Product Description
The Hundred Years' War is the name used by modern historians to denote the military conflicts fought by 14th and 15th century England and France. The war is of considerable interest both because of its duration and the number of theatres in which it was fought. In this book, Anne Curry demonstrates how this conflict reveals much about the changing nature of warfare: the rise of infantry and the demise of the knight; the impact of increased gunpowder use; and the effect of the war on the generations of people who lived through it. ... Read more

Product Description
The Hundred Years War embraced warfare in all aspects, from the grand set pieces of Crecy and Agincourt to the pillaged lands of the dispossessed population. What makes this book different from previous studies emphasising the great battles is its use of less familiar evidence, such as administrative records and landscape archaeology, to gain a truer picture of the realities of medieval warfare. From a general review of battle tactics, the book turns to examine (at points enlisting computer analysis) a number of issues: the composition of the English army, the management of affairs in Aquitaine, the response in England at large to the war and the consequent propaganda and hardship, and the impact of warfare on local communities. Close study of surviving artefacts - weapons, fortifications - also allows realistic assessments of military and naval experiences.Contributors: ANDREW AYTON, MATTHEW BENNETT, ANNE CURRY, IAN FRIEL, ROBERT HARDY, MICHAEL HUGHES, MICHAEL JONES, BRIAN KEMP, JOHN KENYON, MARK ORMROD, ROBERT SMITH, MALCOLM VALE. ... Read more

Product Description
The Familiar Enemy re-examines the linguistic, literary, and cultural identities of England and France within the context of the Hundred Years War. During this war, two profoundly intertwined peoples developed complex strategies for expressing their aggressively intimate relationship. This special connection between the English and the French has endured into the modern period as a model for Western nationhood. Ardis Butterfield reassesses the concept of 'nation' in this period through a wide-ranging discussion of writing produced in war, truce, or exile from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, concluding with reflections on the retrospective views of this conflict created by the trials of Jeanne d'Arc and by Shakespeare's Henry V. She considers authors writing in French, 'Anglo-Norman', English, and the comic tradition of Anglo-French 'jargon', including Machaut, Deschamps, Froissart, Chaucer, Gower, Charles d'Orléans, as well as many lesser-known or anonymous works.

Traditionally Chaucer has been seen as a quintessentially English author. This book argues that he needs to be resituated within the deeply francophone context, not only of England but the wider multilingual cultural geography of medieval Europe. It thus suggests that a modern understanding of what 'English' might have meant in the fourteenth century cannot be separated from 'French', and that this has far-reaching implications both for our understanding of English and the English, and of French and the French. ... Read more

Book Description

Product Description
This volume, the first of a two-volume set, is the work of fourteen European and American scholars and focuses on the wider aspects of the Hundred Years. These essays range far afield from the traditional heartlands of Hundred Years War studies to investigate the influence of the conflict on Italy, the Low Countries, and Spain and on such topics as urban history, and the actualities of weapon use on the battlefield. A number of the essays in this collection seek to re-examine old but thorny questions long associated with the conflict, including the real immediate impact of gunpowder technology on siege warfare during the fourteenth century and the "purposeful" strategy of Henry V in staging and bringing about the battle of Agincourt in 1415.

... Read more

Product Description
War's impact on two societies, England and France, in the late middle ages is fully explored through the evidence and commentary presented here, showing how they reacted to the conflict between them. The Hundred Years War forms the framework for the chosen documents, all from the fourteenth and fifteenth century; extracts show how men thought about war and how they faced up to these ideas in practice; the problems of manpower; and the effects of the military needs of the day on society. The importance of economic motives for going to war is considered, together with the changing methods used in fighting the war. Finally, the attempts at peace-making are illustrated, showing how war did not necessarily end suddenly since its effects -social, economic and political - were felt for many years after it was officially over.New introduction, updated bibliography; originally published 1973. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English, witnessed the crowning of King Charles VII, and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft. ... Read more

