The Auld Alliance and the Hundred Years War

How Scotland helped France win the Hundred Years’ War

During the Hundred Years’ War, there was a constant thorn in the side of the English military efforts in France. This thorn took the form of their neighbors to the north in Scotland. Throughout the great conflict, which lasted from 1337–1453, the English war effort was distracted and waylaid by the involvement of the Scottish allies of France on several occasions. This alliance which began in 1295, ensured mutual protection between Scotland and France in the event of a conflict with their common enemy, the English.

The Auld Alliance, as it was called, had a significant impact on the Hundred Years’ War and the participants. In the years leading up to the war, the conflict between England and Scotland would affect the battlefield tactics of the English army. It would significantly impact how warfare would be conducted in the future.

The recognition of the “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” view gave credence to the French and Scots to ally with each other against England. The alliance was spawned from common interests between the two kingdoms, opposition to the English claims to the Scottish throne, and the English territory in France. The alliance would impact the relationship between the three countries militarily and…