On Pete's birthday no better way to commemorate it than something about the Hundred Years War.

16 July 1338 - Edward III sailed to France.

The Hundred Years War erupted in 1337 when Edward III, King of England claimed that he was in fact also the rightful King of France. His claim came through his mother Isabella the aunt of the French King Philippe VI. Under French law no woman could inherit the Throne, so Isabella was overlooked in favour of her nephew.

Furthermore the steady encroachment of the French Crown into English lands in France had become so acute that Edward decided that to portray himself as the true King of France was the only way, not only to restore lost territory, but to gain all of France and ensure the end of the conflict across the Channel. 

War began in November 1337 but it was not until the following year that King Edward had raised an army large enough to invade France, even then he set sail from Ipswich seven weeks later than planned. The King sailed in a ship named after him the Edward, it waited a few days in the Channel to be joined by more vessels from Great Yarmouth before the combined fleet made landfall at Antwerp. 

Every Lord and landowner, other than the Church, was required to supply the King with a set number of men and arms on demand for military campaigns, for senior Lords it would be dozens, smaller landowners perhaps just two or three. Equally every town and borough was obliged to provide in the same way. That's why it usually took longer than expected to gather an army together.      

English history is full of tales of Lords "raising armies" to take on the Monarch over some quarrel or other. The vast majority of foot soldiers were not there by choice, they were drafted in by their local Lord who called upon their services as the King would do. Only rarely would you find an army of peasants gathering for their own ends, such as Cade's Revolt (see 13 July). 

If summoned by the King to military service the Crown would pay. If drafted by a rebellious Lord pay was less certain, loot and booty would be expected. Sometimes there was no pay, feudal service was part of the terms of living on a Lord's land.  

Or Putin with his three days to overwhelm Ukraine.  

Wars? Apparently 151 of them Tom. You’ve got to keep the lads busy, otherwise they’d just get into trouble.

17 July 1453 - The Battle of Castillon.

The last battle of the Hundred Years War.

By 1453 English possessions in France had dwindled to the port of Bordeaux, the western part of Gascony and in the north Calais. The French King Charles VII was determined to oust the English from France once and for all and attacked Gascony laying siege to the town of Castillon. The English commander in Bordeaux John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury set out with 10,000 men to relieve the siege. 

In his eagerness to take on the French Lord Shrewsbury outpaced half his army and reached Castillon with around 5,000 men on 17 July, he attacked in the belief that the rest of his army would soon arrive. The French numbered about 10,000 and were well provided with artillery which wrought havoc on the English who were routed with Lord Shrewsbury killed. The 5,000 reinforcements arrived too late and sought safety in Castillon but were forced to surrender two days later.

The French pressed on to Bordeaux capturing it after a siege in October. Thus all that remained for the English in France was the port of Calais. The Hundred Years War was over.