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What was the Hundred Years' War?

The Hundred Years' War, a conflict between England and France, was not actually a single war that lasted a hundred years; instead it was a series of wars interspersed with periods of peace that began in 1337 and ended in 1453. The three main conflicts were the Edwardian War (1340–60), won by English king Edward III (1312–1377); the Caroline War (1369–89), won by French king Charles V (1337–1380); and the Lancastrian War (1415–35), won by French king Charles VII (1403–1461). The Hundred Years' War was the outcome of disputes between the ruling families of the two countries, the Plantagenets in England and the Capetians in France. Since 1066 the English had controlled rich agricultural areas of France, and the two countries had often fought over these territories. In the 1300s marriages between English and French nobles meant that both English and French kings had a claim to the...

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