ssential Question: How did the Hundred Years War contribute to Feudalism's decline?

The Hundred Years War (1337–1453) played a significant role in accelerating the decline of feudalism in several interconnected ways: 1. Centralization of Power: During the prolonged conflict, monarchs had to raise large armies and secure substantial resources. To do this, they increasingly bypassed the traditional feudal aristocracy and built centralized bureaucracies to collect taxes and administer the war effort. This shift weakened local feudal lords’ power, as royal authority began to eclipse their regional control. 2. Rise of Professional Armies: Feudal armies traditionally relied on knights and levies provided by feudal lords. However, the Hundred Years War underscored the need for standing, professional military forces. The emergence of more disciplined, centrally organized armies reduced the reliance on feudal levies and diminished the role and influence of the armored knight, a key cornerstone of feudal military power. 3. Military Innovations and Changes in Tactics: New military technologies and tactics—such as the effective use of the longbow by English forces and the early adoption of gunpowder—undermined the traditional advantages of the heavily armored knight. With battles increasingly decided by strategy and new weaponry rather than individual valor in armor, the old feudal military model became less relevant. 4. Economic and Social Shifts: The enormous costs of extended warfare led to higher taxes and greater state control over economic resources. As the monarchy assumed more fiscal power, the money and authority that had sustained feudal relationships began to centralize. Additionally, the need for a professional body of soldiers opened up military service to commoners, gradually eroding the exclusive military role that the feudal nobility once held. 5. Reallocation of Loyalties: In peacetime, feudal systems depended on bonds of personal loyalty between lords and vassals. But the war prompted men to shift their allegiance toward the nation-state (or king) rather than to local lords, setting the stage for modern national identities and reducing the traditional feudal ties. In summary, the Hundred Years War hastened the decline of feudalism by stimulating centralization and modernization within the military, economy, and political structures of European states. These developments undermined local feudal power and paved the way for more centralized monarchies and modern state systems.