Originally published in 1912 as a portion of the author’s larger “The European Beginnings of American History,†this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 20 pages, describes the causes and battles of the Hundred Years’ War—the series of conflicts in which successive English kings attempted to dominate France from 1337 to 1453.
Sample passages: Edward III was not content, however, with the English throne. He thought he had a claim to the French one as well. His mother, Isabella, was the daughter of Philip IV of France. After Philip’s death his three sons had reigned successively, but they had all died leaving only daughters as heirs. Edward thought that his mother, being Philip’s daughter, had a better right to the French throne than any of these granddaughters, and that he, as her son, ought to be recognized as king of France. But rather than endure the rule of a foreigner, the French people unearthed an ancient code of laws that had prevailed in France centuries before, called the Salic law, which declared it illegal for women to inherit land. They claimed that this barred Isabella, and her son also, from inheriting the throne. So a cousin of Philip IV, Philip of Valois, was declared king of France.…
At last they came to battle with the French king and his army at Poitiers and utterly defeated them, although the French far outnumbered them. In this battle the English archers with their long bows again did good work. The long bow was five feet or more in length, and every man who bore one had used it from his boyhood up, so that he was marvelously skillful in shooting with it. He carried his arrows in a quiver at his side and could shoot with great rapidity, while the crossbow which the French archers used had to be wound up after each shot. The English had good reason to be proud of their stout bows. A feather from a gray goose-wing tipped the sturdy arrow and seldom failed to make its way straight to the heart of the foe.
About the Author: Author and historian Alice Minerva Atkinson was one of the first two women to earn a Master of Arts degree at the University of Pennsylvania (1893). She later earned Penn’s first Ph.D. in Classical Studies. Other works include “Introduction to Western History for Chinese Students†and “The Chronology of Horace’s Satires and Epistles: A Thesis.â€