 1st volume and find it every good indeed. I presume that Burne's is a more compact history."

Over 700 pages which is probably compact when telling the history of a war that dragged on over that many years!!!

Don't forget, when mentioning authors in a post to cite the photo (if available) and the link.

Jonathan Sumption
Alfred Burne

Interesting information and important facts about the One Hundred Years War:

Key Dates relating to the event: The One Hundred Years War raged from 1337 - 1453

The One Hundred Years War actually lasted for 116 years

All of the battles of the One Hundred Years War were fought in France

The Hundred Years War was fought between between England and France and later Burgundy

Joan of Arc was a major figure in the One Hundred Years War

Key English People relating to the One Hundred Years War:

King Edward III 1327-1377

Edward, the Black Prince 1330-1376 Son of Edward III

King Richard II 1377-1399

King Henry IV 1399-1413

King Henry V 1413-1422

King Henry VI 1422-1461

Key French People relating to the One Hundred Years War:

King Philip VI the Fortunate 1328-1350

King John II the Good 1350-1364

King Charles V the Wise 1364-1380

King Charles VI the Well-Beloved or the Mad 1380-1422

Louis I of Anjou 1380-1382 Regent for Charles VI

King Charles VII the Victorious 1422-1461

Philip III, Duke of Burgundy

Why the One Hundred Years War was famous and important to the history of England:
The high number of sieges in the Hundred Years War led to the development of technology with new siege engines and the use of the longbow as an English weapon - the power of the mounted knights came to an end

What ended the Hundred Years War?
The Wars of the Roses left England in no position to wage war in France and so the one Hundred Years War ended.

Calais remained in English possession until 1558 and the title of King of France was claimed by the British until 1 January 1801

By one of my favorite historians, this book covers one of most famous battles in history.

Agincourt

by Christopher Hibbert

Synopsis

The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France. Henry V's victory crippled France and started a new period in the war, during which, first, Henry married the French king's daughter and, second, his son, Henry VI, was made heir to the throne of France (although Henry VI later failed to capitalise on his father's battlefield success).

Henry V led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself as he suffered from severe, repeating illnesses and moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.

The battle is notable for the use of the English longbow, which Henry used in very large numbers, with English and Welsh archers forming most of his army. The battle is also the centrepiece of the play Henry V, by William Shakespeare.

Great historian Jill, one of my all time favourite writers as well.

Thanks Jill and Rick. I know very little in this area and it is always good to hear of a great writer.

This thread is very helpful for me as I am taking a Medieval England class and plan to write my term paper on the Hundred Years War.

Can someone enlighten me on the differences between Desmond Seward's 2 books? They are published only 4 years apart and have similiar page counts (~300) so I'm confused if they are essentially the same book or if they approach the subject from different angles.

Good question, Josh. Frankly, I don't know the answer but will guess that they are basically the same book with possible modifications to some of the text. They are published by different houses and one is entitled "....a brief history", so maybe it is a more condensed version. But I am guessing!!
BTW, don't forget to add the author photo (if available) and link when citing the books.

by Desmond Seward

This book delves into the mystique of the Black Prince, Edward, Prince of Wales who was one of the leading figures in the Hundred Years War.

Edward, Prince of Wales and Aquitaine

by Richard Barber

Synopsis

Edward, Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, known as the Black Prince, is one of the legendary figures of English history, victor of three great battles and a model of chivalry and courtesy. Behind this image, which many of his contemporaries accepted and eagerly believed in, it is difficult to get at the realities of his character and of the life that he led. Most of his biographers have based their work on the splendid vision of chivalry but this book deliberately shuns this approach, to see what can be found in official records, particularly from the prince's household and those who campaigned with the prince. Special attention has been paid not only to the confusing and confused accounts of the great battles, but also to the prince's early years, his close companions who contributed so greatly to his successes, and to his government of Aquitaine, an obscure but very important part of his career. A concluding chapter examines how the legend of the Black Prince (and his curious nickname) came into being. By separating the image and the reality, a clearer picture of the prince emerges.

The impressive tomb with effigy of the Black Prince, in Canterbury Cathedral.

