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The 100 Years' War with Historian Dan Jones

July 01, 2026 • 1h 18m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

Dan Jones returns to discuss the Hundred Years' War, an epic conflict between England and France from 1337 to 1453. The conversation explores how Edward III transformed England from the chaos of Edward II's reign into a military powerhouse through stunning victories like Crécy and Poitiers. Jones explains the role of the longbow, the impact of Joan of Arc, and how personality-driven leadership shaped medieval politics. The discussion also ventures into modern parallels, examining how leadership, technology, and cultural memory affect both historical and contemporary political outcomes.

Origins of the Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War emerged from complicated feudal relationships where English kings held territories in France as vassals to French kings, creating an impossible political situation. In 1328, a succession crisis gave Edward III the opportunity to claim the French throne itself as a way to secure English possessions in Gascony and Aquitaine. This claim became the fundamental justification for over a century of warfare between the two kingdoms.

  • The Hundred Years' War spans from 1337 to 1453, though some historians extend it to 200 years
  • English kings held about a third of modern France's territory, including Normandy and Aquitaine, as personal fiefdoms
  • The 1328 succession crisis in France gave Edward III the opportunity to claim the French crown
  • Edward III's claim to be King of France was both a strategic bargaining chip and a justification for territorial expansion
" That's the fundamental, deep-down reason English kings are saying, we should be kings of France. "

Edward III's Transformation of England

Edward III inherited a kingdom in crisis after his father Edward II's disastrous reign. Coming to power at 17-18 after his father was deposed and murdered, Edward III rebuilt English politics by uniting a new generation of nobles through foreign war. His long reign became defined by spectacular military victories that seemed to prove God favored his cause, transforming England from political chaos into a dominant military power.

  • Edward II was possibly the worst medieval king of England, dominated by favorites and eventually murdered
  • Edward III took control at age 17-18 in 1330 and used foreign war to unite fractured English politics
  • Foreign war became a means to bind together a new generation of nobles as friends and allies
  • Edward III created the Order of the Garter, an elite aristocratic club for his closest companions
" He really, he kind of, he just has this instinctive understanding for bringing people along with him and seeing the English aristocracy as his allies, as I say, his friends, as people with whom he has a common interest rather than kind of devious nobles who are bound to be out to stab him in the back the minute he switches off. "

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