Philip VI’s council moved to confiscate the duchy of Aquitaine (Gascony) from Edward III, escalating a long-running vassalage dispute into open war and setting the stage for competing claims to the French crown.
Edward III formally revived and adopted his claim to the French throne, turning a feudal-territorial quarrel into a dynastic conflict (Plantagenet claim versus Valois rule).
England’s victory at Sluys secured control of the English Channel and removed the immediate threat of a French seaborne invasion, enabling sustained English campaigning on the continent.
Edward III defeated Philip VI at Crécy, a major early English battlefield triumph that showcased the effectiveness of dismounted men-at-arms and longbowmen against mounted French forces.
The capture of Calais gave England a vital foothold and supply base in northern France, supporting continued English operations and diplomacy for decades.
The Black Prince’s army defeated the French and captured King John II, a shock that intensified internal strain in France and pushed the Valois monarchy toward major concessions.
The Treaty of Brétigny concluded the initial Edwardian phase: France agreed to substantial territorial concessions and a ransom for King John II, and Edward III renounced (in treaty terms) his claim to the French throne—though peace proved temporary.
Henry V’s victory at Agincourt revived English momentum in northern France and helped create conditions for a major diplomatic settlement favorable to English dynastic claims.
The Treaty of Troyes disinherited the dauphin (the future Charles VII) and recognized Henry V (and his heirs) as successor to Charles VI—an apex of English-leaning politics in France tied to Capetian-Valois legitimacy disputes.
The lifting of the Siege of Orléans marked a major French turning point; it halted English expansion in the Loire valley and helped catalyze renewed confidence and offensives for Charles VII’s party.
Charles VII’s coronation at Reims strengthened the Valois claim by providing the traditional sacral-political validation of kingship, undermining the Troyes settlement in practice.
Joan of Arc was executed in English-controlled Rouen, but her death did not reverse the broader French recovery that followed Orléans and the consolidation of Charles VII’s cause.
Charles VII and Philip the Good reconciled at Arras, ending the Armagnac–Burgundian civil war and isolating England diplomatically—an enabling condition for France’s later reconquests.
Formigny helped decisively break English power in Normandy during the final phase of the war, accelerating the collapse of English holdings there.
Castillon is widely treated as the concluding major battle of the Hundred Years’ War; French artillery and field fortifications helped destroy the last significant English field army in Gascony.
Hundred Years' War: Valois Capetian claims and campaigns (1337–1453)