Hello Happy we do not allow any self promotion because our threads would be filled with folks linking to their new book, selling us diskettes (don't laugh it happened), linking to their blogs or to their reviews to get likes. So we stopped all of the above and there are no links to personal reviews, books, blogs, etc allowed or reference to books somebody might be writing or wrote. I know our rules are strict but unfortunately we have had to make them that way.

I am going to add the book that you finished here and when there is no photo - simply add (no photo) at the end. But in fact there was an author's photo available so I added it below.

=====================================

Happy said that she/he finished the following book:

by Juliet Barker

Happy also said:

I thought it was a really good look at the last 35yrs or so of the 100 yrs war.

Happy if you want to do a copy and paste of a portion of your review you can paste it here. - just no links to reviews and what I cited above

When in doubt check the rules and guidelines and/or ask a mod.

An upcoming release:

A Great and Glorious Adventure: A Military History of the Hundred Years War

by Gordon Corrigan

Synopsis

In this succinct history of a conflict that raged for over a century, Gordon Corrigan reveals the horrors of battle and the machinations of power that have shaped a millennium of Anglo-French relationships. "The Hundred Years War was fought between 1337 and 1453 over English claims to both the throne of France by right of inheritance and large parts of the country that had been at one time Norman or, later, English. The fighting ebbed and flowed, but despite their superior tactics and great victories at Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt, the English could never hope to secure their claims in perpetuity: France was wealthier and far more populous, and while the English won the battles, they could not hope to hold forever the lands they conquered. The real and abiding significance of the war lies in the fact that, at its end, the English had become English, as opposed to Anglo-French, and France too had set out on the road to nationhood. (Both countries would subsequently become the very best of enemies.) The war also sparked a real revolution in the English way of waging war, with increasing professionalism and the use of technology to make up for lack of numbers - factors which remain relevant throughout the subsequent history of the English, and then the British, army and which are still critical to it today. Military historian Gordon Corrigan's new history of these epochal events is brisk, combative and refreshingly straightforward, and the great kings, men and battles of the period receive the full attention and reassessment they deserve.

This book poses some interesting questions about the life of King Henry V....were his exploits myth or fact?

Warrior King: The Life of Henry V

by Keith Dockray (no photo)

Synopsis

The wild and headstrong prince of William Shakespeare's "Henry IV", blossoms in "Henry V", into a veritable hero-king: an epic embodiment of military valour, serious-minded, and, above all, an archetypal man of action. Such a portrayal reflected not only Shakespeare's Tudor sources but contemporary estimates of "Henry V". For his earliest English biographer, a royal chaplain and well-informed insider, he was a model Christian prince, clearly carrying out God's wishes both at home and abroad; the chronicler Thomas Walsingham, writing soon after the king's death in 1422, judged him a pious, prudent, distinguished and warlike ruler; and, for the humanist Tito Livio in about 1437, he was an energetic, just and shrewd military commander who, at Agincourt, fought 'like an unvanquished lion'. Modern historians have perpetuated the flattery of chroniclers but should they? Was the real Henry V a national hero, a jingoistic bigot, or neither?

The War of the Roses left England in no position to continue fighting the Hundred Year's War and brought that conflict to an end.

The War of the Roses

by Trevor Royle (no photo)

Synopsis:

The War of the Roses is the definitive account of one of the bloodiest episodes in British history - the battle between the houses of York and Lancaster. This gripping history reveals the brutal realities of a nation torn apart by conflict and rivalry, while evocatively placing the fighting within the context of a period of rich cultural progress. From Caxton's printing press and the flourishing of English literature to advances in architecture and education, Royle's masterly narrative is a remarkable portrait of this pivotal era.

I've just ordered a copy of this new release that may interest a few members who have a passion for the Hundred Years War:

by Richard Barber
Description:
This is a fascinating recreation of the world of one of England's most charismatic monarchs, from award-winning author and historian Richard Barber. The destruction of the French army at Crecy in 1346 and the subsequent siege and capture of Calais marked a new era in European history. The most powerful, glamorous and respected of all western monarchies had been completely humiliated by England, a country long viewed either as a chaotic backwater or a mere French satellite. The young Edward III's triumph would launch both countries, as we now know, into a grim cycle of some 90 years of further fighting ending with English defeat, but after Crecy anything seemed possible - Edward's claim to be King of France could be pressed home and, in any event, enormous rewards of land, treasure and prestige were available both to the king and to the close companions who had made the victory possible. It was to enshrine this moment that Edward created one of the most famous of all knightly orders, the Company of the Garter. Barber writes about both the great campaigns and the individuals who formed the original membership of the Company - and through their biographies makes the period tangible and fascinating. This is a book about knighthood, battle tactics and grand strategy, but it is also about fashion, literature and the privates lives of everyone from queens to freebooters. Barber's book is a remarkable achievement - but also an extremely enjoyable one.

