The Hundred Years' War
The Kings of England challenged the Kings of France in the Hundred Years' War, and
rising costs of warfare fueled coinage debasement and inflation. Kings were
compelled to find new sources of revenue, and Italian bankers developed more
sophisticated credit. The war, however, was best remembered for the origins of
English and French national consciousness, largely due to the exploits and martyrdom
of Joan of Arc.
French gold ecu d'or of King
Charles VI (1380-1422) with royal coat-of-arms.
Silver plaquette by Daniel Dupuis (1849-1899)
depicting Joan of Arc guided by an angel and hailed as France's national icon.
English gold noble of King Henry V
(1415-1422) showing the king on a ship.