1. THE 100 YEARS WAR GOES ON & ON
As the new 15th century began, the English were on the rampage again.
Henry V took his knights and bowmen across the channel and continued the devastation of France.
This episode has always been a matter of great national pride.
2. BOWMEN OF ENGLAND
No army in the field could withstand the volleys of arrows from the English bowmen.
One place they learned their skills was at Moorfields in Islington.
When trained, they could hardly wait to leave their foggy island and get to the splendid city of Paris.
|
3. PARIS
Paris had been the greatest city of Western Europe with a population of 150,000.
But with the long years of war and the English occupation, the city declined.
Wolves prowled the streets and the half deserted city had 24,000 vacant houses.
4. EVICTION OF THE ENGLISH
Eventually, the French got rid of the English.
It was just as well for the English. They were a very small nation with less than one-third the population of France.
If they had conquered France, they would have been absorbed into the greater country and lost their identity.
Perhaps in the long run Joan of Arc did more for the English than the French.
5. DESOLATION OF FRANCE
It took centuries for France to recover. Paris lurched out of control. One notorious district, the Court of Miracles, was ruled by thieves and vagabonds.
One modern writer has cited modern black Harlem and the medieval Court of Miracles as two outstanding examples of the breakdown of city life."
Victor Hugo set his novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" against the Paris of these days. |