King Charles VII of France was on the throne when the Hundred Years War finally ended.

Victorious Charles

by Caroline (Cally) Rogers Neill Sehnaoui no photo)

Synopsis:

Victorious Charles: A Ladies' Man is a fascinating historical account of the lives of the nobility and the poor in 15th Century France, under the reign of King Charles VII. Charles VII was a warrior King who reigned at the time of France's decades-long war against Henry V's England. Charles is also often remembered for his numerous high-profile affairs, including one with the beautiful Agnes Sorel, known at the time as the Dame de Beaute. The book explores Charles' youth, his crazy mother, and the positive influence of his aunt, Yolande d'Aragon. Charles ruled during the time of Joan of Arc, "The Virgin Warrior" who fought valiantly for France in the war. She delivered Orleans from the English, before being burned at the stake after a religious court sentenced her to death, proclaiming her a sorceress.

Joan of Arc played a major role in the Hundred Years War and this book explains her involvement.

Conquest

by Juliet Barker

Synopsis

Henry V’s second invasion of France in 1417 launched a campaign that would put the crown of France on an English head. Only the miraculous appearance of a visionary peasant girl - Joan of Arc - would halt the English advance. Yet despite her victories, her influence was short-lived: Henry VI had his coronation in Paris six months after her death and his kingdom endured for another twenty years. When he came of age he was not the leader his father had been. It was the dauphin, whom Joan had crowned Charles VII, who would finally drive the English out of France.

One of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years War.

The Battle of Crecy

by Andrew Ayton (no photo)

Synopsis

With additional contributions from Francoise Autrand, Christophe Piel, Michael Prestwich, and Bertrand Schnerb. On the evening of 26 August 1346, the greatest military power in Christendom, the French royal army with Philip VI at its head, was defeated by an expeditionary force from England under the command of Edward III. A momentous event that sent shock waves across Europe, the battle of Crecy marked a turning point in the English king's struggle with his Valois adversary. While the French suffered humiliation and crippling casualties, compounded by the consequential loss of Calais a year later, the self-confidence and military reputation of the English - from their king down to the lowliest of archers - soared. Well over half a century before Agincourt, the English had emerged as the most respected fighting force in Europe. This book assesses the significance of Crecy, and offers new interpretations of both the battle itself and the campaign that preceded it. It includes the latest research on the composition and organisation of the English and French armies, a penetrating analysis of the narrative sources and a revealing re-appraisal of the battlefield. It concludes with a fresh look at the role of the archer in Edward III's victory.

Henry VI was on the throne of England when the Hundred Year War ended and the War of the Roses began.

The Reign of King Henry VI

by Ralph A. Griffiths (no photo)

Synopsis:

Henry VI is the youngest monarch ever to have ascended the English throne and the only English king to have been acknowledges by the French as rightfully King of France. His reign was the third longest since the Norman conquest and he came close to being declared a saint. This masterly study, unparalleled in its informative detail, examines the entire span of the king's reign, from the death of Henry V in 1422, when Henry was only nine months old, to the period of his insanity at the beginning of the Wars of the Roses and his dethronement in 1461, preceding his murder ten years later. This classic re-assessment of the third Lancastrian king is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of fifteenth-century England.

Another pretty good look at Agincourt is


by Ian Mortimer

Synopsis

This is literally a day by day account to the year of Agincourt. Dr. Mortimer not only looks at what Henry is doing and his justifcations for going to war, but also what is going on at the council of Constance and the efforts to reunify the Papacy (there were three Popes at the time) and finally the Heresy trial of Jan Hus.

Good one, Happy. An important time in British history. Thanks.

