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Jonathan Sumption
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HUNDRED YEARS WAR VOL 1 (v. 1) Paperback – Import, January 1, 1999

by Jonathan Sumption (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 235 ratings
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This text is the first volume in a series that details the long and violent endeavour of the English to dismember Europe's strongest state, a succession of wars that is one of the seminal chapters in European history. Beginning with the funeral of Charles IV of France in 1328, it follows the Hundred Years War up to the surrender of Calais in 1347. It traces the early humiliations and triumphs of Edward III: the campaigns of Sluys, Crecy and Calais, which first made his name as a war leader and the reputation of his subjects as the most brutally effective warriors of their time.
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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Hundred Years War
  2. Print length
    672 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Faber & Faber
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1999
  6. Dimensions
    5.98 x 1.77 x 9.13 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0571200958
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0571200955
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber; 2Rev Ed edition (January 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0571200958
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571200955
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.82 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 1.77 x 9.13 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 235 ratings

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Jonathan Sumption

Jonathan Sumption

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
235 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely thorough
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2019
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What I loved about this book is how the French side is told in as much--or nearly as much--detail as that of the English. It was interesting to see how, during this phase of the war, the French won as many battles, albeit smaller ones, than the English. Also exactly deeply in dept Edward III was during this period. I've read several other books on the Hundred Years War, but never one that covered so much detail about the fights, financing, and provisioning of the troops. That said, I would have liked to see more of the main characters' personalities. They were sometimes shown through letters or quotes from reliable sources, and when this was done, the book really came alive for me. That said, anyone drawn to well-researched, well-written history will love this book.
5 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour de Force effort
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2014
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It is absolutely insane that Jonathan Sumption has taken on The Hundred Year's War, with a fresh take, while calling into doubt the accuracy and worth of previous accepted accounts, all while holding down what anyone else would consider a full time and demanding job at the height of the legal profession. This book is not for the faint of heart and I usually have to go back and re-read every 20 pages or so. Stick with it and you will be rewarded.
6 people found this helpful
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4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and readable
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2016
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A good long book with lots of information in a surprisingly readable form. Would have been a 5-star, but the early years of the 100 years war were sadly repetitive - hardly the authors problem!
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Stephen Cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars IN THE BEGINNING
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2011
'Trial by Battle' was the first volume in Jonathan Sumption's truly monumental history of the Hundred Years War. It tells the story from 1328 down to 1347 and the capture of Calais. The author was a don in Oxford, then a leading Queen's Counsel at the English Bar. Now, he has been made a judge of the Supreme Court, a post which it is believed he will take up once the Abramovich trial in London is over. He is obviously well used to digesting large amounts of information and summarising them in cogent form. This explains why the book is so comprehensive and so authoritative.

As he tells us in the Preface, Sumption's objective is to write grand narrative, based primarily on documentary rather than chronicle sources: he considers the chronicles `episodic, prejudiced, inaccurate and late'. He also aimed to eschew analysis, as well as the scholarly debates which so often sidetrack historians. He appears to have explored all the printed primary sources (together with a good number of the unprinted ones) and to have read all the secondary authorities; and to have pursued his researches in several countries: England, France and Spain at the least. The book is hugely enjoyable, if you are interested in the richness of history and human life and endeavour, and not prejudiced against the Middle Ages, on the grounds of supposed obscurity or obscurantism.

Stephen Cooper
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Miguel A Kelly
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good bibliography backup
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2017
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Very detailed. Very good bibliography backup. Sometimes it becomes confusing.
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Top reviews from other countries

