On this date King Philip VI of France confiscated Aquitaine (Gascony), the main territory the English king held in France. Edward III responded by asserting a claim to the French throne, turning a feudal dispute into a long international war. This marks the conventional start of the Hundred Years’ War and the beginning of major English expeditionary campaigns in France.
Edward III’s fleet defeated the French at Sluys, giving England a major advantage at sea. Control of the English Channel made it safer to move troops and supplies to the continent. This naval victory helped enable later English land campaigns in northern France.
Edward III’s army beat Philip VI’s larger force at Crécy, using disciplined defensive tactics and massed longbow fire. The battle weakened the reputation of French heavy cavalry and encouraged England to keep pursuing large battlefield decisions in France. It also opened the way for the English to take an important port nearby.
After Crécy, Edward III besieged Calais and forced its surrender, securing a fortified port facing England. Calais became England’s main bridgehead for moving armies into France and remained an English-held foothold for generations. Holding Calais also shaped later English strategy toward raids and sieges in northern France.
From bases in English-held Gascony, Edward the Black Prince led fast-moving mounted raids (called chevauchées) to burn supplies, pressure French allies, and force battle on English terms. These raids expanded the war beyond northern France and tested French defenses over long distances. They also set conditions for a decisive encounter in 1356.
At Poitiers, the Black Prince’s army defeated the French and captured King John II. The result created a major political crisis for France and gave England strong leverage in peace talks and ransom demands. It also reinforced the English view that battlefield victories could reshape the settlement in France.
The Treaty of Brétigny ended the first major phase of fighting and granted England expanded territories in France while setting a large ransom for the French king. In exchange, Edward III agreed to renounce his claim to the French crown (though the peace later collapsed). The treaty shows how English campaigns aimed to turn military victories into territorial control and legal recognition.
Henry V renewed major English campaigning in France and won a decisive victory at Agincourt. The battle strengthened English credibility in northern France and undermined French unity at a moment of internal conflict. It also set the stage for a sustained English push to conquer Normandy by siege warfare.
Henry V besieged Rouen, one of France’s most important cities, and forced its surrender after months of starvation and pressure. Capturing Rouen helped secure English control over much of Normandy and provided a strong administrative and military base. The conquest of Normandy was a key English objective because it linked to earlier English claims and resources across the Channel.
The Treaty of Troyes recognized Henry V as regent of France and heir to the French throne, disinheriting the Dauphin (the French king’s son). On paper, it made the English royal line central to France’s succession, reflecting how far English arms and alliances had advanced. In practice, it hardened resistance and helped make the war a fight over legitimacy as well as territory.
At Verneuil, English forces defeated a combined Franco-Scottish army, helping stabilize English control in Normandy after leadership changes and ongoing French resistance. The battle mattered because it showed the English could still win major set-piece fights even after the Treaty of Troyes. However, it did not end the war, and long-term control still depended on alliances and resources.
The English siege of Orléans aimed to break French resistance in the Loire region and isolate the remaining lands loyal to Charles VII. The siege ended in an English failure, which became a major turning point because it shifted momentum toward the French. After Orléans, English campaigns increasingly faced stronger French armies and improving French organization.
The Treaty of Arras reconciled Burgundy with Charles VII and ended a key English partnership that had supported English occupation in northern France. Losing Burgundian backing weakened English military reach and political leverage around Paris and Normandy. This diplomatic shift helped the French consolidate and steadily push the English back.
At Formigny, a French victory destroyed the last major English field army in Normandy. The battle helped open the way for French forces to retake remaining English strongholds in the region, completing a major strategic reversal of earlier English conquest. It showed how the French were combining traditional arms with growing use of field artillery.
Castillon was a decisive French victory in Gascony and is often linked to the effective end of the war’s major fighting. English forces under John Talbot were defeated by a strong French position that used artillery heavily. The loss shattered English military capacity in southwest France and left Bordeaux isolated.
After Castillon, the French besieged Bordeaux and forced its surrender, ending centuries of English political presence in much of southwestern France. With Bordeaux’s fall, England had no realistic base left to continue large campaigns on the continent, aside from holding Calais. This outcome closed the long story of English attempts to win the French crown through military campaigns (1337–1453).
Hundred Years' War: English campaigns in France (1337-1453)