The Hundred Years' War: New Weapons and Armies
Learn how the English longbow, cannons, and professional armies made armored knights obsolete during the Hundred Years' War in Grade 7 history.
Key Concepts
The Hundred Years' War was a long conflict that changed fighting forever. The armored knight, once the master of the battlefield, was becoming obsolete. New technologies like the English longbow could pierce armor from a distance, and powerful cannons could smash the walls of stone castles.
With knights and castles less important, kings no longer had to rely on their lords for military support. Instead, they began to hire and train their own troops, creating professional armies . This gave monarchs more power and control, while the influence of feudal lords declined.
Common Questions
How did new weapons change warfare during the Hundred Years' War?
The Hundred Years' War introduced technologies that made the traditional armored knight obsolete. The English longbow could pierce armor from long range, making cavalry charges disastrously costly. Cannons could demolish stone castle walls that had made fortresses invulnerable for centuries, fundamentally changing siege warfare.
Why did the Hundred Years' War mark the end of feudal military organization?
Medieval armies relied on noble cavalry—armored knights who provided military service in exchange for land. New weapons like the longbow and cannon proved that expensive knights were vulnerable to common archers and artillery. This shifted military advantage toward professional armies with ranged weapons, undermining the feudal basis of warfare.
What role did Joan of Arc play in the Hundred Years' War?
Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl who claimed divine visions instructed her to lead French forces. She inspired a reversal of English military dominance, helping lift the siege of Orléans in 1429. Though captured and executed by the English, her leadership galvanized French resistance and turned the war's momentum toward France.