The Hundred Years’ War 1337-1453
a Brief Guide to Important Works in English

by Paul Hare
phare [at] mottebooks [dot] com

Perhaps no other medieval conflict has captured the imagination of the world as the series of battles and sieges fought by the French and English during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries known as the Hundred Years War, (1337-1453). Having its origins in disputes between the monarchs of France and England over the Plantagenet kings’ continental holdings, the war moved from feudal claims of lordship to a dynastic struggle with the house of Valois asserting its right to rule France in the teeth of Plantagenet claims to the French throne.

The war has become well known in both literature and history through a number of famous events and characters associated with the struggle. The bravery of the outnumbered English soldiery at the Battle of Agincourt, in 1415 was immortalized in William Shakespeare’s play, Henry V. The saga of Joan of Arc, French peasant to warlord to witch to saint, is also well known. The conflict is also noted for the use of new military tactics, strategies, and technologies on a large scale. It is often also seen as marking the end of the mounted knight’s dominance over medieval battlefields as English longbowmen and dismounted men-at-arms triumphed repeatedly over the massed French chivalry. The war also witnessed the widespread deployment of gunpowder weapons by the French.

Listed below are a few of the many secondary works on the Hundred Years War. Besides general histories of the conflict, I have also ∑mentioned works on the war’s military aspects and important participants.

General Histories

Perroy, Edouard; The Hundred Years War, translated by W.B. Wells, (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1951).
An excellent scholarly yet concise account of the war from its immediate origins in 1328 to the final battle at Castillon in 1453 and is packed with information on the key figures and events of conflict. Although somewhat dated in places, Perroy’s narrative still makes for compelling reading.

Seward, Desmond; The Hundred Years War: The English in France, 1337-1453, (New York: Macmillan, 1978).
While popular historian Seward has written many books on medieval England, this work is on je of the best. It is a good political and military history of the conflict with a minimal analysis of major historical controversies or issues surrounding the war. This is an excellent introduction to the topic.

Sumption, Jonathan; The Hundred Years War: Trial by Battle, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991).
In his projected multi-volume series, Sumption proposes to examine in detail the campaigns, conduct, and impact of the war. In this book, he discusses the war’s immediate origins in the French succession crisis, Edward III’s wars with Scotland (1331-1335), England’s diplomacy with Flanders, the Battle of Sluys (1340), the Battle of Crecy (1346), and the English siege and capture of Calais (1347). While being a scholarly work, this narrative history is well written and could become the definitive work in English on the subject.

Sumption, Jonathan; The Hundred Years War: Trial by Fire, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999).
In his second volume, Sumption continues the conflict’s history by describing the events from the Truce of Calais in 1349 to Edward, the Black Prince’s campaign in Spain from 1366 to 1369. In addition, Sumption discusses the battle of Poitiers, 1356, and with the Truce of Bretigny in 1360, the problem of the free companies of mercenaries that plagued the French countryside. Overall, this volume is equal to the first in style and substance.

Tuchman, Barbara W.; A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1978).
A classic popular history of the events surrounding the fo 8rtunes of Enguerrand Councy VII (1340-1397), a French noblemen who played a prominent role in the events of his era. Tuchman places the career of Councy within the context of late medieval society and the events effecting France at the time, primarily the Hundred Years War but also the crusade of Nicopolis (1396). This is an excellent well written history of the era and is recommended for people looking for a painless introduction to the Hundred Years War and fourteenth-century France and Europe.

Vale, Malcolm; The Origins of the Hundred Years War: The Angevin Legacy 1250-1340, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996).
This study analyzes the tension between the kings of France and England created by the Angevin monarchs’ continental lands (the Angevins are usually designated as the English kings Henry II, R ichard I , and John), especially the Aquitaine. In particular, Vale examines how issues of homage and justice caused diplomatic and feudal relations between the two monarchies to worsen and helped pave the way for English claims to the French throne. Furthermore, this work includes information on early conflicts between France and England such as the Anglo-French War of 1294-98 and the War of St. Sardos 1324-1326.

Military Histories

Allmand, Christopher; The Hundred Years’ War: England and France at War, c. 1300-1450, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988).
This is an interesting examination of the war’s impact upon French and English society and government. He examines the war’s conduct, financing, and strategy. Allmand also analyzes the contribution of the conflict to the rise of national feeling among the combatants and its social and economic impact on the French cities and countryside.

