Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War (French: La guerre de Cent Ans; Picard: Dgère d'Un Chint An; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts fought between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from English claims to the French throne. The war grew into a broader power struggle involving factions from across Western Europe, fueled by emerging nationalism on both sides. Despite its name, the war actually lasted 116 years, interrupted by several truces.

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Hundred Years' War
Part of the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages and the Anglo-French Wars
Clockwise, from top left: the Battle of La Rochelle, the Battle of Agincourt, the Battle of Patay, and Joan of Arc at the Siege of Orléans
Date 24 May 1337 – 19 October 1453 (intermittent)[lower-alpha 1] (116 years, 4 months, 3 weeks and 4 days) Location France, the Low Countries, Great Britain, the Iberian Peninsula Result Victory for France and its allies Full results House of Valois retains the French throne Strengthening of the French monarchy Agnatic primogeniture confirmed as the law of French royal succession Decline of the House of Plantagenet, leading to the Wars of the Roses English claims to the French throne persist Rise of nationalistic identities in England and France Territorial changes England loses all continental possessions except for the Pale of Calais.
Belligerents
France loyal to the House of Valois Burgundian State (1337–1419; 1435–1453) Crown of Castile Duchy of Brittany Kingdom of Scotland Welsh rebels Republic of Genoa Kingdom of Bohemia Crown of Aragon Avignon Papacy[lower-alpha 2]	France loyal to the House of Plantagenet Kingdom of England Burgundian State (1419–1435) Duchy of Brittany Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Navarre Ghent Rebels[lower-alpha 3] Papal States[lower-alpha 4]
Commanders and leaders
Philip VI # John II  Charles V # Charles VI # Charles VII Louis, Dauphin Joan of Arc  Bertrand du Guesclin Jean de Vienne Hugues Quiéret † Charles d'Orléans  Rudolph of Lorraine † Philip the Bold John the Fearless Philip the Good Charles of Blois † David II  John Stewart † Archibald Douglas † John of Darnley † Henry of Trastámara John I Ambrosio Boccanegra Fernando Sánchez de Tovar † Pedro Álvares Pereira † Antonio Doria John the Blind † Peter IV of Aragon Antipope Clement VII	Edward III # Richard II # Henry IV # Henry V # Henry VI The Black Prince John of Gaunt Edmund of Langley Richard of York John of Lancaster Henry of Lancaster Jean III de Grailly  Thomas Dagworth Thomas Montacute † Henry le Despenser John Talbot † John Fastolf Robert d'Artois Edward Balliol Jean of Luxembourg Philip the Good John of Montfort Joanna of Flanders John IV of Brittany John I Nuno Álvares Pereira Peter of Castile † Pope Urban VI Jacob van Artevelde Philip van Artevelde  † Frans Ackerman

The Hundred Years' War was a significant conflict in the Middle Ages. During the war five generations of kings from two rival dynasties fought for the throne of France, which was then the dominant kingdom in Western Europe. The war's effect on European history was lasting. Both sides produced innovations in military technology and tactics, including professional standing armies and artillery, that permanently changed warfare in Europe; chivalry, which reached its height during the conflict, subsequently declined. Stronger national identities took root in both countries, which became more centralised and gradually rose as global powers.[1]

The term "Hundred Years' War" was adopted by later historians as a historiographical periodisation to encompass related conflicts, constructing the longest military conflict in European history. The war is commonly divided into three phases separated by truces: the Edwardian War (1337–1360), the Caroline War (1369–1389), and the Lancastrian War (1415–1453). Each side drew many allies into the conflict, with English forces initially prevailing; however, the French forces under the House of Valois ultimately retained control over the Kingdom of France. The French and English monarchies, previously intertwined, thereafter remained separate.