The war was entirely fought on French soil, and France had the largest population in Western Europe and was the wealthiest country (Nelson, n.d.). It seemed France had the upper hand in the war since it was the more powerful country, however, the king of England Edward III had a tremendous tactical that advantage on the battlefield (Sommerville, n.d.). These tactical advantage changed warfare history. According to Spielvoge (2015), the English armies evolved during the war and were “armed with pikes, many of these foot soldiers had also adopted the longbow, invented by the Welsh.” The longbow had increasingly fast speed of fire than the crossbow that they were used for battle (Spielvoge, 2015. p.309). Moreover, Edward III’s tactic gave strategic advantage of the battlefield and was essential of succeed. Sommerville J.P. (n.d.) explained that “Edward III divided his men into three groups- each group was made up of dismounted cavalry and archers.” During the Battle of Crecy for example, King Edward III’s division of troops and solid line resulted in the French cavalry losing about 5500 soldiers (Sommerville, n.d.). With the new invention of weapons and superior war strategy tactics, the English had a stunning victory of the battle of Crecy. Furthermore, there were numerous new weapons introduced during the hundred years’ war. Hundred Years’ War (2014) implied …show more content…
In the first phase of the war, French kings suffered disastrous defeats. In the Battle of Poitiers, the French King John II was captured, and the French had to pay a large ransom to get him back. England’s territory was enlarged and controlled most of northern France (Alchin, March, 2015). At the battle of Agincourt in 1415, the English were once again victorious and lost only three hundred men compared to France who lost 6,000 men (Spielvogel, 2015. p.310). In 1420, England and France signed the Treaty of Troyes which was an agreement that the French King, Charles VI’s daughter, Catherine and English king, Henry V’s son would be heir to the crown of England and France (History.com, 2009.). After English King, Henry V died, the nine month old Henry VI of England recognized as the heir to the French throne followed by French king Charles VI was widely accepted in Northern France, however, not in south of France (Keen, 2009). The seemingly hopeless over the infant’s regency in France, however, a peasant girl, Joan of Arc began to lead the French armies, and it changed the course of the war and history. Joan of Arc was from the small village of Domremy in Champagne and grew up as a peasant who worked on the farm with her family (Spielvogel, 2015). When she was thirteen, she experienced visions from God