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Setting the scene
By 1337, England and France had a long history of conflict. English kings, as Dukes of Aquitaine, held large territories in France as vassals of the French king, creating tension. The immediate cause was succession—when French King Charles IV died in 1328 without male heir, Edward III of England, as grandson of Philip IV through his mother Isabella, claimed the French throne. The French nobility chose Philip VI of Valois instead, citing Salic law (which barred succession through female line). Edward initially accepted but tensions grew over Gascony and French support for Scotland.
What happened
In 1337, Philip VI confiscated Gascony, and Edward III formally claimed the French crown, beginning the Hundred Years' War (which actually lasted 116 years, with interruptions). The war had three phases: English victories under Edward III (Crécy 1346, Poitiers 1356, where the Black Prince captured French King John II); French recovery under Charles V (1369-1389); and English resurgence under Henry V (Agincourt 1415, Treaty of Troyes 1420 making Henry heir to France), followed by French victory under Joan of Arc and Charles VII, ending with French reconquest by 1453.
Why it still matters
The Hundred Years' War transformed both nations—it fostered English and French national identity, ended English claims to France (except Calais, held until 1558), and strengthened the French monarchy while weakening the English (contributing to the Wars of the Roses). The war saw military revolution—English longbows defeated French knights at Crécy and Agincourt, demonstrating the power of infantry and missile weapons. It also saw the rise of professional armies, gunpowder artillery, and the decline of feudal levies. The war's cost led to taxation and representative institutions—England's Parliament gained power. The conflict shaped the modern nation-state system.
Background
It continued, with pauses, until 1453. Even centuries later, this episode remains a reference point for how empires rise, fracture, and transform.