October 18th, 2024

Salty Sam’s Fun Blog for Children

Number 505

The Hundred Years’ War

 

Hello Everyone

 

 

Do you have model soldiers that you play with?

 

You may even paint them before you set them up in a landscape to do battle – sometimes called the theatre of war.

 

Model soldiers can be from any era.  There has been fighting since there have been humans on Earth to fight.

 

The Mediaeval Era and beyond saw much warfare between armies supporting those who wanted to take power over others.

 

War is always expensive and disruptive.

 

Hundreds of years ago, when many battles were fought in fields selected to stage a contest to decide who would take power over a certain area, men were often forced by their king or queen to leave their farms to take up arms and fight for them. 

 

Then the farms would be left neglected; maybe crops would not be gathered in at the time they should be harvested and put into store.  Crops might even be burnt by an invading army if they got the chance.

 

To make matters worse, the women sometimes accompanied their husbands and sons to the battle field.  They would be needed to act as nurses to the wounded and they would also have the gruesome job of collecting and burying the dead.

 

lt often took a long time to reach the battle field.  Travelling in those days was a very slow process with no modern forms of transport.  Groups of villagers and families might travel together because there was more safety in numbers.

 

One of the most prolonged power struggles was the Hundred Years’ War.

 

lf l asked you how long the Hundred Years’ War lasted, you might be tempted to say – “A hundred years?”

 

Well, noooooooooooooo, unfortunately you would be wrong.

 

Was the Hundred Years’ War called that because it went on for so long that it just seemed like a hundred years?

 

Noooooooooooooo, that isn’t so either.

 

The Hundred Years’ War was a series of battles over a long period from 1337 to 1453; so this was even more than 100 years.  The Hundred Year’s War was actually 116 years long.

 

The Hundred Years’ War was a series of battles fought by riders on horses and foot soldiers on battle fields or soldiers laying siege to a defended castle.

 

The war started because the English king Edward lll thought he had a claim to the French throne through his French mother, a lady called lsabella. 

 

Edward lll ruled England for 50 years. This might seem like a long time but he was only 14 when he came to the throne.  Edward lll was born in Windsor Castle in 1312.  His mother lsabella had a lot of power and influence at the beginning of his reign while he was so young.

 

Edward’s father was Edward ll and after he was deposed and murdered by people hired by his wife, Edward lll was crowned king in Westminster Abbey in 1327.  (The Plantagenet family did a lot of ‘manoeuvring’ in their struggle for power!)

 

After three years of government by his mother and her boyfriend Roger Mortimer, Edward took control of his kingdom.

 

His mother was retired and given a pension and Roger was tried in a court of law and executed.

 

Edward lll was a successful king.

 

He was a good administrator and oversaw many reforms (improvements brought about by new laws) regarding Parliament and the Church. 

 

He kept peace in the kingdom.

 

He chose clever and loyal advisers and married well. 

 

But his reign was dominated by his war with France.

 

His main reason to declare war was to bring the English nobility together with a common cause fighting a common ‘enemy’ and then also make them rich – which would make them happy.  lf they were happy, he would be popular.  lf he was popular, he would be secure and respected.

 

The success of the war and consequently wealth gained by the nobility made them loyal to the king.  A lot of them also became related to the king through marriage to the many relatives he had, which gave them a greater sense of closeness.  Edward had 13 children with his very wise and supportive wife Philippa to whom he was devoted.

 

Edward was very able in knightly pursuits.  He loved hunting and falconry (hunting with the use of falcons).

 

He took it upon himself to make the important decisions at the beginning of the war and later handed military command over to his eldest son Edward who was known as the Black Prince because he wore black armour. 

 

The Black Prince was very popular with the people, just like his father was.

 

The Black Prince was to become the most feared military leader in Europe but eventually caught an infection whilst fighting in Spain and became very ill from it.  He was never to become king because he died in 1376, the year before his father did. 

 

The Black Prince’s son became King Richard ll in 1377; the year Edward lll died.

 

Edward lll declared war on France in 1337.  French ships attacked Portsmouth on the south coast of England in 1338.

