Hoskins, Peter English Armies in France during the Hundred Years' War, 1337-1453

'a very bellicose people...'

Volume 9 of the series "A Time of Knights 400 CE to 1453 CE". "In my youth, those Britons known as the English were considered the most timid of all barbarians. Today, they are a fiercely warlike people." So wrote the Italian poet Petrarch following the "Black Prince's" victory at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. The book *English Armies in France during the Hundred Years War, 13371453* examines the English forces that earned such a formidable reputation in France during the Hundred Years' War. It sheds light on English strategy and tactics, the raising of armies, the men who served in them, the composition of expeditionary forces and garrisons, the weaponry employed, and the maintenance of discipline. In doing so, it considers the roles of high-ranking nobles, heavily armed warriors (men-at-arms), archers, and other soldiers, as well as the evolution of army composition. Case studies of major expeditionary armies and selected garrisons illustrate how the proportion of archers steadily increased over the course of the war. Furthermore, the work examines the English recruitment system based on contractual obligations ("indentured service"); in the early years of the conflict, this produced armies far more professional than those raised under the French system, which relied largely on feudal obligations. Finally, the reforms introduced by the Frenchparticularly those under Charles VIIare analyzed; these gradually eroded the English advantage and contributed significantly to the final English defeat at Castillon in 1453.