Causes of the Hundred Years War in 1337
Oct 29, 2010 Michael Streich
The Hundred Years’ War began in 1337 after many years of struggle between England and France. The immediate cause of the war was tied to the region of Gascony, confiscated in 1337 by French king Philip VI on the basis that Edward III of England, who had a hereditary legal right to the land, had not shown him proper homage. Other reasons, however, formed the foundation of conflict, chief of which was Edward himself as a potential claimant to the French throne.
French and English Conflicts over Commercial Interests
The English in the early 14th Century still controlled large sections of France, including the wealthy Aquitaine. Revenues from this province alone dwarfed all internal English taxation. Ships leaving the Aquitaine, however, were subject to naval attacks by French pirates. In reprisal, English pirates attacked French shipping.
Another cause of friction involved Flanders and the English woolen industry. Export duties represented large revenue sums for the English king.
In the years before the war, unrest in Flanders between the wealthy merchants and the artisans and craftsmen resulted in the Count of Flanders turning to the French king for help. The English sensed that France was attempting to tamper with the lucrative wool industry at England’s expense.
Philip VI Sends Assistance to the Scots
Another immediate cause of conflict involved Edward III’s continued attempts to subdue the Scots, a struggle that had been in progress for many years. Philip VI encouraged French knights to travel to Scotland and assist the enemies of Edward.
Edward III Becomes a Credible Rival for the French Throne in 1328
Edward III was the son of Edward II and his French wife, Isabella. Edward II died in 1327 during a power struggle between Isabella and her lover, Roger Mortimer. In 1330, at the age of eighteen, Edward III arrested his mother, executed Mortimer, and began his rule. It was through Isabella, however, that Edward’s claim to the French throne rested.
Isabella was the daughter of French King Philip IV who died in 1314. Of his three sons, only Louis X conceived a male heir. The child died in 1316, the same year Louis X died. Neither Philip V nor Charles IV – who died in 1328, produced male heirs.
In the 14th Century, it was inconceivable that a woman could rule. Thus, with Isabella ineligible, the only other legitimate male heir in 1328 was her son who also happened to be Edward III, King of England.
The French Turn to Philip VI of the House of Valois
Philip VI was the nephew of Philip IV through Charles, Count of Valois. The French nobility had no intentions of honoring Edward’s claim. Chosen as King of France in 1328, Philip not only became the rival of Edward III, but insofar as some of Edward’s French land claims like Gascony, his lord under the old Feudal customs. It was on this basis that Philip confiscated Gascony in 1337.
Unlike Edward III, Philip lacked leadership skills and demonstrated a heightened paranoia about everyone around him. He enjoyed the pomp of court life and frivolous entertainment. Philip was wholly inadequate in the task of carrying on a war against Edward who was loved by his people and was a superb soldier and leader.
The Hundred Years’ War Decided who Controlled France
Spanning most of the ill-fated 14th-Century, the Hundred Years’ War ultimately decided who controlled France. By the time the series of battles ended, few recalled the causes of the war and Western Europe was changed dramatically from an age of chivalry to a pre-modern society.
Sources:
- Christopher Allmand, The Hundred Years War: England and France at War c. 1300-c. 1450 (Cambridge University Press, 1988)
- Desmond Seward, The Hundred Years War: The English in France, 1337-1453 (Atheneum, 1978)
- Jonathan Sumption, The Hundred Years War I: Trial by Battle (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1990)
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