The Hundred Years War The Hundred Years War can be traced all the way back to the mid-1000s when William the Conqueror became king of both England and Normandy. This caused England to have much land in France. With these new acquisitions for England, King Henry II started to stretch the land in France that was owned by England. This made it difficult for the following kings to control such massive amounts of land. By 1327, England’s land in France shrank down to only two pieces of land, Gascony and Ponthieu. After King of France’s Charles IV died without and remaining brothers or sons, his nephew, Edward III assumed he would become king of France. When his cousin, Philip, was crowned king, Edward III was furious. He still held the position of King of England and in 1337, with his army finally assembled; Edward III declared war on France. England was victorious in the first battle known as the Battle of Cadsand. It established the territory of the war was to be fought on only French land. Following this victory, the English won seven more battles, before the French claimed their first win in 1351 in the Battle of Ardres. The war seemed to be in England’s favor, as they continued to defeat the French army battle after battle. The French still fought, winning consecutive battles, wearing the English army down. Both sides began alternating victories, causing the war to last longer than expected. The final battle, the Battle of Castillon, ended 1453, with the French victorious.