"The Hundred Years War: A People's History " Topic

"The Hundred Years War (13371453) dominated life in England and France for well over a century. It became the defining feature of existence for generations. This sweeping book is the first to tell the human story of the longest military conflict in history. Historian David Green focuses on the ways the war affected different groups, among them knights, clerics, women, peasants, soldiers, peacemakers, and kings. He also explores how the long war altered governance in England and France and reshaped peoples’ perceptions of themselves and of their national character.

Using the events of the war as a narrative thread, Green illuminates the realities of battle and the conditions of those compelled to live in occupied territory; the roles played by clergy and their shifting loyalties to king and pope; and the influence of the war on developing notions of government, literacy, and education. Peopled with vivid and well-known charactersHenry V, Joan of Arc, Philippe the Good of Burgundy, Edward the Black Prince, John the Blind of Bohemia, and many othersas well as a host of ordinary individuals who were drawn into the struggle, this absorbing book reveals for the first time not only the Hundred Years War’s impact on warfare, institutions, and nations, but also its true human cost"
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Amicalement
Armand

A great read, I really enjoyed it. It's in my HYW library.

Hmmm, I will have to add this to my "I need to acquire" list.

Chris

Chris, David Green is a very accessible writer. He wrote an interesting wargame-friendly book on Poitiers. And the People's History offers an entirely different perspective on the conflict--much closer to the ground. Good stuff. Not a stuffy revisionist history, just different.

Glad you like it my friend!.

Amicalement
Armand

Can't beat the Jonathan Sumption histories, IMHO. Not stuffy, not revisionist, just good solid research and beautifully written.

Second the endorsement of Sumption's work – he just sticks to the facts (to the extent they can be determined) and handles sources very well. Keeps narrative moving (so don't be put off by the sheer size. Its a great tale.

TomT