The Hundred Years War

The English in France 1337-1453

By: Desmond Seward

Narrated by: Nigel Patterson

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

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 "100 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.

©1978 Desmond Seward (P)2019 Tantor

Excellent Rendition

The perfect amount of detail to hold your interest without being overly academic. The narrator was perfect for the job. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a great deal on this topic.

Pretty good

Pretty good balance from informative, just before boring. I learned some stuff, and for me, in this period, that's saying something

Accurate but reads life a history book

Seems accurate and at times is interesting. Long portions sound like a history book and where tuff for me to focus.

Dated

Having listened to a much more recently researched and authored book on Edward III, the first 1/3 of this book had a lot contradictory text. Still entertaining, and shortened my commute.

Great history

I just returned from spending some time in England, so this was a fantastic book to understand the hundred years war, and how the monarchy pushed that war in earned money for it. Fascinating read. Quick read. Enjoyable history.

As expected

Was pretty much exactly what I was expecting and hoping for, simple, forward recap of the history behind the Hundred Years War. Enjoyed the lesson and narration, definitely worth a listen if trying to remind yourself of the time period.

Lots of details and facts

I did struggle a lot with unfamiliar names and nation states from 14th and 15th centuries.

But the book was filled with great information about those 100+ years of war and conflicts.

A Clear and Concise Overview

I had never thought much about the Hundred Years War until listening to The Great Mortality by John Kelly (which I also highly recommend). I have gained a greater appreciation for the Black Death and the Hundred Years War since they overlapped and directly affected each other. I’m regards to this specific book, I found it very clear about the progression of the war while still spending adequate time of some of the more important details and sharing accounts of how the average citizen was affected in both England and France. The only thing I found lacking was a deeper investigation of the French and how they responded. While the author does summarize the political problems in France and how the English were involved, I felt that this book was written primarily from English perspective, which I completely understand since the English tended to be the instigator and invading force almost all of the time. I will definitely be listening to this hook again for a second time since I probably missed some thing due to the fact that I’m an American who has never heard of many of the place names, and had to spend a little extra time trying to piece it all together in my mind. I highly recommend this book! Especially to those like me who have little to no understanding of the Hundred Years War.

Great Starting Point

Great general history. Very good starting point for deeper study. Also narrator is top notch. Couldn’t have done better.

Superb narrator and fascintating history

Mr Patterson is a superb narrator with a lovely British accent yet flawless French pronunciation. This is a wonderful book to listen to before travel to Normandy and Brittany and the Loire regions of France, so that you can learn a bit of the horrible tug of wars that went on in the regions in the late 1300s and early 1400s, only to be followed by further wars of religion, the Huegenot persecutions, iconoclasms, the French revolution, and WW1 and 2. Mon Dieu! Quell histoire. Well done.