This historian looks at the societal effects of the Hundred Years War on England and France rather than writing from the military aspect.

The Hundred Years War: England and France at War

by Christopher Allmand (no photo)

Synopsis:

This is a comparative study of how the societies of late-medieval England and France reacted to the long period of conflict between them commonly known as the Hundred Years War. Beginning with an outline of the events of the war, the book continues with an analysis of contemporary views regarding the war. Two chapters follow that describe the military aim of the protagonists, military and naval organization, recruitment, and the raising of taxes. The remainder of the book describes and analyzes some of the main social and economic effects of war upon society, the growth of a sense of national consciousness in time of conflict, and the social criticism that came from those who reacted to changes and development brought about by war.

Here is a map of Henry's route to the Battle of Agincourt.

That is a great add and find Jill - thank you.

An upcoming book:
Release date: November 15, 2014

The Warrior King and the Invasion of France: Henry V, Agincourt, and the Campaign That Shaped Medieval England

by Desmond Seward (no photo)

Synopsis:

In the course of the Hundred Years War, Henry V was the English figure most responsible for the mutual antipathy that existed between France and England. His art of attacking an opponent by making total war on civilians, as well as soldiers, created tremendous distrust and enmity between the two countries, which survives even to this day. He was a man of many contradictions, a perverse mix of rigorous orthodoxy exemplified by his fanatical and intolerant religion and of neurotic insecurity, stemming in part from the dubious nature of his claim to the English throne. Henry V owed his popularity at home to victories against the French that gratified an emerging English nationalism. A tremendously ardent military strategist who experimented with ballistics and built the first English navy, at the time of his early death at the age of thirty-six he controlled one-third of modern-day France. Utilizing new discoveries from local French historical societies, Desmond Seward draws a portrait of Henry V that shows him as a brilliant military strategist, ambitious conqueror, and, at least briefly, triumphant warrior king.

Thank you Jerome.

An upcoming book on the Wars of the Roses:
Release date: October 14, 2014

The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors

by Dan Jones (no photo)

Synopsis:

The fifteenth century saw the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands five times as two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty fought to the death for the right to rule. Now, celebrated historian Dan Jones describes how the longest reigning British royal family tore itself apart until it was finally replaced by the Tudors.

Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these turbulent times—from Joan of Arc and Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt and prudent rule marked the high point of the medieval English monarchy, to Richard III, who stole the throne and murdered his own nephews, the princes in the Tower. It is also a period of headstrong and resilient women—Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort—who were not afraid to seize power and bend men to their will.

With vivid descriptions of the battles of Towton and Bosworth, where the last Plantagenet king was slain, this is a bold and dramatic narrative history that will delight readers who like their history with a healthy dose of bedlam, romance, and intrigue.

Thanks, Jerome. Here is an informative book about the battle of Bosworth Field where Richard III was slain

The Battle of Bosworth 1485: and the Burial of King Richard III

by Stephen Lark

Synopsis

A book dedicated to the Battle of Bosworth, the key turning point in the closing stages of the Wars of the Roses, together with the burial and rediscovery of the body of King Richard III.
The Wars of the Roses had torn England apart for 25 years when they came to a bloody and decisive ending at Bosworth in Leicestershire in 1485. Kings, dukes, earls and thousands of men had been slaughtered on the battlefield, executed after brief trials or butchered out of hand. Some of the greatest families in the land had been wiped out. It all came to a mighty climax in August 1485 in the countryside of Leicestershire.
Now five centuries later, interest in the battle has been revived by the surprise discovery of the body of King Richard III in a Leicester car park.
This book brings an exciting new look to the Wars of the Roses. The course of the war is given, but the emphasis is on the battle and the men who fought there. The course of the battle is followed with the aid of maps, relating to the ground today. The aftermath of the battle, its effects and importance to the progress of the war are then described.

The longbow changed the tactics of war in the Hundred Years War.

