Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery: Thursday, Sep 9 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Saturday, Sep 4
Order within 19 hrs and 49 mins Details

Only 12 left in stock (more on the way).

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

$$17.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from	Amazon.com
Sold by	Amazon.com
Support	Customer service is provided by Amazon for all items.

DetailsDetails

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Support

Customer service is provided by Amazon for all items.

Return policy: This item is returnable

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Thursday, Sep 9 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Simple Shopper 1

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers on Amazon

$12.96
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: allnewbooks

$17.00
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Kevabooks

$20.00
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: TheProductsHub

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Desmond Seward

The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453 Paperback – August 1, 1999

by Desmond Seward (Author)

104 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$11.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$23.56

$19.58

$2.99

Paperback

"Please retry"

$17.00

$10.95

$1.34

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$579.95

$8.58

Audio CD, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$25.99

—

From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though it was a small, poor country, England for most of those "hundred years" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominated the war. The protagonists of the Hundred Years War are among the most colorful in European history: Edward III, the Black Prince; Henry V, who was later immortalized by Shakespeare; the splendid but inept John II, who died a prisoner in London; Charles V, who very nearly overcame England; and the enigmatic Charles VII, who at last drove the English out. Desmond Seward's critically-acclaimed account of the Hundred Years War brings to life all of the intrigue, beauty, and royal to-the-death-fighting of that legendary century-long conflict.

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

August 1, 1999
Grade level

12 and up
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

8.44 x 5.52 x 0.69 inches
ISBN-10

0140283617
ISBN-13

978-0140283617
See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

David Green
83
Hardcover
$24.00
+ $2.00 shipping
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Desmond Seward
96
Paperback
$14.87
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Jonathan Sumption
49
Paperback
$39.84
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Hourly History
134
Paperback
$9.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Anne Curry
35
Paperback
$24.00
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 8 left in stock (more on the way).
Captivating History
38
Paperback
$14.76
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

David Green
83
Hardcover
$24.00
+ $2.00 shipping
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Desmond Seward
96
Paperback
$14.87
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Jonathan Sumption
49
Paperback
$39.84
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Hourly History
134
Paperback
$9.99
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Peter H. Wilson
168
Paperback
$23.65
Get it as soon as Monday, Sep 6
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Anne Curry
35
Paperback
$24.00
Get it as soon as Thursday, Sep 9
FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 8 left in stock (more on the way).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Desmond Seward was born in Paris and educated at Cambridge University. He is the author of Richard III: England's Black Legend, The Monks of War, and The War of the Roses.

Start reading The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453 on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; First Thus edition (August 1, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140283617
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140283617
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.44 x 5.52 x 0.69 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #936,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,343 in Conventional Weapons & Warfare History (Books)
- #2,289 in England History
- #2,447 in French History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
104 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		61%
4 star		26%
3 star		8%
2 star		5%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Marc and Susan Osborne

Still a great introduction to the Hundred Years’ War

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

Desmond Seward’s book is a short account of the Hundred Years’ War. It was written in the 70s, and its style is from that era. It emphasizes the kings and major players and battles, but it isn’t strong on the social and technological developments of the time, which significantly influenced the course of the war. And it tells the war as a story; it’s not in any way meant to be a scholarly work. Mr. Seward does emphasize the financial realities of the conflict, describing in some detail the fortunes made by English invaders through the plunder of France, an aspect of the war at odds with chivalrous images of the period. And Mr. Seward is a good writer. He has a succinct, readable style and brings a touch of drama to the tale. Overall, the book is a good introduction to the war. You’ll finish the book knowing “who, what, where, and when.” As for “why,” you might need another book for that.

15 people found this helpful

Helpful

GPO

Good Introduction to the Hundred Years War

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

Well written summary of the Hundred Years War in a rather short book. Such an extensive conflict would surely require many books to be discussed in detail, but the author makes a good job at summarizing the main events, and going to the details only when needed. The story is easy to follow, and it looks well researched.

As a non-English and non-French reader, the book seems a little biased in favor of the English position, or at least seemed to have been written for an English audience, but it's too subtle to criticize the book for it.

