Political Causes Of 'Hundred Years' War

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The Hundred Years’ War, lasting from 1338 to 1453, had a multitude of underlying causes regarding political power, economical prosperity, and the relations between the two nations. The majority of the political causes of the war regarded Edward III’s claim to the throne while also being the King of England. This caused severe complications within the nations and led to the outbreak of the Hundred Years’ War. Another cause was the potential economical prosperity that could be acquired due to the weaknesses of the French caused by internal disunity and an inferior military. Lastly, another major cause of the war was the past relationship between the two nations, where the King of England was a vassal to the King of France and owned land in mainland France. The two nations argued about possession over vital territories which also inevitably lead to the Hundred Years’ War. These causes to the Hundred Years’ War are extremely important to the development and outcome of the war as well as the effect it had on the world today.…show more content…
King Edward III of England, grandson of Philip the Fair of France, made a claim to the French throne after King Charles IV died without leaving an heir. The nobles of France did not favor the idea of having King Edward III have such immense power and take power from the upperclass and so the French nobles declared the first cousin of Charles IV, Philip VI of Valois, King of France. This was a done through the creation of the Salic Law which stated that he bloodline of inheritance could not be passed through females, rejecting Edward III’s claim to the throne. This power struggle was a driving force for the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War for Edward III which greatly influenced the development of the
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