Western Civilization.p

228 Chapter 12

The first phase of the war went badly for France.
This is at first sight surprising as England was by far the
smaller and poorer of the two countries with a popula-
tion only one-third that of her rival. The difference lay
in superior leadership. Edward quickly proved to be not
only an able commander, but also a master at extracting
resources from Parliament. By defeating the French in a
naval battle off Sluys in 1340, he secured control of the
English Channel. Subsequent campaigns were fought
on French soil, including the ones that culminated in
the victories of Crécy (1346) and Poitiers (1356). In

both cases, French cavalry employing traditional tactics

were defeated by the imaginative use of longbows in

massed formations.

The treaty of Bretigny (1360) secured a breathing

space of seven years during which the locus of violence

shifted to the Iberian Peninsula. Conflict there centered

on the policies of Pedro of Castile, known to the

Castilian aristocracy as “the Cruel” and to his other sub-

jects as “the Just.” Pedro’s nicknames arose from his ef-

forts to strengthen the crown against the landed

nobility. When he became involved in a border war

Ebr

o

R.

LoireR.

Ga

ron

ne

RhoneR

.

SeineR

.

Mediterranean Sea

English Channel

R.

RhineR.

CRECY

1346

POITIERS 1356

Brest

Rennes

Caen

Cherbourg

Rouen

Tours

Chartres

Brétigny

Orléans

Bourges

Angoulême

Bordeaux

Albi

Toulouse

Cahors

Avignon

Mâcon

Dijon Besançon

Laon

Dover Calais

Southhampton

BRITTANY NORMANDY Reims

BLOIS

MAINE

ANJOU

POITOU

LA MARCHE

SAINTONGE

AQUITAINE

PÉRIGORD

AGENAIS

GUYENNE

GASCONY

ARMAGNAC

BÉARN

BIGORRE

COMMINGES

FOIX

LANGUEDOC

GEVAUDAN

VALENTINOIS

DAUPHINÉ

PROVENCE

AUVERGNE SAVOY

FOREZ

BOURBON

BERRY

NEVERS

BURGUNDY

HOLY ROMAN

CHAMPAGNE EMPIRE

VALOIS

PICARDY

PONTHIEU ARTOIS

FLANDERS

0 100 200 Miles

0 100 200 300 Kilometers

Boundary of kingdom of France, 1360

Lands held by Edward III of England on

accession, 1327

Route taken by Edward III, 1346–47

Route taken by Edward, Black Prince, 1355–57

Site and date of important battle

Lands ceded to Edward III of England

Domain of king of France, 1360

Apanages

Other fields held by king of France

Mediterranean Sea

R.

SeineR.

Ebr

oR

.

English Channel

Ga

ron

ne

RhoneR

.

RhineR.

LoireR.

Brest

Cherbourg

Rouen

Tours

Poitiers

Bourges

Albi

Toulouse

Cahors

Avignon

Dijon

Besançon

Dover Calais

Southhampton

Reims

Chinon

Paris

Amiens

BRITTANY

NORMANDY

MAINE

POITOU

AQUITAINE

GASCONY

ARMAGNAC

LANGUEDOC

DAUPHINÉ

PROVENCE

AUVERGNE SAVOY

BOURBON

NEVERS

HOLY ROMAN

CHAMPAGNE EMPIRE

AGINCOURT

1415

Bayonne

Bordeaux

Narbonne

Nevers

Limburg

ORLEANS 1492

0 100 200 Miles

0 100 200 300 Kilometers

Boundary of kingdom of France, 1429

Boundary of lands left to England, 1377

Route taken by Henry V, 1415–16

Route taken by Joan of Arc, 1429–31

Site and date of important battle

Lands held by Henry VI of England, 1429

Lands held by Charles VII of France

Lands held by duke of Burgundy

Burgundian lands recognizing Henry VI

MAP 12.2

The Hundred Years’ War