Product Description
This book takes a fresh look at the Hundred Years War by gathering the latest scholarship on several aspects of the conflict that have not been amply studied before and several that have become "gospel" by numerous scholarly treatments. The collection focuses on the following subjects: the Hundred Years War as a wide-ranging struggle that effected many European regions, the battle of Agincourt and its political and emotional aftermath, the Iberian theater of war that sprang from the main conflict, the impact of the crossbow and longbow on the great battles of the conflict, great leaders of the war, and economic, literary, and psychological aspects of the conflict. The contributors are: William P. Caferro, Megan Cassidy Welch, Kelly DeVries, Donald J. Kagay, Ilana Krug, Russell Mitchell, Steven Muhlberger, Clifford J. Rogers, L. B. Ross, Dana Sample, Wendy Turner, Richard Vernier, L. J. Andrew Villalon and David Whetham. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first volume in a fully-illustrated new series devoted to medieval castles. Following a chronological plan, this in-depth sequence on medieval military architecture should help to reestablish a typology of the castle. Volume I deals with the main castles of the great Capetians, from Chateau Gaillard to castel de Coucy .Stephane Gondoin and Cyril Castellant are not only specialist historians in their field, but also 3-D illustrators at the peak of their art.This book is the culmination of a huge amount of knowledge acquired after years of research and studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hundres Years War Castles
Overall I consider this a very interesting book but with some minor reservations. Firstly some nitpicking. The copy I received does not resemble the advertised item beginning with the title on my copy "Hundred Years War Castles"(Fortresses)as opposed to the advertised "French Castles of the Hundred Years War". I had to check twice to make sure I had received the correct book. The Book cover itself is also completely different with a glossy photo of the Castle of Vitre as opposed to the illustrated Battle scene. This aside, I found the book to be very informative especially in distinguishing between the varying styles of regional castle building and in particular the machicolation say of Brittany when compared to that of the Loire Valley, Provence and the south of France in general. While there is a great 3D reconstruction (Several pages) of a castle in this volume it is theof only one present- that of thecastle of Mehun-sur-Yevre at its peak of architectual developement - eat your heart out Walt Disney! The rest of the depictions are glossy photos, pen & ink drawings (Viollet le Duc reconstructions), a few maps and numerous but not absolutely detailed floor plans. A detailed bibliography for further reading is included (Most of it in french!)and many handy internet links including the authors own webpage where there are further 3D reconstructions. Even if you are interested in Castles in general, this would be a handy addition to anyone library. I await to see what additional volumes may contain. ... Read more

Product Description
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were a time of great upheaval for medieval France. In 1328 the Capetian line came to an end. This was the trigger for the Hundred Years War as successive English kings attempted to uphold their claim to the French throne. Catastrophic defeats at Crécy and Poitiers shook the French kingdom to its core. A period of respite followed under Bertrand du Guesclin, but an even more devastating assault was to follow, under the warrior-king par excellence Henry V, and the French disintegration continued until 1429. This book details how the French began a recovery, partly triggered by the young visionary Joan of Arc, that would end with them as the major European military power. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Glorious Angus McBride Plates
The union of David Nicolle's knowledge of medieval military history and the late Angus McBride's great skill as an illustrator have produced a myriad of excellent Osprey titles, but for the plates alone I would claim this as one of my favorites.

The plates portray all facets of the French military of the time, the knights, common soldiers, artillery, and mercenaries.Several famous (or infamous) characters of the Hundred Year's War, among them Jeanne d'Arc, Bertrand du Guesclin, and Jean de Bethencourt, are marvellously illustrated as they put on their armor, command their troops, etc.Plate E's redition of a contemporary Basque warrior is also quite interesting.

The text of course, is detailed and greatly informative, although a tiny bit dull in a few places.The section on the changing French tactics over the course of the war is particularly useful.Overall, this is an essential source for a student of the Hundred Year's War, a conflict that has overall been well presented by Osprey Military Publishing.