 

The war brought considerable wealth to England at the beginning of the war through raiding and plundering, but the French eventually won back all lands except for Calais in the north of France and this was regained during the reign of Mary l (Henry Vlll’s eldest daughter).

 

There were many famous battles during this the Hundred Years’ War.

 

ln the first phase of the war, Edward lll and the Black Prince had military successes at Créçy in 1346, and the Black Prince had success at Poitiers 1356 where he captured the French king, John ll. 

 

John’s son, who was called Charles, became Regent.

 

(A Regent is a formal title given to a person who is an assistant to the king or is acting as king when the real king can’t act as king himself for any reason.  A Regent is quite possibly someone who is going to become king one day but the present king is not dead yet.)

 

A treaty (agreement) was signed after this, where Edward said he would not lay claim to the French crown in return for ownership of some French lands. 

 

This was called the Treaty of Brétigny.

 

ln 1364, John died and his son Charles became Charles V.  After Charles became king, he set about trying to push the English out of the territories they had gained.

 

The middle phase of the war was a bit muddled and unplanned.  There were long periods of peace from 1374 to 1415, interrupted by short bursts of fighting and raids on coastal towns each side of the English Channel.  (The French call this stretch of sea ‘The Sleeve’.)

 

The final phase of the war started with Henry V’s victory, two years after he was crowned king, at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.  He had decided to renew the English monarch’s claim to the French crown.

 

The field battles like those at Créçy and Agincourt would be won by superior archery skills.  lf you could kill your opponents like this, they wouldn’t even be close enough to kill you with a sword.

 

The castles that were attacked would be bombarded by missiles using massive machines that the soldiers used to do the job.

 

A machine called a ballista was a large firing device that acted like a bow.

 

Huge stones and iron balls could be hurled over the castle walls by machines called trebuchets and mangonels.

 

lt needed a lot of man power to work these machines, and the men had to be very strong to go to battle.  A lot of them would have built their strength up by heavy, manual work on farms.

 

Otherwise, the men would scale the castle walls using ladders and enter the castle ready to do battle with arm to arm fighting using swords and spears.

 

Meanwhile, of course, the people inside the castle would be throwing things like spears and blocks of stone down onto the invaders in their attempt to stop them getting in.

 

Attacking castles was very important in the war because they were situated in strategic positions guarding territories.  lf the castle fell into enemy hands, the surrounding territory that it guarded would too.

 

A lot of the local people would have run to the castle for protection if an invading army was on the horizon.  A castle could be full of people from every local village.

 

The war caused great disruption to trade and industry in France.  The merchants (buyers and sellers) did not want to travel through war-torn lands and the important industries like the weaving industry was decimated (greatly reduced). 

 

The trade fairs of the day did not take place and so trade with other countries was affected too.

 

To make things even worse, a civil war broke out in France in the 1380s between two royal adversaries and their supporters.  This war lasted well into the next century.

 

ln those days, you have to understand, gaining the crown gave you absolute power in your country – and there were always people who wanted that.

 

Then in 1420, something happened to stop the fighting in the Hundred Years’ War. 

 

Henry V of England became engaged to be married to Charles Vl of France’s daughter Catherine.  This betrothal was made official in the Treaty of Troyes.   (Troyes is a town south–east of Paris).  This meant that through their union Henry would become heir to the French throne.

 

Unfortunately, both Henry and Charles died two years later and the fighting began again…

 

 

lf you like my blog, please support it by telling all your friends and followers about it.

 

Thank you!

 

And see you again next Fun Friday!

 

Love and kisses

 

 

Salty Sam

www.christina-sinclair.com

 

 

 

Bill and Bob’s Joke of the Week

 

Bill:  Do you know how they decided what to call a mediaeval soldier?

 

Bob:  No?

 

Bill:  Well they argued all day about it and in the end it got so late they decided to call it a knight.

 

 

Salty Sam © Christina Sinclair 2015

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material from this blog without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited.

