Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the Hundred Years War was the result of three major problem areas: The French and English merchants were in conflict over Flanders, the personal conflicts of English and French kings and national consciousness. The author points out that the losers were not only the soldiers who died or were maimed but also the populace in both England and France who suffered through heavy taxation, loss of income, reduction of trade opportunities and the dichotomy of loyalties. The paper relates that the war between France and England seemed inevitable because, as the 14th century dawned, the French began to see themselves as a unified country not just an assembly of duchies and estates and England, having concluded its hostilities with Scotland, began to build Great Britain, which would last until the end of WWII.

From the Paper:

"At the very beginning, in 1328, King Charles IV of France lay dying, but his wife was pregnant. "On his deathbed, the king said if the Queen bears a son he will be king, but if she bears a daughter then the crown belongs to Philip of Valois." When the Queen produced a still-born daughter, Philip of Valois became Philip VI. A descendant of the revered St. Louis, Valois was accustomed to winning tournaments and loved the idea of battle. The French believed it was unthinkable for an English king to become King of France. To make sure that this did not, and could not, happen, the French legal experts resorted to what is known as "Salic law", whereby inheritance cannot pass down through the female line."

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