Lot of History Covered
This book is a great overview of the period covered; however I think it was a bit over-industrious to sqeeze so much into one book (the normal Men-At-Arms size, that is).I think keeping it to the early period (up to Poitiers or Najera) and a separate one for the Agincourt/Joan of Arc period would've been better.McBride, master illustrator that he is, kind of disappointed me with his renditions of both du Guesclin and the Maid.Joan was shown in a dress! It still has good illustrations of the armor of the average man at arms and "lowly" infantry types, though.

An Excellent Book
This lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched Osprey Men-At-Arms book is a concise, yet informative study of the composition and tactics of French armies of the Hundred Years War. My only complaint is that theauthor has not gone to the same extent as Nicholas Michael (Armies ofMedieval Burgundy, 1364-1477) in covering the compagnies d'ordonnances.Aside from this fault, this book is a great introduction to a subject thathas long been neglected by Osprey publishing. ... Read more

Product Description

When in Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine of France in 1154 A.D., he became at once the reigning sovereign over a vast stretch of land extending across all of England and half of France—and yet, according to the feudal hierarchy of the times, a vassal to the King of France. This situation, which placed French and English borders in such a tenuous position, solidified the precarious ground on which the Hundred Years War was to be fought 183 years later. This epic border conflict—which was contemporaneous with the age of popular uprisings and the Bubonic Plague, fought according to enduring notions of chivalry and the budding pride of nationality, and which numbered among its participants Richard II, the Black Prince of Wales, Henry IV, Henry V, and Charles of Navarre—ultimately depended upon a peasant woman, Joan of Arc, to reinforce the French ideal of a sacred kingdom, swing the pendulum once more in the direction of the French, and bring this perennial conflict to an end.

When in 1154 A.D. Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine of France, he became at once the reigning sovereign over a vast stretch of land extending across all of England and half of France, and yet, according to the feudal hierarchy of the times, a vassal to the King of France. This situation, which placed French and English borders in such a tenuous position, solidified the precarious ground on which the Hundred Years War was to be fought 183 years later. This epic border conflict—which was contemporaneous with the age of popular uprisings and the Bubonic Plague, fought according to enduring notions of chivalry and the budding pride of nationality, and which numbered among its participants Richard II, the Black Prince of Wales, Henry IV, Henry V, and Charles of Navarre—ultimately depended upon a peasant woman, Joan of Arc, to reinforce the French ideal of a sacred kingdom, swing the pendulum once more in the direction of the French, and bring this perennial conflict to an end.

Topics of the theme essays have been selected to show the diversity of this complex war, and include discussions of: the origins of the war; the age of popular rebellion; chivalry's effect on 14th and 15th century warfare; the religion of the monarchy and the role of sacred kingship in the building of the French monarchy; and Joan of Arc's understanding of the war. An annotated timeline and a chronology of French and English Kings provide readers with an easy-to-follow overview of the Hundred Years War and the rulers who presided over it. Nineteen biographical sketches of key French and English figures lend a human aspect to historic names; and 14 annotated primary documents breathe fresh life into the topic, and provide students and readers with a new look at the period. The book concludes with an annotated bibliography and index.

Product Description
An "insightful" (PublishersWeekly) history of the development ofAmerican capitalism and the men who made itgreat.Most Americans are familiar with the politicalhistory of the United States, but there isanother history woven all through it, a largelyforgotten history—the story of the money men.Acclaimed historian H. W. Brands brings themback to life: J. P. Morgan, who stabilized afoundering U.S. Treasury in 1907; AlexanderHamilton, who founded the first national bank,and Nicholas Biddle, under whose directorship it failed; Jay Cooke, who helped to finance theUnion war effort through his then-innovativestrategy of selling bonds to ordinary Americans; and Jay Gould, who tried to corner the market ongold in 1869 and as a result brought about Black Friday and fled for his life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

disappointed
The book was well written, the story had an easy flow to it. The content, however, was not what it should and could have been. The first part of the book was quite good - it was well laid out and there was even some new information there. The latter part, however, was quite poor. While Brands gave some information regarding the formation of the Federal Reserve - very little - he gave no information at all about how it functions. And he left out key people like Mariner Ecles and Andrew Mellon. This book needs to be re-written with a much, much longer, and more detailed, second half.