Links may be used to www.christina-sinclair.com

 

Picture Gallery

 

Edward lll

 

The Black Prince

 

Henry V

(That is his hair, not a hat, in case you are wondering)

 

Ballista

Catapults

 

Marriage of Henry V and Catherine

 

Falcon

 

 

 

     THE SALTY SAM NEWS DESK

 

 

This week, Miss Pringle gave her class an English test.

 

Do you know what these idioms mean?

 

1. hold your horses
2. horsing around
3. horses for courses
4. to get saddled with
5. on the hoof
6. to put the cart before the horse
7. to keep a tight rein on something
8. flogging a dead horse
9. to get the bit between one’s teeth
10. to hand the reins over
11. to get information straight from the horse’s mouth
12. to get on one’s high horse

 

 

 

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Hobby Time

 

lf you would like to plant up a pot of herbs that will last through the winter outside, you need to use herbs that are perennial.

Rosemary is tough enough to last through the winter as long as it is in a sheltered place.  Sage and thyme also like to be protected from the worst of the winter cold.

Mint need to be contained in a pot otherwise it will run all over the garden.

Chives and lemon balm are very pretty plants to grow.

Bay and fennel are good to grow if you have the room.

Parsley may last for a while, it depends if there are harsh snows.

 

 

 

 

lt’s the Weekend!

 

 

HOW TO MAKE A PRESENT SOCK FOR A 12” DOLL

Last week, there was a pattern for a present sock big enough for a person or pet.

This week we have a pattern for your doll so that she can have some presents too.

 

SOCK SIDE (KNIT ONE)

Using 4mm knitting needles and red dk yarn cast on 15 stitches

Knit 1 row

Increase 1 stitch at each end of the next 3 rows of garter stitch

Increase 1 stitch at the end of the next row

Knit 1 row

Repeat the last 2 rows 5 times (27sts)

Knit 7 rows

Decrease 1 stitch at the end of the next row

Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of the next row (29sts)

Repeat the last 2 rows 3 times (35sts)

*Knit 51 rows of garter stitch (it is here you can add extra present room)

 

Change to white dk yarn

Increase 1 stitch at each end of the next knit row

Then knit 40 rows of garter stitch

Cast off

 

SOCK SIDE (KNIT ONE)

Using 4mm knitting needles and red dk yarn cast on 15 stitches

Knit 1 row

Increase 1 stitch at each end of the next 3 rows of garter stitch

Increase 1 stitch at the beginning of the next row

Knit 1 row

Repeat the last 2 rows 5 times (27sts)

Knit 7 rows

Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of the next row

Decrease 1 stitch at the end of the next row (29sts)

Repeat the last 2 rows 3 times (35sts)

*Knit 51 rows of garter stitch (it is here you can add extra present room)

 

Change to white dk yarn

Increase 1 stitch at each end of the next knit row

Then knit 40 rows of garter stitch

Cast off

 

TO MAKE UP

1. Sew around the red part of the stocking using red yarn and over-sew stitching with right sides together
2. Turn the stocking the right way out
3. Sew each side of the white part of the stocking using white yarn and over-sew stitching and turn the top down
4. Crochet 30 chains into a length of white yarn to make a hanging loop and sew this into place
5. Neaten all ends

 

 

Please note that the material on this blog is for personal use and for use in classrooms only.

It is a copyright infringement and, therefore, illegal under international law to sell items made with these patterns.

Use of the toys and projects is at your own risk.

©Christina Sinclair Designs 2015

 

 

Answers to the News Desk Quiz

 

1. hold your horses – wait
2. horse play – rough play, having a tussle
3. horses for courses – getting the right person or thing to fit well into a job or situation
4. to get saddled with – somebody giving you something to do that you would prefer not to do
5. on the hoof – whilst walking (like not sitting down to eat a meal)
6. to put the cart before the horse – to set things out in the wrong order and this won’t work out well
7. to keep a tight rein on something – to keep good control over something
8. flogging a dead horse – trying to do something that will not work
9. to get the bit between one’s teeth – to be keen to get something done
10. to hand the reins over – to let someone else take control of a project
11. to get information straight from the horse’s mouth – to get information which you know is right
12. to get on one’s high horse – to be indignant