100 Theatres of War

This week, a bit of a scene setter; Edward and the development of consent from the commons in his parliaments, the theatres of the 100 years war ahead – and the revolt in Flanders led by Artevelde.

100 Theatres of War


Edward and Parliament

Edward does not have the reputation of Edward I as a man with a constitutional mission. To my mind, he may deserve the accolade more. By the end of his reign parliament's role and structure had changed, and had become much more settled. SAnd part of this was the separation of Lord and Commons we recognise today. 

The war in Gascony

For the first 8 years, although this was supposed to be a fight about Aquitaine, the main theatre of the war was in the north. Down in the south West, the English were usually but not always, on the back foot. 

The War in Gascony 1337-1345

Click on the image for a brief animation

The Theatres of War 

For this first phase of the war, 1337-1341, we had essentially 4 theatres of war: 

  1. The Low Countries – in the/to the north of France – Brabant, Flanders, Artois and northern France
  2. The south west of France – Gascony
  3. Scotland – the threat from behind as the Scots fought the 2nd war of independence
  4. The English Channel, La Manche  - the fight for dominance

 

France and Low Countries
Jacques Artevelde and the revolt in Flanders 

ArteveldeIn 1337, Jacques (or is it Jacob? I see both…locals might want to comment…) van Artevelde was made Captain General of Ghen, as Ghent threw off the authority of the Count of Flanders, Louis. Flanders was densely populated and uniquely industrialised – reliant for their livelihood on the cloth trade. Artevelde's view was that Flanders could not survive in opposition to England – because it needed English wool to survive. The English embargo on wool to Flanders and the resulting Flemish neutrality in 1338 is one of the few examples of a successful round of economic sanctions. 

 

7 thoughts on “100 Theatres of War

  1. I was so happy to hear my beloved Gent mentioned on the podcast that I decided to donate 10 euros for each time you said it. However, the donation would have been more except deductions were made for each mention of Antwerp. Sorry.
    JACOB, definitely Jacob –
    a) he would have come from a Flemish speaking family who may have known French, but wouldn’t give him a French name.
    b) Jacob is a common name in the region, as a result of the main church in town from that time period which was on the pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostela.
    c) the statue pictured above says ‘Jacob’ (which I cycle by regularly).
    d) Pronunciation of the last name is: ‘Fahn Art-uh-feld-uh’
    Keep up the great work (=no more holidays, or mentions of Antwerp!)

  2. Stephen, you are going to hear a LOT more about Ghent at 10 Euros a pop! Seriously, thanks for the donation, it will be spent in a good cause. Sorry about the Antwerp thing. I think there’s a story there you need to explain…?
    I’ll get the pronunciation right next episode!
    David

  3. Aha! *Ghent* So, David, you’ve finally *Ghent* become a Giffer, have you? *Ghent*Ghent* Brilliant! *Ghent* I’ve not climbed that particular rung of the *Ghent*Ghent*Ghent* technological *Ghent* ladder *Ghent*Ghent* yet. *Ghent*Ghent*Ghent*Ghent*Ghent*

  4. David,
    I arrived at your podcast from the History of English. I gave up over there because I really wanted to here this history, especially from the English viewpoint. I am looking forward to your viewpoint of the American Revolution, though I understand that might be a while.
    I love to detail you provide (reminiscent of THoR). I also love all the colloquial phrases you use which are completely unknown to those of us from the other side of the Pond. Such ambiance.
    Anyway, I love the podcasts AND the maps with their animation or slides. Genius. And the family trees. Keep them all coming.
    Finally, I am making a donation for the first 50 podcasts. More to follow.
    Frank Gulla, Richmond, VA
    Dedicated follow of Revolutions, THoByzantium, THoChina, THoIndia, THot20thCentury and you.

    1. Hi Frank, ad thank you for the kind words. Anyone who mentions the animated maps is a friend of mine!

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