Middle Ages
Throughout the 14th century, French kings sought to expand their influence at the expense of the territorial holdings of the nobility. They ran into difficulties when attempting to confiscate the holdings of the English kings in southern France, leading to the Hundred Years' War, waged from 1337 to 1453. Early in the war the English under Edward III (r. 1327–77) and his son Edward, the Black Prince (d. 1376), won the battles of Crécy and Poitiers, captured the city of Calais, and won control of much of France. The resulting stresses almost caused the disintegration of the French kingdom during the early years of the war. In the early 15th century, France again came close to dissolving, but in the late 1420s the military successes of Joan of Arc (d. 1431) led to the victory of the French and the capture of the last English possessions in southern France in 1453. The price was high, as the population of France at the end of the Wars was likely half what it had been at the start of the conflict. Conversely, the Wars had a positive effect on English national identity, doing much to fuse the various local identities into a national English ideal. The conflict with France also helped create a national culture in England separate from French culture, which had previously been the dominant influence. The dominance of the English longbow began during early stages of the Hundred Years' War, and cannon appeared on the battlefield at Crécy in 1346.
Age of Empires II
Joan of Arc puts the player in command of the battered, bloodied and demoralised French during the Hundred Years War against England. At the beginning of the campaign, nearly every major and decisive battle fought by the French has always led to defeat to the English. In France's darkest hour though, a seventeen-year-old girl—Joan of Arc intends to save France by the command of God. She intends to drive the English from France forever. Her presence at the Siege of Orleans earns her the nickname 'The Maid of Orleans', and she earns the confidence of the uncrowned Dauphin Charles VII by being given command of the entire French Army, although the Dauphin's advisors begin to plot against Joan of Arc. At several turning points in the Hundred Years' War, namely the Loire Campaign where the entire English and Burgundian forces were cleared out, hope for a free France begin to inspire more men to join the fight under Joan of Arc.