The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453

Rating:
Summary: From a different perspective
Review: Desmond Seward has written a great, short (270-text pages) book about a conflict that, incredibly, has shaped the relations between France and England ever since, and has influenced the course of history. The English claim to the throne of France started with the Norman Invasion and the crowning of Duke William as King of England in 1066. Ethnically, the Normans were Vikings, but they had become French in a cultural way. William was followed by his descendants, and they formed the Plantagenet Line, to which some of the most famous and illustrious of English kings belong. Seward sees the conflict as what it was: the invasion of France by English troops in a time where loyalties were given to the feudal lord (duke, prince, king) more than to the country. By the time the war finally ended in 1453, the concept of "nationalism" was firmly entrenched in both England and France. Between the years 1337 and 1453, England had won an amazing string of victories against a bigger, richer enemy, but one that had been wretchedly led, only to be driven away from France towards the end of the war. The English despoiled the rich French countryside; they burned fields; destroyed towns; and, finally, were hated even by those who, a few decades earlier, had been loyal subjects of their English lords. Seward focuses this narrative from a perspective to which we are not used: the French perspective that, honestly, has never received a fair hearing in the English-speaking world. Of particular interest to me was Seward's description of King Henry V, the hero of Shakespeare, the hero of Agincourt, the symbol of nobility..., and a murderer who burned prisoners alive, who destroyed towns for no reason, who applied a religious fanaticism to his campaigns and who, instead of being the ideal of a Prince, was a paranoid, greedy psychopath. Is this an accurate portrayal of Henry? I don't know. But Seward does provide us with a different look at a much written-about hero of the English. Perhaps he is biased, but the glamorized biographies I have read through the years do tend to pale next to this work. Still, as with many historical figures, Henry will keep on being controversial. (And authors do not have to please us every time: I really did not agree with Seward's biography of Richard III.) So, as for the Hundred Years War, the author puts us right there at Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt (all extraordinary English victories), and at the counterattack with Joan of Arc, the betrayal of the French (maybe they did deserve the English after all), the final push, and the English being sent back to England, while the French retained France. The French went on to lick their wounds after 116 years of rape, pillage, and destruction. The English went on to fight their own conflict, later known as The Wars of the Roses (but not during the Wars between Lancaster and York), and managed to escape major retaliation from the wounded French. This conflict, immense in expanse, extremely important for the future of the world, given the dominant position of both France and England in a resurgent, imperialistic, planetary Europe, is seen with French eyes by a man who seems to stand, sometimes uneasily, on both lands. Excellent book. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Rating:
Summary: Concise, Clear, Interesting
Review: I was largely ignorant of this period of European history, but after playing "Age of Empires 2" I became interested in medieval warfare. This book does an excellent job of describing the events, battles, and characters that shaped this period in history. An excellent introduction to those who know nothing about the Hundred Years War. Perhaps those who want a real in-depth study of the war should look elsewhere. All others should be pleased with one of the most readable history books ever written.

Rating:
Summary: Great overall view of this important time in history
Review: Seward does a great job in illustrating what the Hundred Years War was and how it affected the French and the English. For someone looking for a concise overview of this important time, I would recommend this book. It does not go into too much depth within the actual battles and how they were fought, focusing only on who fought and the general formation taken, so if you are looking for the military approach this book should only be used as a reference.

Seward is a great historian and one that I will gladly turn to when I have a question.

Rating:
Summary: The Hundred Years War
Review: The Hundred Years War is about the war that the English fought with the French. Due to the fact that the French had no king and the pretext was that the English king had the right to the French throne . The two groups of people involved in this story were the English crown and Army, and the French Noble(wo)men and the French Army. England repeatedly invaded France and the French, which was a small, weak country at that time, stood strong against the English. Due to France's lack of resources and weaknesses, their army wasn't that strong. The English dominated most of the war and won most of the major battles. During the period of the war, one of the major things that happened was Joan of Arc, who lead Charles VII to become the king of France and France finally had a sovereign. My favorite character was France because they were more disposed to win the war by using whatever they could find. They also had much better looking armor.

I did liked the book. My favorite parts were the battles where Joan of Arc was. I didn't quite like the begining because it went pretty slow. If I could change anything in the book it would be adding more exitement in the starting part, because I'm an author also and I know what most of the people want.

I think I might recommend this book to a person who might like history.

Rating:
Summary: Insightful, Detailed Historical Account
Review: The Hundred Years War was a long, brutal, complicated conflict (1337-1453) between English and French nobility for the control of France. England had been conquered in 1066 by invaders from Normandy and for several centuries was ruled by a French-speaking aristocracy. Slowly native English language regained its supremacy (absorbing many French words in the process) and by the 1300's England and France no longer shared a common language. However, through complex intermarriages, English royalty could muster claims for France. As Shakespeare's Henry V proclaims before invading France, "No king of England if no king of France."

