Causes case study 2 — the Hundred Years' War (Europe)
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Flip to reveal answersWho died in 1328, starting the French succession dispute?
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Question
Who died in 1328, starting the French succession dispute?
Answer
Charles IV of France, who died without a son — ending the direct royal line and opening the crisis.
Question
On what basis did Edward III of England claim the French throne?
Answer
Through his mother, Isabella, who was the sister of the late Charles IV — a claim through the female line.
Question
Who became King of France instead of Edward III, and why?
Answer
Philip VI of Valois. French nobles argued the crown could not pass through a woman, so they chose Charles IV's cousin.
Question
Define 'vassal'.
Answer
A lord who holds land from a greater lord in return for loyalty and service.
Question
Define 'homage'.
Answer
A formal, kneeling promise of loyalty and service made by a vassal to his overlord.
Question
What was the feudal problem of Gascony?
Answer
The English king held Gascony (part of Aquitaine) as a vassal of the French king, owing him homage — a humiliating and unstable arrangement.
Question
Name the two great trades that gave England and France economic reasons to fight.
Answer
The Gascon wine trade and the Flanders wool trade.
Question
What was the Angevin Empire?
Answer
The vast block of French lands (Normandy, Anjou, Aquitaine) ruled by English kings from the 1150s — the long-term root of the dispute over English lands in France.
Question
What was the short-term trigger of the Hundred Years' War in 1337?
Answer
Philip VI's confiscation of Gascony, seizing it from Edward III as a disobedient vassal.
Question
How did Edward III respond to the confiscation of Gascony?
Answer
He claimed the throne of France itself, turning a land dispute into a war for the crown.
Question
What roles did individuals play in causing the war?
Answer
Philip VI chose to confiscate Gascony, and Edward III chose to claim the French crown — neither king would back down, escalating the dispute to war.
Question
In a Paper 2 causes essay, how should you organise the causes?
Answer
Sort them into long-term (Angevin roots, feudal Gascony, dynastic claim) and short-term (the 1337 confiscation), then reach a supported judgement.
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Full study notes for Causes case study 2 — the Hundred Years' War (Europe)
Topic 7.1 hub
Causes of medieval wars
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