One thing that made the reading less fun at times was the use of some sentences or sayings in either French or old English, which in most cases felt like a lacuna in the text if you don't understand those languages. A footnote with a modern English translation would have been helpful.

Overall, good book, fun to read and informative.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Maggie the reader

Informative, but you'd better know where every town in France is

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

I'm about 100 pages into the book and am learning a lot, for sure. But Seward bogs down his own writing by presuming you know where every city, port, town and hamlet are in France and the Low Countries.

For example, Edward III lays seige to Tournai. Where the heck is Tournai? Seward describes the siege but never gives a hint where Tournai is. He could just as easily have said "Tournai, in Hainalt." He does this again and again, and for someone who really wants to know what happened and where, but doesn't have a master's degree in French geography, this habit by Seward becomes really frustrating. You'd better have a bookmark in the map pages.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

doc peterson

a good brief history

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

Seward's _The Hundred Year's War_ is showing its age (it was first published in 1978), but for an introduction into one of the most influential conflicts in European history, it still holds up well. The complex political relationships between the houses of Plantagenet and Valois are reasonably clearly explained, and his disucssion on the competing claims to the French throne is outstanding for both its clarity and berevity.

No holds are barred in his assessment of the various rulers (from Edward II to Henry VI of England, and Philip VI to Charles VII of France). While a previous reviewer thought that Seward demonstrated a pro-English bias, I could find none; certainly the French suffered from both an appalling lack of leadership through most of the war, but the terror, plundering and economic havoc wrought on the French countryside is not excused, either. The details of the major battles (Crecy, Poitiers, Agincourt, Verneuil, Formigny, Castillion) is also quite good: the battle maps and disposition of troops are clear, and the wider strategic signficance of the battles is clearly detailed.

I give it a mediocre review for two reasons: first, the maps of English possessions in France are clustered together at the end of the book. It would have been much more helpful to have these maps included in the text itself as the area under control of one king or the other was (or was about to be) discussed. Second, while Seward repeatedly points out the net economic benefit the war had for England, the perplexing inconsistency of the financial troubles of the English crown was not clearly explained.

For a book its size (it is a little over 250 pages in length), the amount of detail and depth is commendable, particularly given the importance of the conflict to the creation of the modern nations of France and England (and, by extension, Great Britain). An interesting read for military historians, Shakespeare fans (I now have a much deeper understanding of his histories), or those interested in the early-modern period or late middle ages.

23 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

The Best Book on the 100 Years War Available

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2012

Verified Purchase

I've read multiple books about the 100 years war. Some are more detailed, most are much longer, but none are as engaging as Seward's account. Most history books are by their nature, rather dry. Seward seamlessly weaves history and story telling into one riveting book. He focuses on core figures of importance, and they become like characters in a fiction novel; heroes you root for and villains you despise. All the while he maintains accuracy and depth in his telling of this world-shaping war. What Seward achieves is a concise explanation of the war, it's famous and hair-raising battles and the political forces at work behind the conflict. He manages a comprehensive account of the war without getting into dry tangents. He portrays the famous "Black Prince" and his epic victory at Poitiers and never gets off topic by delineating the minutia most readers don't care about. E.g. he doesn't spend hundreds of pages delineating the kinds of crops grown in France and how that affected the socio-economic growth of an incipient nation.

Essentially, it's informative, fun and to the point.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michael

History made easy

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great overview of the Hundred Years’ War. Easy flowing narrative style. Well worth the money.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

alan mellow

Good book, it gives a quick but informed summary ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2015

Verified Purchase

Good book, it gives a quick but informed summary of a war that lasted 100 years, on and off. The book makes you want to find out more about an important period of european history.

2 people found this helpful

C. Johnson

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent. Thank you.

One person found this helpful

Mr P Clarkson

Hundred years war

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

Gave me a thorough knowledge in layman's terms of causes of war, relevant chronology and the ways in which the 2 countries transformed as a result of the events of the war without over-intellectualising!

3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Worth a Read

Reviewed in Canada on October 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

Excellent book. Well written and you get a quick idea of the Hundred Years War. Not too many people can cram 100 years into 250 pages. Well done and highly recommended.

Russ C

Interesting read

Reviewed in Canada on December 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

Interesting for the casual layman on the topic. Worth the time given its length