The Money Men
A very informative and interesting book on the history of money thought which is still prevalent today.Easy to read.Good for novices to get some understanding.

A "Taste" on the subject
I have long been a fan of HW Brands - In fact he is the author of two of my favorite works on US History ("The First American" and "The Age of Gold") However, what has consistently made Brands a favorite of lovers of American history is missing in "The Money Men" - that is his amazing attention to personal details. Typically, Brands is able to bring his subjects alive like no other. Unfortunately, "The Money Men" is a very brief glimpse at five loosely associated men... each is given between 30-50 pages.


The result of Brands work is an overview of the formation of the banking industry in the United States. I would approach "The Money Men" as a way to decide if you would like to tackle one of the more complete books on the subject... such as Chernow's masterful books on JP Morgan, Rockefeller, and Alexander Hamilton (And I highly recommend each of them).

A final note.... at the time of publishing this review the price of "The Money Men" is less than three dollars. This is an outstanding price - and definitely worthy of a place in your library at this price!

A history of American central banking
It is VERY difficult to make an interesting book on the history of central banking and money in the US, especially without a pet agenda ("Bring back the gold standard!" or "Outlaw Central Banks!").The Money Men contains American history, Economic history and Banking history, linked together in the stories of Alexander Hamilton, JP Morgan, and the powerful bankers between them.

Does is succeed in being a page-turner?Not really - it's best read in several sittings.Does it avoid partisanship?Depends on the wording...While largely unbalanced, "Capitalism vs. Deomcracy" paints a biased view of the participants."Capital driven democracy versus Economic populist democracy" could be less biased words.But all that said, the book certainly beats other alternatives of US central banking histories....

5 poor biographies
I was expecting to read a brief history of the US monetary system and, in particular, the contribution thereof by each of Brand's five "money men".Instead I got a series of disjoint, narrow biographies on five guys who helped shape American banking.

To be sure, the book has its moments, for example, there is an interesting discussion about the way in which funds for the civil war were raised through war bonds -- but it is apparently left as an exercise to the reader to consider how this approached changed the US economy in any broader sense (other than that it helped the North win the war). There is no over-arching description of how each man contributed to the current system or how their work impacted the monetary system over time.Part of the problem - a few specific exceptions aside - is that Brand does not paint any broad strokes that would give the reader an idea about what the economic, monetary and political climate were like during the lives of each of the men.I was left wanting for more thorough discussion concerning the monetary and economic issues of the era.

Perhaps there is a book that describes the continuous evolution of American banking, money and capital markets, but this one isn't it. ... Read more

Product Description
The Hundred Years War was the longest war in European history, a quarrel that embroiled England and France in decades of blood and violence in the struggle for the French throne and control of French territory. It was also a war that ushered in the Renaissance, bringing tremendous change to two medieval societies.
Robin Neillands has written the first full-length study of this period in over a decade. Now in paperback, this even-handed examination of both sides of the struggle goes beyond the misconceptions of history to explain the causes of the conflict, from the early campaigns to the final French victory at Castillion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

nice introductory work
A very vivid, well written account of the Hundred Years' War. The writer is a reporter, so the "lively" style in descriptions of facts and situations is not new to him. You will probably read the book only in a few hours (I did it in just three-four hours, to my own amazement), and can consider yourself rather well-informed about the general subject of the Hundred Years' War after that. It is an very handy introductory work, covering all the period of the war without omitting any details. By the way, much better than the writer's "The Wars of the Roses".

