Divided Houses: The Hundred Years War III

This volume narrates the shift in fortunes during the late 14th century, as England’s earlier successes—marked by victories at Crécy (1346) and Poitiers (1356)—began to wane, while France regained ground under Charles V. Sumption, a former Oxford historian and practicing barrister turned UK Supreme Court justice, brings his legal precision and narrative flair to this complex era, drawing on extensive primary sources in French and English.

The book details the decline of Edward III, whose senility in his final years saw England lose much of its continental gains, exacerbated by the succession of his young grandson, Richard II, a neurotic ruler presiding over a fractured nation. In contrast, France experienced a cultural and military resurgence, with figures like Bertrand du Guesclin leading campaigns to reclaim territories, despite internal divisions fueled by Charles VI’s mental instability. Sumption explores the war’s broader impact, including its extension into Spain, Portugal, Flanders, and Italy, and the socioeconomic toll—devastation from free companies, oppressive taxation, and the Black Death’s aftermath—creating a bleak yet pivotal period.