The Hundred Years War is believed to begin around 1337 when the then King of England, Edward III invaded France and defeated the French fleet at the Sluis’ Battle having won some success on land. The major causes of the Hundred Years War were based on the conflicts between Edward III and Philip VI. Consequently, Philip VI of France had seized some English held Gascony and thus the English leader Edward III wanted to get the lands’ control beck. Additionally, King Edward III claimed to be the rightful King of France which made Philip VI angry since he was the ruler then. Also, ambiguity existed in determining the significance of the war. Therefore, the Hundred Years War which lasted from 1337 to 1453, revolved between the two kings’ rivalry which was ambiguous since it was not easy to tell whoever was right among the two kings. This paper discusses the ambiguity that existed in the causes of the Hundred Years’ War in terms of the rightful ruler of France and ownership of the English held Gascony.
The Rightful Ruler of France
Philip VI was the King of France from 1328 to 1350 after his predecessor Charles IV. His reign was characterized by several succession disputes with the most significant one being the one brought about by Edward III of England. After the death of King Charles IV, the next successor was supposed to be his closest male relative. One of the nearest male relatives of King Charles was Edward III of England, his nephew. However, the French nobility did not agree to enthrone Edward as they felt that a woman should not inherit the throne and Edward as the leader meant the royalty would have been redirected to Charles’ sister. Therefore, Philip, Charles’ paternal cousin, was the preferred successor of the Kingship. Edward agrees to Philip getting the throne but then started claiming it after several disagreements between them.
In his claim, Edward stated that his mother could transmit her rights to inheriting the throne to her son, thus making him the rightful ruler of France. Edward’s claim of the throne in the 1340s is known as part of the major causes of the Hundred Years War. He felt he was the rightful ruler of France and thus wanted it to be ruled under England. The fight for the French throne extended for several years with the other Kings and Queens of England after Edward III also fighting for it. This added to the continuation of the hundred years’ war as it was fought between several generations of the two nations. The battle continued until when France became a republic and abolished the monarchy.
Ownership of the English Held Gascony
King Edward III of England was awarded the Duchy of Aquitaine and thus had to pay homage to King Philip. However, when Edward failed to pay tribute to the French King, the king ordered the confiscation of the English held Aquitaine, specifically the Glasson. King Edward broke the Anglo-French relation by rejecting the suzerainty of the Valois kings of France above him. Additionally, Edward attacked Scotland, which made King Philip declared the forfeiture of Gascony in 1337. The confiscation included most of the English territories in France, and that is why King Edward failed to accept it and planned to invade France. The two rulers then took their armies at war with each other in need of safeguarding the English secured French Land. Each of the two nations claimed sovereignty over Gascony. Each of the kings was ready to do everything to seize the Gascony, which made them not to realize when they were entering the hundred years’ war.
The ambiguity in the Hundred Years’ War
The ambiguity in the hundred years’ war exists with the fact that it is not easy to tell who among the two nations provoked the other one. Among the significant significance of the hundred years’ war, the French administration got the chance to bring back the lands that were administered by the English government. The English crown administered Calais, Ponthieu, Normandy, and the duchy of Aquitaine that was later known as Gascony. The ambiguity that existed in the war was to determine the rightful owners of the lands. Logically, since the land belonged to France, the French were the rightful owners. On the contrary, the British were in charge of the lands’ administration and thus would not easily allow the French to acquire them.
Additionally, in the fights for the French throne, it is also difficult to tell the rightful ruler between Kings Edward III of England and Philip VI of France. Each of the two kings had their reasons for claiming the throne as they each felt that they deserved it. The other rulers who rose after King Edward and Philip also continue the fights as the English wanted to control the throne of France while the French fought to get their lands back. However, one question that would be difficult to answer would be what would become of France if King Edward was given the throne? Would France be in existence today? Or would it be just one of the cities of England?
The ambiguity in the hundred years’ war also brings in the significance of the war. The war seems to have been more significant to the French than to the English people. At the end of the war, France become a republic and managed to get all the lands that were earlier being administered by the English. Consequently, England loss to France as the rulers did not get whatever they were fighting for, that is, the throne of France and the Gascony and other French lands. However, the war had caused countless deaths and distractions for both countries. The French specifically witness a lot of losses as in most phases of the war they were defeated. The hundred yeas’ war ended in 1453 whereby the English were already forced out of their major strongholds in the Southwest of France.
Conclusion
The Hundred Years War took place from 1337 to 1453 between the French and English. The major causes of the Hundred Years War were based on the conflicts between Edward III and Philip VI. Philip VI of France had seized some English held Gascony, and thus the English leader Edward III wanted to get the lands’ control beck. Additionally, King Edward III claimed to be the rightful King of France which made Philip VI angry since he was the ruler then. The war included some ambiguity in terms of the rightful ruler of French and the ownership of the English held French lands. The ambiguity in the hundred years’ war also brings in the significance of the war. The hundred years’ war ended in 1453 whereby the English were already forced out of their major strongholds in the Southwest of France. The battle seemed to have been more significant to the French than to the English.