Hundred Years' War Trivia

1. Which battle, fought in 1340, was the first naval battle of the Hundred Years War? It was fought in the calm waters that led to the port of Sluis, which was located in Flanders at the time.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Battle of Sluys

Although the war officially began in 1337, the first major battle did not take place until 1340 at the Battle of Sluys. While it may be surprising that the first major battle of the war was fought in Flanders, it must be remembered that Flanders was a contested area between the two countries at the time. The area was dependent on English wool for their textile industry and the French, who were marginally in control of the area, had been trying to gain more power in the area for years. The English were happy to encourage uprisings in the area, and, in a show of power, the French were constructing battleships there. The Battle of Sluys was a major victory for the English, as they were able to capture or destroy most of France's ships. The English victory in the Battle of Sluys insured that there would be no French invasion of England, however, raids in coastal areas and shipping lanes did continue.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: The Vikings

The Vikings were known to be using weapons with a 'D' section well before 1066 and as such are considered to be the originators of the longbow or warbow. This weapon was adopted by the Welsh and was used to great effect against the armies of the Normans in the early years after their invasion of England. The first English King to use both English and Welsh archers in structured and tactical formations was Edward I.

From Quiz Hundred Years' War

Answer: 116

The Hundred Years' War started in 1337 and ended in 1453, thus it spanned 116 years.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Battle of Crecy

It was at the Battle of Crecy that the worth of longbowmen over mounted knights and crossbowmen was proven. While later historians have decided that arrows probably could not penetrate the body armor used at the time, this was not the case for armor that covered the limbs. In addition, think of the horses, who had no protection and the shower of arrows that could be launched by an estimated 10,000 (numbers vary by sources) longbowmen who were said to have received 60-70 arrows each before the battle began. Yikes! The Battle of Crecy was a devastating loss of life for the French, and even though there were soldiers armed with crossbows, they simply did not have the same impact as longbowmen. Crossbows could not be loaded and shot as quickly, and a sudden rain shower before the battle stretched and damaged the strings on the weapons; the longbowmen simply removed their strings and kept them dry.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: The Common (or European) Yew

After seasoning, the Common or European Yew, makes an ideal bow wood. The darker heartwood, which forms the 'belly' of the bow, is strong and resists in compression whilst the paler sapwood, which forms the 'back', performs far better in tension. This means that, as the bow is drawn, it becomes a natural spring and imparts the greater part of its power to the arrow than many other bow woods. Surprisingly, the best yew used by the English was imported from Spain and Portugal but as this source dried up they were forced to look elsewhere. The Yew that grows in the poor soil of the Alpine foothills of Italy is generally considered to be the best and is still used today, although only in very small quantities due to it's rarity and resultant high cost.

From Quiz Hundred Years' War

Answer: The Scottish Wars

During the reigns of Edward I Longshanks and Edward II, the English Army engaged in constant warfare against the Scots in an attempt to conquer the whole island of Britain.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Calais

Calais is located in France across the English Channel from Dover, and, because it was the closest port to England, held a very strategic location during the Hundred Years War. The city, however, was highly defended with walls and a moat that were nearly impossible to penetrate - even with the use of 20 cannons. Finally, after the English were able to cut off supplies from the sea, their siege was successful and they won the city. They used it as a base for future raids into France and maintained control of the city until 1558.

From Quiz The Battle of Aginc...I mean...Azincourt

Answer: St. Crispin's Day

St. Crispin's day, 25th of October, 1415. St. Crispin was brother to St. Crispinian.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: Sluys

Fought on the 24th June, 1340, the Battle of Sluys was one of the opening battles in what became known as The Hundred Years' War. The resulting destruction of the French naval fleet ensured that England was safe from the threat of invasion and that any further fighting would take place on the soil of France. The French fleet, that numbered some 200 ships and under the command of Admiral to the French King, Hugh Quieret, was preparing for an invasion of England when they were met off the coast of Flanders by an English fleet numbering around 160 ships commanded by one of Englands greatest fighting kings, Edward III. The French adopted tactics that proved to be disastrous and which enabled the English to attack their left flank leaving the remainder of the French fleet powerless to act. At the end of the day the English had lost 2 ships and several thousand men whilst the French fleet had been completely broken and had suffered around 17,000 casualties.... It was reported that the sea had been thick with blood and corpses. Crecy on the 26th August 1346, Poitiers on the 19th September 1356 and Azincourt on 25th October 1415 were all battles of the Hundred Years War in which vastly outnumbered English forces defeated far superior numbers of the French.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Battle of Poitiers

