Before the famous Hundred Years' War, a century-long struggle defined the medieval map.
Long before the 14th-century conflict, the House of Plantagenet and the House of Capet fought a brutal, century-long war for control of France. Spanning from 1159 to 1259, this precursor conflict forged the Angevin Empire, reshaped feudal loyalties, and planted the seeds of English nationalism and future dynastic claims.
The First Hundred Years' War, lasting from 1159 to 1259, was a series of dynastic clashes between the English Plantagenets and the French Capetians. At its height, the Angevin Empire—controlled by the English kings—encompassed roughly half of France. This era was defined by the struggle over these continental fiefs, which the French crown sought to annex. While the English kings held these lands, they remained nominal vassals to the French monarchs, creating a volatile power dynamic that fueled decades of military and political maneuvering.
Warfare during this period was dominated by sieges, raids, and skirmishes, largely due to the defensive strength of castles like Château Gaillard and the limitations of feudal armies. Pitched battles were rare, as the feudal structure hindered the development of professional standing forces. Instead, the burden of conflict fell heavily on local populations. As the Plantagenets lost territory, they increasingly relied on mercenaries to sustain their campaigns. This style of warfare differed significantly from the later, more famous Hundred Years' War, which saw the rise of the infantry revolution and the use of gunpowder.
The conflict concluded with the 1259 Treaty of Paris, which ended Plantagenet claims to western France and forced English kings to accept their status as French vassals for their remaining continental holdings. However, the legacy of the war was profound. The intermarriages resulting from various peace settlements provided the dynastic justifications for the later Hundred Years' War (1337–1453). Furthermore, the French invasion of England in 1216 helped galvanize a distinct English national identity, setting the stage for the geopolitical rivalries that would dominate Western Europe for centuries to come.
Source: First Hundred Years' War
