Book Review: The Hundred Years War: A People's History by David Green

Book Review:  “The Hundred Years War: A People’s History” by David Green
As much as I love English and French medieval history, my knowledge of the Hundred Years War is minimal.  I found this book in the bookstore and loved the concept of viewing the war from the people’s perspective.  The book appears to be a selection of lectures Green has given regarding different aspects of the war and there is some repetition in some sections.  But overall, I was pleasantly surprised.

The first chapter is an overview of the highlights of the war starting with the events leading up to King Edward III’s claim to the French throne.  The war begins with raids and guerilla methods and then develops into battles (Poitiers, Crecy, and Agincourt), sieges and occupations.  Other chapters address the mentality of the era such as chivalry and how it influenced the tactics of the conflict and the taking and ransoming of prisoners of war.  There is some good information on how the introduction of artillery influenced military operations.

Green gives us great information on how the war affected different classes of people.  Chapters are devoted to knights and nobles, the peasantry, the church and the clergy, soldiers and women.  I especially enjoyed the section on women.  One of the most interesting chapters is about the madness of kings.  The proceedings of the war were influenced by the mental illness of two kings, Charles VI of France and Henry VI of England.  There were also men who tried to broker peace which Green discusses.

In addition, Green tells us about the mechanics of occupation and how the war helped create national identities.  I like how he explains what happened for both nations.  The hardback edition of the book I have includes family trees for the Plantagenets, the Valois and the Lancastrians.  There are maps of France denoting raids and occupied areas as well as a section of black and white photos depicting important people of the war.  Green’s writing is a little academic but easy to read.  I would highly recommend this book for those interested in medieval warfare and its history.