The Hundred Years War

I read Desmond Seward’s The Hundred Years War to find out how the war turned out, since A Distant Mirror only covered the first half. Seward did a decent job of describing the various leaders, such as characterizing John II as “probably the most stupid of all French kings.” The summaries of battles were clear without going too deeply into tactics and presented the evolving military technology. Seward discusses the mercenary ambitions of the British, the wartime casualties, and the devastation that the French people suffered.

The earlier parts of the book seemed more compelling than the later parts, though I’m not sure whether that was due to more animated writing early on or to the succession of battles becoming repetitive. Though the war was futile in terms of what it accomplished, it gave rise to a long-lasting sense of national identity among the British and French, along with a strong antagonism between them. Seward presents a coherent and multi-faceted account of the war.