War the Hundred Years War,

¶ … War

The Hundred Years War, a series of battles during 1337 to 1453, is noted for its significance on Western Society because how fighting techniques changed during the years and also because of advancements with weaponry. The first series of battles illustrate many medieval techniques and weaponry. With time, certain aspects of medieval warfare became outdated as war evolved. Even the definition of war changed as the subject of war expanded. Commoners became significant to the notion of war as they suddenly had the capability to own weapons. They could and did fight. Knights began to lose their popularity and importance as fighting began to take place on the ground. While war is painful, France began to see the dream of nationality as a result of the hundred years war. The Hundred Years War illustrates in a relatively short time how man and society evolve over time. Knights in armor were replaced with men on the ground with longbows, men shooting cannons, and the invention of gunpowder made for a new direction of explosives.

The Hundred years War began in the middle ages but it did not end there. The first battles were fought under the notion of chivalry. Jean Froissart mentions crossbows in his writings about the Battle of Crecy. He mentions how he saw the English "let fly their arrows so wholly [together] and so thick, that it seemed snow. When the Genoways felt the arrows piercing through heads arms and breasts, many of them cast down their crossbows and did cut their strings and returned discomfited" (Froissart). The crossbow is a medieval piece of warfare and it was replaced by the longbow, a more precise instrument. Firearms, canons, and gunpowder changed the face of war. Gunpowder artillery was commonly used by men on terraces or in towers for protection. Cannons were used in the last part of the hundred years

One of the primary changes experienced during these years was the very concept of war. Medieval notions and weaponry were failing to provide the same kind of result they had previously. War, and what it meant and whom it included, changed when those whom wielded weapons grew. What it meant to fight for the king changed as well. Men could now own a weapon and fight for their own causes. Fighting for one's country changed. France was transformed during these battles into a centralized state. While the war devastated parts of the country, it also proved to be a type of awakening for it as well. Nationalism was born from the anguish of war and France ceased being a feudal monarchy.

Perhaps the most significant change during the Hundred Years War was the availability of weapons to the masses. Commoners and peasants with weapons meant they have some power. We read that the commoners "the commons arrayed themselves on the west side in great battles" (Anonimalle). Even a small amount of power means a great deal and whatever power the people had, they took from nobility. Bearing arms did not mean quite the same thing as it once did and this was something that was not going to change. This change, however, was not completely bad for nobility. In fact, armies simply changed by allowing more men to fight on behalf of the king. Middle and lower class peoples found significance in this way. Mercenaries became popular and by the end of the hundred years, France and England established standing armies, something that had not been accomplished for hundreds of years. These types of armies provided kings with the power to defend kingdoms from the outside and the inside. This form of defense paved the way for new monarchies, which ultimately broke down the medieval orders. This shift meant looking at knights differently, which was another change from medieval thinking. The knights no longer held superiority when fighting. This new way of organization proved to be beneficial for the French during the last battle of these years, as they prevailed in many circumstances. Knighthood became less and popular and useful as tactical ideas were developed. This example illustrates how change can occur even as man least expects it.