From the Publisher
Green holistically explores aspects of the war's effects with exceptionally thorough research on subjects as diverse as the Catholic Church, women, peasants and even language.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review“As the subtitle indicates, Green’s history of the Hundred Years War is not a conventional narrative account; rather, it traces the human story of the war. Knights, clerics, women, peasants, soldiers, and kings all found their personal and institutional identities altered by the conflict. This impressive survey ought to be included in any collection on the Middle Ages or the history of England and France. Highly recommended.”—J.D. Lyons, Choice“[Hundred Years War] makes us care about this long-ago conflict and the society that pursued and was shaped by it. . . . [It is] likely to (and indeed should) become a standard introduction to the war.”—Charles F. Briggs, Speculum"This is war painted on a broad canvas, analytical as well as descriptive, emphasizing the social, political, military and economic effects of a long conflict in which people are never forgotten."—Christopher Allmand, author of The Hundred Years War: England and France at War, c.1300-c.1450"David Green has given us a new Hundred Years War, taking us beyond the campaign trail and the battlefield and into the lives and cultures of the people who lived through this greatest of medieval endurance tests. Green’s brilliant evocation of the period, his eye for telling detail, and his powerful narrative voice serve to transform the history of war and nationhood in later medieval England and France."—W. Mark Ormrod, author of Edward III
W. Mark Ormrod
"David Green has given us a new Hundred Years War, taking us beyond the campaign trail and the battlefield and into the lives and cultures of the people who lived through this greatest of medieval endurance tests. Green’s brilliant evocation of the period, his eye for telling detail, and his powerful narrative voice serve to transform the history of war and nationhood in later medieval England and France."—W. Mark Ormrod, author of Edward III
Christopher Allmand
'This is war painted on a broad canvas, analytical as well as descriptive, emphasising the social, political, military and economic effects of a long conflict in which people are never forgotten.'—Christopher Allmand, author of The Hundred Years War: England and France at War, c.1300-c.1450
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-10-07
In this new, refreshing look at the Hundred Years' War, Green (Edward the Black Prince: Power in Medieval Europe, 2007) examines the resulting reconstruction of European culture."The crucible of war forged and reforged the English and French nations into something new," writes the author in this illuminating history. This war, or series thereof, lasted from 1337 to 1453, with interruptions for short terms of peace, famine, civil strife in France and the Black Death. During that time, there would be changes everywhere, but the war began as a feudal and dynastic struggle, as Edward III of England laid claim to the French crown. It ended with a new sense of national identity in both countries as they sought to maintain or reclaim territory, particularly the former Angevin possessions that covered most of modern-day France. The English dominated the first half of the conflict with major victories at Crécy, Poitiers and Agincourt. During the reign of Henry V in particular, the goal was to eliminate any and all support for the French king. This the English accomplished by a grande chevauchée, a calculated destruction that progressed from Bordeaux to Narbonne, depriving the French king of not only manpower, but supplies and tax income. The Hundred Years' War also significantly affected the scale of knightly ransoms, which changed ancient codes of chivalry, class divisions and feudal service. Suddenly, artillery and the longbow were more important that the cavalry, and since the archers and infantry were predominately peasants, the days of feudalism were on the wane. The war both emphasized and created differences between the two countries, which shared hundreds of years of common history. Green holistically explores aspects of the war's effects with exceptionally thorough research on subjects as diverse as the Catholic Church, women, peasants and even language.