I gave it four stars and not five only because I do not consider it a must for experts on the 100 Years' War history. ... Read more

Product Description
The Hundred Years War between England and France began in 1337 with Edward III's claim to the throne of France. The tumultuous years that followed witnessed some of the greatest battles in history: Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt. Although the English leaders - Edward III, the Black Prince and Henry V - fought valiantly, often achieving amazing victories against the odds, it was the French who won the war. Here, together for the first time, are A.H. Burne's books on this colourful period, "The Crecy War" and "The Agincourt War". Acclaimed as "one of the best military historians", Burne draws on original sources plus what he calls "I.M.P", the "inherent military probability" of an action, in his analysis of strategy. Alongside the vivid description of individual campaigns, he introduces some of England's most celebrated historical figures, including Harry the King, Warwick, Salisbury, Chandos and the peerless Talbot, as well as famous French warriors, such as Bertrand de Guesclin, La Hire and Joan of Arc. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Tales and Details - A Serious Military History
If you are one of those folks who complains about histories that contain to many names, dates and details this book is not for you.If you want detailed stories about the lives of individuals, their passions and personalities, this book is not for you.But if you are truly serious about understanding the Hundred Years War, a conflict that defined England and France as nations, this book is for you.

Lt. Colonel Burne was a British artillery officer in World War I so he had the ideal background to write such a book as this.This also explains his lack of concern with all things not military.He starts the book with Edward III and that monarchs motivations for pursuing the war, which Lt. Colonel Burne is at great pains to explain was not originally to gain the French Crown but simply to regain the lands lost by Edward's incompetent great-great grandfather John Lackland.Burne details all of Edward's movements, preparations and battle plans.He not only tries to enumerate each of the opposing armies but where possible gives the number of wagons on the march, the amount of grain carried, the types of weapons and the length of the daily march.The detail is amazing but is for the most part English detail.This is not because of prejudice on Lt. Colonel Burnes part but rather reflects the paucity of the French sources.Losers are loath to write histories, and the French did loose and loose and loose, every major conflict until they finally held Orleans not so much because of heroism of Joan of Arc, who's roll Burn significantly downplays, but because of the death of Thomas Earl of Salisbury from a lucky cannon shot.

But as much detail as there is Lt. Colonel Burne, nor anyone else can answer the question, why did Edward not march on Paris after the battle of Crecy and he does not linger on speculation about Edwards motives.Nor is he the least concerned with the effects of the plague on the course of the war or the soldiery, mentioning it only once.He is so focused on the war that the interlude that was the reign of Richard II goes almost unmentioned except for the machinations of John of Gaunt.The war resumes with Henry V and the tail then slowly peters out just as the prosecution of the war did after the accession of Henry VI and the death of his uncle Thomas Duke of Exeter.

But the book is not so dry as to be completely without historical conjecture or postulation.One of the most fascinating part of the books is the fact that Lt. Colonel Burne has walked each and every battle field, surveying each position against the written record.He describes how each battle probably took place from the point of view of a man who has actually been in battle on the fields of France.He speculates at length on the position of the archery and explains how this dynamic military element tilted the scales of war decisively to the English side.

So if you if you really like tales and details of men in clanky armor hacking each other to bits for the fate of Normandy this book has only one disadvantage - it is too darn expensive.We will just have to hope for a reprinting or that it is released by the estate to the internet.Until then you will probably want to be off to a big library to find it.
... Read more

Product Description

A succession of catastrophes in the middle years of the fourteenth century brought France to the brink of destruction. The bankruptcy of the French state and a bitter civil war within the royal family were followed by the defeat and capture of the King of France by the Black Prince at Poitiers. A peasant revolt and a violent revolution in Paris completed the tragedy. In a humiliating treaty of partition France ceded more than a third of its territory to Edward III of England. Not for sixty years would the English again come so close to total victory.

