Conquest and Defence, David Green Recounts the Hundred Years War from Every Perspective

Paul Fischer

10/30/2015

Charles Briggs

Conquest and Defence, David Green Recounts the Hundred Years War from Every Perspective

The role of the church can be easy to overlook in the defining national conflict between England and France which became, after broken peace treaties and ransoms, kidnappings, and massive slaughter, known as the 100 Years War, but this series of battles and intrigue is convincingly portrayed in The 100 Years War: A People’s History as a critically pivotal moment for the emerging Catholic Church. David Green is elusive in his use of a thesis in his book, which is structured as a generational analysis of various themes which are intended to coalesce into a final declaration of methodology and description. In order to review the intent of the research appropriately, it will be necessary to delineate between these themes and show in a concise manner how they are interrelated and in what basic construct they cast the evolution of Christendom into the true intercontinental empires which England, France, and other onlooking nations would become. Appearance of sourced material and the basic structure of the historical context in which the writing is based should then make itself quite apparent.

This is not to summarize the entirety of the material at hand, but instead to drive at the heart of what made this war pump, and the individual liberties which it extended to others. Firstly, the war was not one framed entirely around the concept of occupation, though by “the concluding years of Henry V’s reign what had been a war of raids and sieges became a war of occupation” (Green, 154), and the leaders on both sides of the English Channel, or for much of the war, in modern-day France, came to learn of the ineffectiveness of simple blockades or chevauchée raids. “As Jean Juvénal des Ursins noted in 1435, ‘For war is only made in order to have peace; make strong war and you will have peace by subjugating your enemies’” (92), this is an ironical statement as those raids had become a war of occupation, one which resounded culturally in Shakespearean literature and in the very threads of French nationalism, immortalized in primary sources artistic, carefully chosen for this historical work, and political. Indeed the nature of the French crown would change in this war: clambering to dislodge ineffective church leadership, the centralization of power and expansion of mercenary Patis forces redefined the fundamental belief of France in nationhood as “not only was victory or defeat an indication of divine judgement, but for many it might bring one decidedly closer to divine judgement of a very personal nature” (146). That which might have demolished French belief in their military capabilities instead became a varied system of mutual struggle, allowing an early separation of military and agricultural interests, not to overlook the many who were still pressed into service.

The progression being described here is quite delicate in nature. It is important to review the sources which are utilized in the book before expounding the grandeur of the impact of this war on later conflicts, such as the War of the Roses directly afterward in England or French absolutism in monarchy which developed following religious strife as conflicts in the Netherlands and other Spanish ambitions dominated. In this case, there is little doubt as to the professionalism of the work; primary sources are frequently cited and contemporary secondary sources consulted. Intermediary, or dependent, sources are appropriately dropped or their impact marginalized.

While the similarities between the various national mindsets are drawn again and again, it can be easy to forget that of the many allies who were involved in the war, “each had their own agendas and antipathies that required resolution” (86). In trajectory at least, it cannot be forgotten that there is nothing shared between Britain and France, least of all that corner of once barbarian then British and now French farms and fishing grounds, Calais. While an entire chapter is devoted to peace, and “by the later 14th century a social climate had developed in which calls for a diplomatic solution to the Hundred Years war resounded” (85), they did so at different times which was emblematized as “a welter of propaganda proclaimed the justice of each side’s cause” (234). Fighting for this piece of land not only drew starkly these differences, but emphasized them as “conceptions of royal power differed in England and France, certainly when the war began, and these differences grew as the struggle unfolded” (114). 

Without the ideation that the reformation was somehow sparked by this series of raids and occupation, or that it would have anywhere near as great an effect on absolutism and contemporary to the time, ideals of monarchy, the soundest of conclusions drawn from many premises proffered by this work is that the 100 Years War defined Britain as an island nation, and showed that France was able to continentally defend itself without crying to the Pope for a Holy Crusade, not to say that this was not attempted at some point; France became a nation and England would follow suit in coming centuries, though the latter would certainly take a slightly more wiley route, necessitating the survival of a pseudo-invasion by Spain and significant expansion of naval prowess. In other words it took a bit more than the high walled caravels and a simple speech by King Richard II to establish England as a major imperial power.

David Green: Bibliographical Synopsis

Paul Andreas Fischer

10/21/2015

Professor Briggs

David Green: Bibliographical Synopsis

David Green has written four books, which are published through Pearson PLC or subsidiary publishing companies. These are monographs which may be considered scholarly in nature, complete with indexes, acknowledgements, and appendices. His first book, however, proved difficult to find and was co-authored with two other authors, however, as a non-fiction work published by the University of Nottingham may also be considered a scholarly monograph, though it is short and is only 40 pages in length.

