The
Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 by the
House of Plantagenet, rulers of the
Kingdom of England, against the
House of Valois, rulers of the
Kingdom of France, for control of the latter kingdom. Each side drew many allies into the war. It was one of the most notable conflicts of the Middle Ages, in which five generations of kings from two rival dynasties fought for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe. The war marked both the height of
chivalry and its subsequent decline, and the development of strong national identities in both countries.