Yet the theme of the volume is not destruction, but survival. France's great cities, provincial towns and rural communities resisted where its leaders failed. They withstood the sustained savagery of the soldiers and the free companies of brigands to undo most of Edward III's work in the following generation. England's triumphs proved to be brittle and short-lived.

Based on a wide range of contemporary sources, both printed and unprinted, The Hundred Years War, Volume 2: Trial by Fire is the absorbing continuation of Jonathan Sumption's monumental history of the Hundred Years War.

To read many historians, the Hundred Years War was a glorious periodof nobility and chivalry. Sumption gives the lie to this. He shows thewar to be venal, savage, and mercenary. Soldiers often gave morethought to their captives than they did for their cause, as hugeransoms could be extracted for their release. We're only talking noblehostages, mind. The ordinary foot soldier had no monetary value andwas usually butchered on the spot. The same applied to civilians. Thiswasn't a war where human life was sanctified and the fighting wasrestricted to the battlefield. It had all the subtlety of the bombingof Dresden, but as the fighting was almost entirely restricted tomainland France, England created a wave of terror to force the localsinto submission. "Not a man or woman of substance dared to wait in thetowns and castles or in the country around; wherever our armyappeared, they fled away," wrote one English observer. Sumption'sreaders are likely to have precisely the opposite reaction. --JohnCrace, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Volume three not until 2008 or so
A truly outstanding series on the players, economics, politics and strategy (or lack thereof) of the Hundred Years War. To describe it as definitive is perhaps insufficient praise.

According to correspondence with the UK publisher, Faber & Faber, the demands of the author's day job as a QC (lawyer) will likely mean a 2-3 year delay before volume three (I write this in July 2005). It will almost certainly be worth the wait though.

Where is the third volume - please!!!
Sumption continues the same excellence in Trial by Fire that was started in Trial by Battle - an integrative and authoritative look at the Hundred Years War.As opposed to other histories if this period, his approach is detailed and authoritative - no greater praise can be made of a piece of historical work covering an "event" of such scope and length.My only disappointment is the delay in release of future volumes.

I would not recommend this book to individuals who are looking for general history or discussions of battles.On the other hand, for those with interest in the 13th to 15th century, it is highly recommended.

Volume Two
The book is everything it promises, with one exception - it is volume two of the series.Mr Sumption is an extraordinary advocate, historian and writer, but he wrote volume one before this one.

Superb narrative history
Sumption's bulky, detailed study of the Hundred Years War and its antecedents is a model for modern narrative history.His research is truly extraordinary, his writing clear, his story compelling, and his judgment almost always sound (if rather pessimistic).He is better on politics,administration, and finance than on strictly military topics, however; inmy opinion he fundamentally misunderstands the battle-seeking nature ofEnglish strategy in this period (cf. my article in the 1994 _Transactionsof the Royal Historical Society_, or my forthcoming monograph, _War Crueland Sharp_), and his battle narratives, while as good as any others yetpublished, are open to dispute.

Not a review of 'Trial by Fire'
This is not a review. I simply wish to point out that you have Volume II of Jonathan Sumption's (probably excellent to judge by the previous volume) book on the 100 Years' War on one of your pages, but the review below it is not of that book at all, but of Volume I. I hope this is helpful. ... Read more

Product Description

Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2010

The Hundred Years War was a vicious, costly, and, most dramatically, drawn out struggle that laid the framework for the national identities of both England and France into the modern era. The first twenty years of the war were positive for the English, by any account. They already held the South of France, through Eleanor of Aquitaine's dowry, and were allied with the Flemish in the north. After the brilliant naval battle of Sluys, the English had control of both the English Channel and the North Sea. The battles of Crécy and Poitiers gave the English a powerful toehold on the continent; they even captured the French king, Philip, occasioning a peace treaty in 1360.