With eleven articles published, David Green has also contributed in a significant manner to ten academic journals which focus on his field of study. In addition, though this is not directly pertinent, he has written 22 encyclopedic entries for three different encyclopedias and two dictionaries. Historical review of his work, however, varies somewhat from his own account of what his work actually consists of.

The International Medieval Bibliography lists only seven publications from David Green, comprising of six articles and one scholarly monograph, all of which are noted as publications on his academic website. The Iter bibliography lists seven essays which were written for the International Encyclopedia of Military History published in Routledge, New York, of which all but The Conquest of Wales are acknowledged on his website. Finally, on the Bibliography of British and Irish History, a full fourteen scholarly articles, books, and essays can be found, all of which are among those listed on his professional page, though “Medicine and Masculinity: Thomas Walsingham and the death of the Black Prince” contains a typographical error or potentially intentional change in title, possibly to avoid conflict with a similarly themed or titled book.

These resources are individually intended for different audiences, and there is the intention for historical work to be easily accessible as well as appropriately divisible. In addition, there may be certain standards for quality or quantity of work provided which factor in as various bibliographical resources decide which materials to include. In addition timing can play a large role in publication. For example, it is likely that some of these books received boosts from trends, whether as global as war in the Middle East and renewed interest in medieval warfare tactics or as local as a series of historic fairs and festivals at which the book may be presented.

Ori Shavit, Vegans on Top, and the Vegan/Vegetarian Revolution - Lecture at the Hillel House at UVM

Paul Andreas Fischer

10/20/2015

Environmental Studies

        This Monday Ori Shavit came to the Hillel House at UVM and gave a lecture on the vegan lifestyle based on her writing on “Vegans on Top” which raises awareness for the vegan “revolution” that has occurred in Israel in the last decade. Her first order of business was to describe the necessity to change to a vegan lifestyle and to describe her own realization that an all-vegan lifestyle was a choice which she could and did want to make. This was once a, as she described, “fringe phenomenon” and now in America and Israel, the decision to eat vegan foods has become a mainstream one. In Israel, 100’s of thousands have now changed their diet. The change is not limited to Israel, but is global and in the United States there are around half as many vegans per capita.

        Some vegans worry about fitting in socially, and there is a book for this which includes many alternative dishes and some that are nearly identical to non-vegan options called “So You’re Dating a Vegan.” Those who are uncomfortable with their choice publicly may also look to numerous celebrities and important figures who have adopted this lifestyle. Many are athletes, such as Marc Danzig, Ariel Rosenfeld, and even a former weightlifting champion who has maintained a vegan lifestyle for over 25 years. One suggestion she provides to encourage vegans to make their meals more accessible to guests and others who have not made the change completely is to incorporate corn cream into meals and to make use of pates.

        While the presentation was not one which was laden with factual details, the audience was encouraged to seek out the scientific basis for the choices themselves. There were key health, environmental, and social facts are presented. For example, industrial farming techniques involve the electric killing of baby chicks which do not lay enough eggs. This is a way in which the true cost of a dish is hidden. How does this translate into actual savings on a national scale? Among the 5% of Israelis who have become vegan, their food intake has decreased markedly, in fact even commercial chains which have not been historically friendly to vegans now have vegan options including Dominos.

        There are some boundaries which are established early on, which include the convenience and taste of vegan-ism which make adopting this lifestyle easier. Normally, vegans refuse all foods with meat, eggs, cheese, and milk but now many people who are not “fully” vegan supplement their diet with vegan food, a practice which confers many of the benefits that a vegan diet provides. Understanding where the food comes from can be quite as important as deciding where and to whom it will go. While a study from 2014 has shown that Alzheimer’s is actually the leading cause of death in the USA, heart disease is a major cause of mortality. Among vegetarians, heart attack mortality decreased by 24% and in vegans by 57% as shown in a study published by the American Dietetic Association.

        Other ways the true cost of eating traditional agricultural products can be hidden includes the substitution values of agricultural inputs. In Environmental Studies we have learned that the United States is among the greatest contributors to greenhouse gases, and by far the greatest contributor per capita. Part of this negative trend is related to the dietary choices which American have made, which may be sustainable, but also may be limiting growth. Importantly as well, cattle and other animals suffer unnecessary cruelty for the sake of what one chef describes as “a few colors on his pallet.” Seeing this vegan blogger was inspiring. We were able to see the meals, lifestyles, and positive consequences of this difficult and possibly overwhelming change. Investigation of research on this topic proved quite fruitful, and at the end of the evening, it was even worth it for this student to make a pledge to eat vegan daily. Even if unsuccessful, this pledge captures a fair amount of the social, health, and environmental benefits while still maintaining a fair amount of flexibility in dietary choices.