The Battle of Poitiers was another huge loss for France against the longbowmen of the English army. Edward, the Black Prince, who was the leader of the English army, reported to his father, Edward III, that only 40 men had been lost at the battle - opposed to the 2500 dead and wounded and 2000 members of the French army who were captured. Even though the French refused to pay the huge ransom demanded for the king, his release was eventually negotiated.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: The Mary Rose

There are a number of theories as to why Henry's flagship went down that day. Contemporary accounts state that after The Mary Rose had fired all her guns on one side, she was turning about to present her guns on the other side when a strong gust caught her, she heeled over and seawater rushed in through her open gunports. Other reports say that poor seamanship on the part of the crew was a deciding factor, or that she was overladen with ordinance and was set too low in the water. Modern theories also consider the above to be factors in her sinking but also add that The Mary Rose had been considerably modified over her life and that this had made her unseaworthy. The Mary Rose was reported to have been carrying around 700 men, a huge number for her size and this could also have proved disastrous. Henry, Grace a Dieu (Henry, Grace of God) was another English warship and a contemporary of The Mary Rose. The Revenge was an English Galleon that fought against The Spanish Armada in 1588 and HMS Royal Sovereign was one of the ships that fought at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October 1805.

From Quiz Hundred Years' War

Answer: Herce

The Herce formation was the typical battle formation used. This was a formation where two triangular blocks of archers stood on either side of dismounted men-at-arms creating a funnel which was difficult to break down.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Battle of La Rochelle

At the Battle of La Rochelle (1372) a much smaller fleet, led by French ally Castille, either captured or destroyed most of the English fleet. Some historians believe that the defeat ended England's domination of the French coast during the Hundred Years War. It did take a year for the English to rebuild the fleet that they had lost. In 1419 another Battle of Rochelle was fought; again, the navy of Castille defeated the English, this time using guns on their ships.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: Approximately 220 paces

An English archer was expected to be able to shoot accurately at extended ranges. 220 paces was considered to be the effective range at which the enemy should be engaged by an arrowstorm. It is a sobering thought that some marks at the Finsbury Fields during the 16th Century ranged as far as 500 paces!

From Quiz Hundred Years' War

Answer: 12

The English archers were highly skilled and could loose up to 12 arrows in a minute with great accuracy.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Battle of Agincourt

Another great victory for the longbowmen in the English army, it is said that at the Battle of Agincourt one thousand arrows were fired every second. While it was an overwhelming victory for England, King Henry V did not use the victory to his advantage. Instead of pressing the French, he went back home to England to be hailed a hero. He was, however, able to force Charles VI to sign the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. The treaty made Henry V the heir of the French king and allowed him to marry Charles' daughter, Catherine. Both men died within two years, however, and fighting resumed when Charles VII, the son of Charles VI, tried to win back the throne.

From Quiz The Battle of Aginc...I mean...Azincourt

Answer: Soissons

The French hated English archers with a passion. If caught, the first two fingers of their hand were cut off, usually before a very painful death by whatever inventive means the French concocted. Some believe this is where the two-finger salute originated from.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: 'D' Shaped

The accepted standard for the warbow, in fact any member of the Longbow family, is that it possesses a 'D' shaped cross section. Research on those bows recovered from the wreck of The Mary Rose showed that, almost without exception, the ratio between the depth of the bow at the middle and the width of the back of the bow was 5:8.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Rouen

Considered to be one of Frances most fortified cities, Rouen fell to the English within eleven months. It was filled with so many starving people that it was said that even the English king felt sorry for the people and sent food for the poor on Christmas Day. After taking Rouen, the English used the city as a base for their raids on Paris. In 1449 the French regained Rouen from the English at the Battle of Rouen.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: His bowstrings

"Keep(ing) it under your hat" is a phrase in common usage today. It is accepted that it comes from the fact that archers would keep their bowstrings under their hats or headwear when the weather was bad. This kept them dry and prevented them from rotting and stretching. An archer could do this even as the enemy were bearing down on him, as an experienced archer could string his bow in seconds ... All English archers were highly experienced men (this showed in their daily rate of pay), whereas a crossbow took considerably longer to string. It has been written that the English at Azincourt were ravaged by dysentery and a lot of the soldiers fought the French naked from the waist down. Keeping a clean change of socks seems pointless! An archer of this period may well have carried a rosary but he would most likely be illiterate and not own a Bible of his own.