Simone Degl'Innocenti
5.0 out of 5 stars Middle age geopolitic in details
Reviewed in Italy on November 25, 2023
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A very detailed book that allows to understand in details middle age geopolitic. Only for history lovers.
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I. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Epic account of a dramatic period in English history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2023
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Before Jonathan Sumption came out as a lock-down sceptic he was a distinguished historian and jurist who produced a magisterial history of the Hundred Years War between England and France. This book is volume I of that four-part history. It was published in 1990 and seems to be still regarded as the most accurate and detailed account of the war so far written – on this side of the Channel at any rate.
I have to say, it is compelling stuff, but first, a few niggles. The author consistently uses the word “Scotch” rather than “Scottish” to refer to the people of Scotland and things associated with them. I’m not sure if he is being deliberately archaic or just trying to be different. He also talks about the “German Empire” rather than the Holy Roman Empire, which is misleading because although the HRE was predominantly German over much of its one-thousand-year history, it was in no way comparable to the modern state of Germany as it included territories in what are now Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic etc. Confusingly, the author also refers to “Germany” as a political entity five hundred years before Germany became a unified state.
It’s odd because in other respects the author is very careful to show how different the political entities of the fourteenth century are from modern nation states. Fourteenth century France is very different from the France of today. Large parts of what we think of as France today, such as Provence and Brittany, were either semi-independent or part of other states. Even within the core territories, there were endless disputes over who was in charge – was it the king or the local duke or count?
England was much more homogeneous than France but was still subject to various conflicts and tensions. Nearly three hundred years after the Battle of Hastings, England is still ruled by kings who speak French and regard themselves as French. Below them are a bunch of French-speaking toffs who own large chunks of land in France. Similarly, many French nobles own estates in England (and Ireland). There is a similar situation in Scotland (which had a strong alliance with France), with English toffs owning estates over the border. It’s fascinating to learn that there were many English expats living in France at the start of the war, including a couple of blokes operating a brewery. At the start of the war English expats were subjected to an extortionate tax on the value of their property. However, instead of persuading them to return to England, it encouraged many of them to apply for French citizenship – after all, if they owned land, they couldn’t take it with them. It is noteworthy how little patriotism there is among ordinary people.
It is perhaps not surprising that for peasants and townspeople, their main concern is to protect their community without giving any thought to the state as a whole or to distant parts of it that they themselves would never see. Thus we get French towns in bribing the marauding English army to leave them in peace and suggesting they go and sack the next town on their route. And when the French sack Southampton, the citizens of Winchester, just up the road, shrug their shoulders: “Not my problem!”
The author is also very good at showing how difficult it was for medieval kings to raise taxes. In England taxes were almost always used to fund wars and whether the nobles would pay up or not depended on whether they expected to gain or lose by those wars. There is no sense of patriotism or national interest. It’s all self-interest, at least among the ruling class. The same applies in France and in other states. I was surprised that even a strong king like Edward I frequently found his requests for cash greeted by an “on your bike” from his nobles. The result was that his subjugation of Wales, and the construction of those wonderful castles like Harlech and Caernarvon were largely financed by Italian bankers.
It’s sobering to see how England struggled to do any kind of amphibious operations – like getting troops across to the Continent – before the Royal Navy. English shipping was generally poor quality and many vessels were “the wrong kind of ship” for transporting men and horses or for naval battles. Ship owners could only be induced to make their vessels available for naval operations by upfront payments. The more unscrupulous would then pocket the cash and take their ships overseas to trade elsewhere until the dust settled. They would then return to port without any apparent penalty. The author points out – to my surprise – that at this stage the definition of treason was pretty flaky, with many nobles claiming that refusing to serve a king, or even outright rebellion, could be justified, depending on the circumstances.
Another interesting fact, is that, having lost most of their possessions in France in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, kings of England were still dukes of Aquitaine in south-west France. As such they owed homage to the French king as their feudal overlord. The form in which that homage was acted out was a frequent cause of conflict between men who were often related by blood or marriage. At one point we have a king of France ordering a king of England to demonstrate his allegiance by serving in the French army!
Other complications arose over the role and power of the Pope and the Catholic Church. Many of the civil servants employed by kings were churchmen who owed a dual allegiance to their king and, through the Church hierarchy, to the Pope. And in those days Popes did have political as well as spiritual power and frequently meddled in the affairs of the states that made up Christendom.
The author has given us a general account of the war that covers all aspects of the war: political, religious, social, economic and military. It is also presented as a chronological narrative rather than in a thematic way. And like all the best historians, the author interweaves fascinating vignettes about what life was like for the humble peasant and foot soldier. This first volume gives us a detailed overview of the origins of the war, going back to the reigns of the first two Edwards. It then takes us through the early years up to England’s dramatic victory at Crecy in 1346. I had always thought that England’s victory at Crecy was solely due to the English longbowmen. Now I know that although they did a brilliant job, victory was also secured by French impatience and incompetence. You end this first volume thinking that victory is just over the horizon…..
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about English history and about our relationships with our neighbours north and south.
16 people found this helpful
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A C Henry
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating narrative
Reviewed in Canada on August 5, 2020
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Not knowing a lot about this subject, I originally assumed that this was going to be a history of the 100 years war as seen through English eyes. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised the author has given a well researched, balanced and fascinating narrative on the origins and causes of the war through English, French, Flemish and even Scottish perspectives. Despite the complexity of the social, economic, political and historical origins of the conflict, the author’s ability to dissect and explain these issues in simple and concise language makes it a very readable and interesting book. Don’t stop at this volume as the next 3 are just as good!
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blablabla
5.0 out of 5 stars Savoir lire l'anglais
Reviewed in France on January 22, 2020
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Lecture
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Logan McKnight
5.0 out of 5 stars True Depth
Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2018
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The depth and detail of this work is a joy to someone trying to understand the political and military realities of the hundred years war. I've long been a student of various events and battles in this war but only after reading this work do I feel like I have some understanding of the difficulties that faced the kings and governments of the day.
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