Arrowstorm: The Archer in the Hundred Years War

by Richard Wadge (no photo)

Synopsis:

Revealing the power behind one of history's most devastating weapons, this study chronicles the overwhelming importance of the military archer in the late medieval period. The longbow played a central role in the English victory at the battles of Crecy and Agincourt. Completely undermining the supremacy of heavy cavalry, the longbow forced a wholesale reassessment of battlefield tactics. Richard Wadge explains what mad e England’s longbow archers so devastating, detailing the process by which their formidable armament was manufactured and the conditions that produced men capable of continually drawing a bow under a tension of 100 pounds. Uniquely, Wadge looks at the economics behind the supply of longbows to the English army and the social history of the military archer. Crucially, what were the advantages of joining the first professional standing army in England since the days of the Roman conquest? Was it the pay, the booty, or the glory? With its painstaking analysis of contemporary records, Arrowstorm paints a vivid portrait of the life of a professional soldier in the war which forged the English national consciousness.

Some very interesting links and books, and certainly some cracking reads, however the Hundred Years War is not really that important in the final analysis.

By the time of King John, the Norman monarchy was already looking to England, and away from Normandy, indeed King Richard I who famously only spent around nine months of his reign in England actually spent a lot of time over the legislation of the Country he was absent from.

And the single most important event during the 100 years war, had nothing to do with the war. Certainly the Battles were all minor, including Agincourt, it just gets good press from Larry Olivier, and "a little touch of Harry in the night"

However in 1347 to 1349 the most cataclysmic event to hit European and Asian Humanity struck, namely the Black Death, and that changed everything, including English society, mainly because of the way our Common Law was structured, and the rights of land ownership.

The whole of society was turned upside down, and the failing feudalism was gone, buried along with bodies of those struck down by 'The Pestilence' and a new order came into being where peasant farmers rose up the hierarchy by marrying into recently widowed women of minor nobility, because they now had 'Land' likewise Barons marrying widowed farmers wives who were suddenly wealthy, and hence eligible.

The Hundred years war is interesting, indeed fascinating, but important, I think not, that is the Black Death. And the anniversary next year of Agincourt and 1415, is minor in the extreme compared to 15th June 1215, and Magna Carta.

The Hundred years war came and went, and all that was different was England owned a little less of France.

Thanks John for your perceptive comments. I chuckled at the Olivier comment.

Another upcoming book:
Release date: November 25, 2014

The Hundred Years War: A People's History

by David Green (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Hundred Years War (1337–1453) dominated life in England and France for well over a century. It became the defining feature of existence for generations. This sweeping book is the first to tell the human story of the longest military conflict in history. Historian David Green focuses on the ways the war affected different groups, among them knights, clerics, women, peasants, soldiers, peacemakers, and kings. He also explores how the long war altered governance in England and France and reshaped peoples’ perceptions of themselves and of their national character.

Using the events of the war as a narrative thread, Green illuminates the realities of battle and the conditions of those compelled to live in occupied territory; the roles played by clergy and their shifting loyalties to king and pope; and the influence of the war on developing notions of government, literacy, and education. Peopled with vivid and well-known characters—Henry V, Joan of Arc, Philippe the Good of Burgundy, Edward the Black Prince, John the Blind of Bohemia, and many others—as well as a host of ordinary individuals who were drawn into the struggle, this absorbing book reveals for the first time not only the Hundred Years War’s impact on warfare, institutions, and nations, but also its true human cost.

I cannot let the Synopsis (is it the blurb) of David Green's 100 years war a People's History go without comment. The copywriter says "The Hundred Years War (1337–1453) dominated life in England and France for well over a century. It became the defining feature of existence for generations."

I think you would find that it is Religion that dominated life in England and France at that time, the Hundred years war is the glue for the Historian to stick events together.

Certainly the 'Lollards' came to the fore and they were seen as a much greater threat to life in England than any war played out by the Monarchs.

Noting the fact that the author of the above is called Green made me reach for John Richard Green's "Short History of the English People"/book/show/6..., and J.R. Green is on form, when relating about the Lollards.

"The dry, syllogistic Latin, the abstruse and involved argument which the great Doctor (John Wycliffe) had addressed to his academic hearers, were suddenly flung aside, and by a transition which marks the wonderful genius of the man the schoolman was transformed into the pamphleteer. If Chaucer is the father of our Poetry, Wycliffe is the father of our English prose."