Burne, Alfred H.; The Crecy War: A Military History of the Hundred Years War from 1337 to the Peace of Bretigny, 1360, (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1955).
As the title indicates, Burne focuses exclusively on the military aspects of the Hundred Years War. He is especially detailed about the battles of Crecy and Poitiers. Besides descriptions of the key battles, Burne also discusses the sieges and major raids associated with the English invasion of France. He provides a number of interesting theories about the composition and numbers of the forces involved in the military actions of the war as well.

Burne, Alfred H.; The Agincourt War: A Military History of the Latter Part of the Hundred Years War from 1369 to 1453, (Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1956).
Burne continues where his work on the Crecy War left. While briefly mentioning events prior to 1415, Burne centers on Henry V’s invasion of France that opened the second half of the Hundred Years War. Like its predecessor, this volume focuses on the forces, weapons, tactics, and strategy employed by French and English forces. Besides Agincourt, Burne discusses Cravant (1423), Verneuil (1424), Orleans (1429), Patay (1429), Formigny (1450), and Castillon (1453).

Biographies

Allmand, Christopher; Henry V, (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1993).
One of the most recent biographies of Henry V, this work examines king’s life and reign in relationship to other developments in Europe. Over one hundred pages of the book are devoted to the war in France while otehr chapters detail Normandy and military matters that relate to the conflict. Allmand analyzes the siege of Harfleur and the battle of Agincourt while providing information on the later campaigns in France and Henry’s diplomacy with the Burgundians. Overall, the author believes that Henry, aided by his successful prosecution of the war in France, reestablished English unity and purpose after the dismal reigns of Richard II and Henry IV and this helped account for the king’s stellar reputation as “good King Harry.”

De Vries, Kelly Robert; Joan of Arc: A Military Leader, (Bath: Sutton Publishing, 1999).
In this book, De Vries, a noted medieval military historian, explores Joan of Arc’s leadership and generalship. The author suggests Joan’s inspirational leadership and her use of “direct engagement/frontal assault” influenced later French c ëommanders to employ similar tactics against the English forces. Although mainly concerned with Joan’s military abilities, De Vries does cover in some detail the other events in her life.

Packe, Michael; King Edward III, edited by L.C.B. Seaman, (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983).
This is an interesting biography of King Edward III in which Packe only finished the first 3 sections, with the fourth part being completed by the editor based on Packe’s notes. For the most part this is a standard biography that focuses especially on Edward’s troubled youth and the coup against his mother, Queen Isabella and her lover, Roger Mortimer, and the campaigns of the king and his sons, Edward, the Black Prince, and John of Gaunt, in France and Spain.

Pernoud, Regine, and Marie Veronique; Joan of Arc: Her Story, translated by Jeremy duQuesnay Adams, (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998).
A translation of the original French edition done in 1986, this work is a good solid biography of Joan and her career. Perhaps what is most interesting about this work is the inclusion of additional materials not included in the original French edition. There are brief biographies of the principal characters, selections from source materials (including Joan’s letters), and many other useful aids for developing a better understanding of the Maid of Orleans.

Seward, Desmond; Henry V: The Scourge of God, (London: Penguin, 1987). A popular history of Henry V in which Seward attempts to dispel the heroic image surrounding the king. Seward portrays Henry as a brutal, cunning, aggressive, intolerant ruler whose ambitions and insecurities plunged England and France into an era of bloodshed and disaster. According to Seward, many of Henry’s policies and plans, including his war with France, were done to bolster his own family’s · dubious claim to the English crown, after the displacement of Richard II by Henry IV in 1399. Indeed, Seward claims that Henry V is the ultimate architect of the Wars of the Roses (1453-1485) and the collapse of the house of Lancaster.

Vale, Malcolm G. A.; Charles VII, (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1974).
Vale has written an excellent biography of King Charles VII (1422-61), who is best known for his relationship with Joan of Arc. Indeed, the author addresses this issue in particular when examining how Charles’ s disinheritance may have effected his attitudes towards Joan. Furthermore, Vale examines the role of Charles in the conflict between Armagnacs and Burgundians, the king’s leadership in the reconquest of France, and his own troubles with his son Louis XI (1423-1483). This is the first biography of Charles to appear in English and the first to appear in any language since 1891.

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