From Quiz Hundred Years' War

Answer: Dysentery

Dysentery was so common among the English that many of the archers during the battle fought naked from the waist down!

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Orleans

The location of Orleans on the Loire River made it an important site during the Hundred Years War. England already controlled northern and southern France. Orleans was considered to be the final barrier to an English invasion of central France. Considered to be a turning point in the war, the Siege of Orleans, also called the Battle of Orleans, ended a few weeks after the first meeting between The Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc, and the Dauphin. When her letter did not convince the English commander to lift the siege, the French army successfully attacked English positions at Saint Loup and Les Tourelles. While Joan of Arc never actively fought in battle, her presence was said to have been an inspiration to the French soldiers.

From Quiz The Battle of Aginc...I mean...Azincourt

Answer: An arrow from a previous battle

The arrow struck him in the face at Shrewsbury, where he was fighting the Welsh. He was sixteen years old at the time, and not yet king.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: Sidenocks

A bow nock is the name given to the reinforcement added to the tips of the bow to provide a secure attachment for the bowstring and to protect this most vulnerable part of the bow. During recent years and in light of some of the bows found with the Mary Rose, Mr Alan Blackham of the English Warbow Society, has conducted extensive research into the use of 'sidenocks' on the Warbow. The nock style generally fitted to a longbow enables the string to run in a straight line down the length of the bow whereas with a sidenock, as its name suggests, the string is fitted on the left at the top nock and the right at the bottom nock (or vice versa), making the string run at a very slight angle. The reason for the use of nocks of this type is not completely understood at present, so this current research will hopefully throw light as to why our forebears made use of this technology. Top nocks and bottom nocks are the names given to all nocks fitted to a bow whether they are sidenocks or not and out nocks do not exist.

From Quiz Hundred Years' War

Answer: It was a naval battle

The Battle of Sluys was a naval battle in the 'pre-bombardment' period, thus ships full of soldiers would try to board other ships and attempt to kill or capture all on board.

From Quiz Tales of the Hundred Years War

Answer: Battle of Patay

The French victory at the Battle of Patay was a huge deal; some historians say that victory at the Battle at Patay was for the French as victory at the Battle of Agincourt was for the English. Finally, the French army was able to overcome English archers, and it is estimated that about half (2000) of the English army was either killed or captured. In comparison, French losses totaled about a hundred men. Another benefit of the victory was that the English lost many of their seasoned leaders - a loss from which they would never recover. Shortly after the victory, the Dauphin was able to make his way to Reims to be crowned Charles VII.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: Ranging from 80lbs and 180lbs

The greater part of the bows found on The Mary Rose had draw weights within the range of 80 to 180lbs with the most prolific weight being in the region of 140lbs. The draw weight of a bow is that force that needs to be exerted on the string to bend the bow to it's tillered length. The English Warbow Society standard is that full draw is reached at 32" and, although this may vary slightly depending on the archer, all bows used by society members will be tillered to draw to 32". Most society members shoot bows up to around 140lbs with two of our number regularly using bows with weights up to and including 180lbs.

From Quiz Hundred Years' War

Answer: None, she carried nothing but a banner

Though she had a sword, Jeanne d'Arc would carry nothing but a banner into battle.

From Quiz The Battle of Aginc...I mean...Azincourt

Answer: 24 years

He was never returned. Henry V considered him too important to return to France.

From Quiz The English Warbow

Answer: Hemp, linen and silk

In the absence of any existing examples of period bowstrings, previous and ongoing research along with contemporary writings have revealed that all of these materials were highly likely to have been used in the manufacture of bowstrings during the Medieval period. Waterproofing of these strings would have been provided by the use of oils and waxes available at the time like beeswax and tallow.

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