My interest in reading Desmond Seward's book was kindled by both a recent reading of Henry V and viewing Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V.

Seward's recounting of the Hundred Years War is quite readable, but at times rather detailed, especially the first chapter. But the prize is worth it. Seward paints a vivid painting of of medieval diplomacy and politics as well as providing detailed descriptions of medieval warfare (not very chivalrous as little distinction was made between combatants and noncombatants).

Seward's portrayal of Henry V is particularly fascinating. I found myself returning to Shakespeare's rendering of Henry V and the battle of Agincourt and seeing more clearly the contradictory nature of this heroic English king.

The major battles during this extended conflict are remembered as remarkable English victories. Seward reminds us that these heroic events were absolute disasters from the French perspective. The English were not benevolent rulers. Much of subsequent history can be understood from what occurred during the Hundred Years War.

Several months after reviewing Desmond Seward's book, I encountered "Shakespeare's English Kings" by Peter Saccio and I now suggest that most readers would benefit by first reading Saccio's book before undertaking the more detailed analysis of the Hundred Years War by Seward. I have maintained my four star ranking of Seward's history.

Rating:
Summary: Loses the forest for the trees
Review: This is a straightforward and well presented narrative history of the Hundred Years War. It concentrates mostly on the military conflict, with some asides on major figures. It is quite detailed and pithy. On these terms it's a good book. Alas it gives short shrift to the wider aspects of the war and the time. The rest of Europe, the Great Schism, the growth of nationalities, the effects of the Black Death ... these all get only a glancing look. I also hoped for more on military tactics and weaponry.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reading--but difficult
Review: This is an excellent, if rapid, retelling of the hundred years war, which was not one war, but a series of bloody conflicts, started by the English refusal to recognize the French salic law which denied inheritance through the female line. Edward III' s mother Queen Isabella was the daughter of king Phillip the Fair, and as such many, including Edward, felt that he,NOT King Phillip's nephew ought to inherit the throne.Meanwhile in France, dependence of salic law had only recently been revived and was, of course being used for political reasons, including specifically that of keeping an Englishman off the throne. Alas, nothing is even so simple and there were many pretenders and schisms, including the Great schism between the Popes of Avignon and Rome as well as between French factions during this period. Seward covers the motivations for conflict, on different class levels, as well as the effects of various conflicts and gives us some great characters. There are several genealogical charts which explain the dynastic imperatives, as well as a real attention to military detail, the descriptions of different kinds of weaponry, particularly English bow and arrow versus French crossbow are impressive. And several battles are accompanied by military diagrams, so that those who are military minded can have a real grasp of the actions at Crecy and Agincourt, for example, as well as of the military intelligence of Edward III, John of Gaunt, Henry V and Joan of Arc. Seward relies on many primary sources, but in particular on Froissart and the Bourgeois of Paris (whom I had not heard of.) He quotes Shakespeare and ancient songs appropriately at the beginning of each chapter, and provides an excellent appendix of maps showing the vicissitudes of French territories and English occupations, as well as an appendix explaining the meaning of the currencies in the economics of the time. This is a straightforward, exceedingly comprehensive, delineation of one of the most confusing occasions in Western European history. One is still left confused at the end about how and why the dynastic, commercial, political and military factors interacted as they did however. And it becomes very difficult to sort one French King and political pretender from another. I never did quite figure out what Phillip of Burgundy was up to.

One has the sense that Seward might have better served his purpose by writing a book a hundred pages longer with attentions to the less heady but equally important details of character, personality and relationship. Maurice Druon's fictional series "The Cursed Kings" (1-6) makes a good introduction to the Political events that led up to the start of the Hundred Years war.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting and easy to read style.
Review: This was the first work I read on the history of the Hundred Years War independent from general British history accounts and it served as an excellent introduction to the subject. I was especially impressed with evolution weaponry and its effects on the tide of various battles and eventually the war. The dominace of the French heavily armored knight in battlefield being replaced by the English long-bow archer during the opening period of the war. The latter was dominated by emergence of French canon in concluding battles of the war. In addition to tactical analysis, the English employment of the tatics of Total War against the French population and economy with its effects on both side was quite fasinating. Lastly, it provides an interesting sequel of events which lead to the War of the Roses in England years later, which was one of the bloodiest episodes of civil war in Biritsh history.

Rating:
Summary: Great book but not as a beginning point
Review: Well, there isn't much for me to say as the Orange County Fellow below covered most of the points I wanted to cover.

But, let me say that a good beginning book for understanding this is a basic European book. Try TIMEFRAME AD 1300-1400: THE AGE OF CALAMITY.

From there, move on to Seward''s book as he gets more into the details of things. Good info on how armies changed, how kings funded them and the overall conception of the war on nobility and commoners. Good spread of family trees to understand the claims in back.

Strongly recommended. Easy read, too. Not dry like a majority of History book.