This long-awaited third volume of Jonathan Sumption's monumental history of the war narrates the period from 1369 to 1393, marked by the slow decline of English fortunes and the subsequent rise of the French. The English were condemned to see the conquests of the previous thirty years overrun by the armies of the king of France in less than ten. Edward III was succeeded by a vulnerable child, destined to grow into a neurotic and unstable adult presiding over a divided nation. England's citizenry was being asked to pay for a long and expensive war, soldiers were becoming disenchanted, and the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 evidenced the social unrest in the land. However, France too paid a heavy price for her success. Beneath the surface splendor the French government sat poised at the edge of bankruptcy and the population subsisted in fear and insecurity. The inexperience of Charles VI and his gradual relapse into insanity divided the French political world, as the king's relatives competed for the plunder of the state, sowing the seeds of disintegration and civil war in the following century.

Marshaling a wide range of contemporary sources, both printed and unprinted, French and English, Sumption recounts the events of this critical period of the Hundred Years War in unprecedented detail.

Customer Reviews (1)

A core addition to any European medieval history collection, enthusiastically recommended
The bad blood that boils between nations can last generations. "The Hundred Years War III: Divided Houses" is the third volume of the complete and comprehensive coverage of one of Europe's longest and bloodiest sustained conflicts between England and France throughout the fourteenth century. With maps and much discussion over many of the historic events during the twenty four year period from 1369 to 1393 where the leaders were mentally unstable and inexperienced, exacerbating the existing problems of the conflict. "The Hundred Years War III" is a core addition to any European medieval history collection, enthusiastically recommended.
... Read more

Product Description
THis work examines the soldier-peasant relationship in the context of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), aiming to bring out more closely the realities of the situation. It seeks an understanding of different attitudes: how aristocratic soldiers reconciled the ideals of chivalry with exploitation of non-combatants, and how French peasants reacted to the soldiery, drawing on the late-medieval literature of chivalry and political commentary in England and (especially) in France. Employing additional documentary material, including the largely unpublished records of the French royal chancery, the book also describes the ways in which individual peasants and village communities were exploited by soldiers, and how, in order to survive, they adjusted to and reacted against their treatment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Knights were not nice
This book may be an eye opener for many people with the classic view of the honorable knight, it wasn't so, at least not in France.When the armored gentry of the country were free to use the peasants for target practice, one can begin to understand the reasons for the many years of French civil unrest.This difference in social systems may also reveal a reason for the deep rooted fear of England amongst the French upper class, for in England the peasants had rights, and they were under the protection of their local Lord, as well as the king.A knight could and was prosecuted for doing the same thing to an English peasant as what a French knight might do with impunity! After reading this book it makes me wonder why it took the French people so many years before their complete rebellion. ... Read more

Product Description

Provides clear, concise, and basic descriptions and definitions to over 260 key people, events, and terms relating to the series of conflicts between France and England in the 14th and 15th centuries that later came to be known as the Hundred Years War.

The Encyclopedia of the Hundred Years War provides its users with clear, concise, and basic descriptions and definitions of people, events, and terms relating in some significant way to the series of intermittent conflicts that occurred between France and England in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and that later came to be known collectively as the Hundred Years War. Because this volume focuses exclusively on war itself-what caused it, how it was fought, and what effects it had on the political, social, economic, and cultural life of England and France—it is not a general overview of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century history in either country, but a specialized treatment of the Anglo-French warfare that occurred during those centuries. Entries cover battles, leaders, truces and treaties, military terms and tactics, and sources for the war, including the plays of William Shakespeare, who has long been an important if not always reliable source for information about the people and events of the Hundred Years War.

The Encyclopedia was written primarily for students and other nonspecialists who have an interest-but little background-in this period of European history.Besides providing a highly usable resource for quickly looking up names and terms encountered in reading or during study, the Encyclopedia offers an excellent starting point for classroom or personal research on subjects relating to the course, causes, and consequences of the Hundred Years War. All entries conclude with suggested further readings.A comprehensive bibliography completes the encyclopedia, which is fully indexed.