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The sources of the conflicts that led to the Hundred Years War lie in the English ruled territories in France and in the close connection  between the two countries in the twelfth and thirteenth century. Gascony was a  major issue in Anglo-French negotiations, but the French support in Scotland,  English activities in the Low Countries - important in connection with the wool  trade - and the control of the Channel also added to the problems.

In 1337  Edward III, whose father had been married to the French princess Isabella, claimed the French crown. What followed was not constant warfare but rather a  series of battles as well as diplomatic negotiations and truces. The most famous  English victories were at Poitiers and Crécy and the capture of Calais (1347). After 1369, however, success was on the French side on land as well as on sea.

Diplomatic negotiations and the marriage between Richard II and Princess  Isabella of Valois ended the warfare until in 1415 Henry V of England invaded  France yet again. National conflicts weakened France at that time and Henry V took  the opportunity to claim the French crown, which led to the peace treaty of  Troyes (1420). Its terms were absolutely unacceptable for the French and the war was resumed again with Jeanne d'Arc becoming a symbolic figure of French  resistance. In 1453, the war came to an end as France managed to recapture almost all its territories.