England & France in the early Middle Ages

It is difficult to estimate frontiers and to draw distinctions between nations, England was the first of European countries to develop its own nationality, chiefly by reason of its self-contained geographical position. When the Roman hosts were withdrawn, the Britons, unused to defending themselves, fell an easy prey to the invaders, among whom the Saxons predominated. As these settlers, too, grew careless of defence, they in their turn fell a prey to the savage Norsemen, and paid them tribute to depart, until Alfred (871-901), the best and strongest of Saxon kings, showed it was possible to beat off the invaders.From his time until the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Saxons suffered continually from Danish marauders.

When William I, "the Conqueror" (1066-1087), secured the English crown after the Battle of Hastings (1066), he showed that he intended to rule as a king should. He made his vassals swear allegiance to him at Salisbury, and he caused a minute survey to be made of all the lands of his realm. This was known as "Domesday Book," and "There was not a single hide nor a rood of land, nor . . . an ox, or a cow, or a pig . . . that was not set down in the account." (From the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle." The Domesday survey was made in 1085.)

The strongest kings continued the Conqueror's work, and kept in check the worst evils of feudalism, but in 1199 there came to the throne a man as worthless as he was weak John, (1199-1216). and against him the English people rebelled and forced him to agree to "Magna Charta"in 1215, by which he promised to respect their liberties. This was a great step forward, and the same century (1265) the foundations of Parliamentary government were laid by Simon de Montfort. (d.1268). England had begun to develop its love, of justice and order, typified by the ideal of parliamentary government, and built upon by King Edward I (1272-1307) when he summoned the Model Parliament of 1298.

The Hundred Years' War.

When the Norman nobles followed William to England in 1066, they did not give up the estates they held in Normandy, but continued to do homage for them to the French king, so that they acknowledged two different feudal lords. This was an unsatisfactory position, and led to great friction, for the English king was himself the French king's vassal Henry II. of England (1154-1189), by a fortunate marriage, actually held more lands in France than the French king, and so, although his feudal inferior, was infinitely more powerful.

Under the successors of Henry II, the English possessions in France crumbled away, and when Philip Augustus of France (1180-1223) won the battle of Bouvines in 1214, many of the descendants of the Norman conquerors of England finally lost their French lands. This battle is one of the most important in French history, but it only marks the beginning of the struggle which is seen at its height in the "Hundred Years' War" which broke out in the next century.

The ambition of Edward III (1327- 1377) led him to claim the French crown to which he had but a shadowy right, and his aggression led to a series of campaigns which at first proved disastrous to the French. The English won the battle of Crécy (1346) and Poitiers (1356) against heavy odds, and by the Treaty of Bretigny (1360) secured the whole of Guienne and Gascony. What the English had gained, however, they could not keep, and despite further campaigns their dominions shrank away to no more than a few coast towns.

One result of this war was the strengthening of the bond between England and Flanders, and consequent friction between Flanders and the French Crown. The Flemings were dependent upon the English supplies of wool for the cloth-weaving which was their main industry, and when English supplies ceased, the Flemings starved.
"Flanders of needes must with us have peace, Or else she is destroyed without lees," as an English poet wrote in the following century.

Again the struggle broke out when Henry V of England (1413-1422) sought glory and a crown in the Agincourt campaign of 1415. This was the last success the English won, and when Joan of Arc, "the Maid of Orleans," called upon her countrymen to deliver their land, she awoke response in many hearts. The English thought she was a witch, and burned her at the stake (in 1430), but her work was done, and the English were driven out of stronghold after stronghold until only Calais (England finally lost it in 1558) remained to them of all their French possessions.