Conflict and Upheaval in Europe, 1337–1453
What's covered
Key facts
At the Battle of Shrewsbury, 21 July 1403, Henry IV defeated rebels including Glyndŵr's English ally Henry "Hotspur" Percy, who was killed.
England captured Calais in 1347 after an eleven-month siege; the town became England's bridgehead in France and the centre of the wool staple until its loss in 1558.
John Ball was a radical priest whose preaching of social equality helped justify the rebellion; his question "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?" became its rallying cry.
The Glyndŵr Rising is regarded as the last full-scale Welsh uprising against the English crown; later Welsh resistance was small-scale.
At Crécy (1346) English longbowmen devastated charging French heavy cavalry, demonstrating that the armoured knight was vulnerable to massed infantry archery.
Around 60,000 rebels marched on London during the revolt, opened the prisons, and burned John of Gaunt's Savoy Palace.
Owain Glyndŵr proclaimed Prince of Wales in September 1400 and led the last large-scale Welsh rebellion against the English crown.
The Hundred Years' War began in 1337 when Edward III pressed his claim to the French throne through his mother Isabella (sister of the last direct Capetian king) after Philip VI's accession, compounded by disputes over Gascony and the wool trade.
The immediate trigger of the 1381 revolt was the Poll Tax demanded after the Black Death — its third imposition in four years.
Heavy English taxation, land disputes with Marcher lords (especially Reginald Grey of Ruthin) and resentment built up by Hundred Years' War mobilisations were the underlying causes of the 1400 revolt.
Sample questions
A taste of the 40 questions in this topic — answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
Who was the French heroine who helped lift the siege of Orléans in 1429?
- •Catherine of Valois
- •Isabella of France
- ✓Joan of Arc
- •Margaret of Anjou
How did the Hundred Years' War and Black Death affect Wales in the 14th century?
- •The Hundred Years' War made Wales prosperous through high prices for Welsh wool
- •Wales benefited from the Black Death — lords took lands abandoned by English settlers
- •Wales was largely unaffected — plague and wars did not reach the Welsh mountains
- ✓Welsh archers served at Crécy; the Black Death and exploitation fuelled Glyndŵr's rebellion
Why did the Hundred Years' War between England and France begin in 1337?
- ✓Edward III's claim to the French throne through his mother Isabella
- •France invaded England and Edward III declared war to defend his kingdom
- •Pope Benedict XII ordered England to attack France after France refused a Crusade
- •The war began over a marriage dispute — Edward was refused the French king's daughter
What were the underlying causes of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381?
- •A terrible harvest left peasants facing starvation — the sole trigger
- ✓The 1381 Poll Tax triggered years of frustration at serfdom and wage controls
- •The peasants were inspired by the French Revolution and wanted a republic
- •The revolt was caused solely by the Poll Tax — there were no other grievances
What weapon gave English armies a decisive advantage at Crécy (1346) and Agincourt (1415)?
- •Gunpowder cannon, which blasted gaps in French armour formations
- •Steel plate armour, which made English knights impervious to French arrows
- •The crossbow, with a longer range and heavier bolt than the French arbalest
- ✓The longbow, which could fire rapidly and penetrate armour at distance
Why was the Glyndŵr Rising significant?
- •Crowned a Welsh king of England
- •Ended Wales' political independence
- ✓Last major Welsh uprising against English crown
- •Started the long Hundred Years' War
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