As history relates, some 687 years ago, on May 24, 1337, King Philippe VI of France confiscated the English held duchy of Aquitaine. It was the last geographical territory still in English hands that the first Plantagenet king, Henry II, acquired when he married Eleanor of Aquitaine. The combination of their lands, held in Western France, stretched all the way from the English channel to the Spanish border. Most of these lands were ‘lost’ by King John—only Aquitaine remained and it was an essential component of English trade, primarily for its Bordeaux wine.
Now, you might be wondering why did Philippe do that and where the heck is Aquitaine? The map below shows what territory over which these two kings were about to launch a war.
King Edward III ruled England at this time and he was not only England’s king, he was Duke of Aquitaine. As such, like all the landholding nobles in France, King Edward owed homage to King Philippe.
If you are unfamiliar with the term, in the Middle Ages paying homage consisted of a formal ceremony whereby a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his overlord, and in exchange received the symbolic title of his position and lands associated with it. One might add loyalty to the mix, as a vassal was expected to go into battle on behalf of his lord and, most important in my opinion, he was not to raise arms against his overlord.
So, what really started the 100 Years War was Edward III’s refusal to pay homage to Philippe, provoking him into confiscating the duchy. Now, I’m certain Edward thought he had good reason. First and foremost, in Edward’s opinion, King Philippe, his cousin BTW, wasn’t the true king of France. Edward was.
Why did he believe that? It all harkens back to Edward’s mother’s father, France’s King Philippe IV. Isabella’s three brothers succeeded her father in succession, but all of them died without siring a male offspring. Thus the crown should have passed to Edward.
As the grandson of King Philippe IV, Edward was the next male in direct hereditary line. But here’s the rub… the nobles of France, those who made up France’s Parliament, decided that the crown should/could not be inherited through the female line, thus passing over Edward and settling on Isabella’s father’s nephew, Philippe of Valois.
OK, that’s one reason King Edward refused to pay homage to his cousin, Philippe. The other motivating factor was that as a king in his own right, of equal rank and status to Philippe, Edward believed a king did not bow down to another king. One just did not.
So, now you understand what really triggered the 100 Years War. Ego. Plain and simple… on both kings’ parts. There was no way Edward was going to ‘bend the knee’ to his cousin, the usurper, and there was no way Philippe was going to allow Edward to insult him. Philippe would be humiliated. And that was “beyond the pale.**
It all hinged on two words… pledging reverence and submission. Ain’t gonna happen.