John Wycliffe (a Yorkshireman) was the first person to translate the Bible into English so that all could read, and he issued tract after tract promoting it, however this is pre printing (1380s) so these tracts had to be hand copied as did the parts of the Bible he had translated.

The point I am making is that although from an Historians point of view the anchor point at this time is the Hundred years war, the average man on the rural ox cart, was not in the least affected by it, for most of the time.

However all politics is local, and the local politics was also the International politics of Religion, and hence the Lollards were much more widely spoken about in the newly enriched (this was post Black Death) England.

Paper making and the fact it was cheaper, plus the fact about 1 in 50 of the population could probably write (about 1 in 20 could read) and it may have been a lot higher, led to social changes, the hundred years war didn't affect Society that much.

John,

Interesting and inciteful comments

tnx

It still goes on the TBR:)

John thank you for your posts - a lot of historians would disagree with you but we are open to everybody's opinions.

Bentley posted, "John thank you for your posts - a lot of historians would disagree"

Tough, let them disagree, I welcome discussion if I have the time.

I actually don't think many Historians who know the era would disagree that the Black Death was a much more important event than some ongoing war, that is called 100 years war.

But was only the latest spat in an ongoing dispute which had started in 11th Century and ended on Sunday 18th June 1815.

True - but for a nothing - it lasted a long time (smile).

Let me say this in response John - you have said your part and we respect your views - but this thread is about the 100 years war and folks who want to read about it and discuss it respectfully. Allow folks to enjoy the thread and the subject matter.

Having said that - I personally believe that the 100 years war did have some impact. The 1300s were filled with disasters - some natural and some manmade. The Church was thriving and then faced divisiveness. Then there was the Bubonic Plague and a 100 years war. Any war that lasts 100 years is relevant and important and it was - it ended the medieval society - it brought an end to the style of warfare, it brought a feeling of nationalism to both France and England and the king was not considered only a feudal lord but a national leader fighting for the glory of the country, the power and prestige of the French monarch increased, and the English suffered a period of inner turmoil known as the War of the Roses. Europe was torn apart during this time period by the War, by disease and by religious conflict. It could not get much worse than that. There is certainly a lot to learn and to discuss which relates to the 100 years war and to the time period in general.

Another book which addresses the use of the longbow, this time at the Battle of Crecy.

Crecy 1346: Triumph of the Longbow

by David Nicolle (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Battle of Crecy was the first major land battle of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). It pitted the French army, then considered the best in Europe, and their miscellaneous allies against the English under King Edward III and the ‘Black Prince’, who as yet had no great military reputation; this was the battle where he ‘won his spurs’. The Genoese crossbowmen were outshot by the English longbows and the pattern was set for the rest of the day: the French cavalry were committed piecemeal in fruitless charges against strong English positions, losing perhaps 10,000 men in the course of the fighting. After almost a millennium in which cavalry had dominated the field of battle, the infantryman, and particularly the longbowman, now ruled supreme.

The Hundred Years War

by Anne Curry (no photo)

Synopsis:

Although the term "Hundred Years War" was not coined until the 1860s, the Anglo-French conflicts of the later Middle Ages have long been of interest to historians. This book, now fully revised to take account of recent scholarship, explores the trends in historical opinion from the time of the wars to the present day. It provides a straightforward narrative of English involvement in France, placing the well known military events in their diplomatic context. By focusing on the treaties of 1259, 1360 and 1420, Anne Curry suggests that there was not one "hundred year war" but rather three separate yet linked conflicts, all with significant implications for the European scene as a whole.

This book covers the Kings of France who were involved in the Hundred Years War against the English.

The Valois: Kings of France

by

Synopsis

The house of Valois ruled France for 250 years, playing a crucial role in its establishment as a major European power. When Philip VI came to the throne, in 1328, France was a weak country, with much of its modern area under English rule. Victory in the Hundred Years' War, and the acquisition of Brittany and much of Burgundy, combined with a large population and taxable wealth, made the France of Francis I the only power in Europe capable of rivalling the empire of Charles V. Francis displayed his power by spectacular artistic patronage and aggressive foreign wars. Following the death of Henry II in a tournament, the problems of two royal minorities and the divisive forces of the Reformation led to the temporary eclipse of royal power. When the last Valois, Henry III, was stabbed to death by a Dominican Friar in 1589, the dynasty was already discredited but the monarchy survived intact.

An upcoming book:
Release date: October 2, 2014

Joan of Arc: A History

by Helen Castor

Synopsis:

We all know the story of Joan of Arc. A peasant girl who hears voices from God. A warrior leading an army to victory, in an age that believes women cannot fight. The Maid of Orleans, and the saviour of France. Burned at the stake as a heretic at the age of just nineteen. Five hundred years later, a saint. Her case was heard in court twice over. One trial, in 1431, condemned her; the other, twenty-five years after her death, cleared her name. In the transcripts, we hear first-hand testimony from Joan, her family and her friends: a rare survival from the medieval world. What could be more revealing? But all is not as simple as it seems, because this is a life told backwards, in hindsight - a story already shaped by the knowledge of what Joan would become.

In Joan of Arc: A History, Helen Castor tells this gripping story afresh: forwards, not backwards, setting this extraordinary girl within her extraordinary world where no one - not Joan herself, nor the people around her, princes, bishops, soldiers or peasants - knew what would happen next.

Thanks, Jerome. I was updating all the British History threads and you have helped me out and posted an interesting book.

Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured

by Kathryn Harrison

Synopsis:

The profoundly inspiring and fully documented saga of Joan of Arc, the young peasant girl whose "voices" moved her to rally the French nation and a reluctant king against British invaders in 1428, has fascinated artistic figures as diverse as William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Voltaire, George Bernard Shaw, Bertolt Brecht, Carl Dreyer, and Robert Bresson. Was she a divinely inspired saint? A schizophrenic? A demonically possessed heretic, as her persecutors and captors tried to prove?

Every era must retell and reimagine the Maid of Orleans's extraordinary story in its own way, and in Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured, the superb novelist and memoirist Kathryn Harrison gives us a Joan for our time—a shining exemplar of unshakable faith, extraordinary courage, and self-confidence during a brutally rigged ecclesiastical inquisition and in the face of her death by burning. Deftly weaving historical fact, myth, folklore, artistic representations, and centuries of scholarly and critical interpretation into a compelling narrative, she restores Joan of Arc to her rightful position as one of the greatest heroines in all of human history.

This book on the famous battle is part of the Men-In-Arms series.

The Armies of Agincourt

by Christopher Rothero (no photo)

Synopsis:

Henry V became King of England in 1413. He was one of the great warrior kings of the country, cast in the same mould as Edward I and Edward III. He was just, pious, athletic, chivalrous, acquisitive, ruthless and eager to gain honour on the field of battle. Henry hoped that a successful campaign against the nation's traditional enemy would draw the people together and establish the popularity of the Lancastrian dynasty. This splendid addition to Osprey's Men-at-Arms series explores the background, organisation and equipment of the armies which fought in one of the most famous conflicts in England's history – the Battle of Agincourt.

The Real Falstaff: Sir John Fastolf and the Hundred Years' War

by Stephen Cooper (no photo)

Synopsis:

"That trunk of humours, that bolting-hutch of beastliness, that swolen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuffed cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Manningtree-ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years... wherein is he good but to taste sack and drink it... wherein worthy but in nothing."Prince Hal on Falstaff (Henry IV Part I, Act II, Scene 4)

Sir John Fastolf was one of the most famous English knights and military commanders of the Hundred Years’ War, and is commonly thought to be a model for Sir John Falstaff, one of Shakespeare’s greatest characters. This book examines the link in full. Most of Fastolf’s life was spent fighting the French, and he lived long enough to witness both the triumphs of Henry V, and the disasters of the 1450s. He was one of the last representatives of generations of brave but often brutal English soldiers who made their careers – and their fortunes – waging war in France.

His story and the story of declining English fortunes during the last phase of the war are the subject of Stephen Cooper’s fascinating new study. He retraces the entire course of Fastolf’s long life, but he concentrates on his many campaigns. A vivid picture of the old soldier emerges and of the French wars in which he played such a prominent part. But the author also explores Fastolf’s legacy – his connection to the Paston family, which is famous for the Paston letters, and the use Shakespeare made of Fastolf’s name, career and character when he created Sir John Falstaff.