Hundred Years' War
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 French House of Valois, over the right to rule the Kingdom of France. 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.
John II of France
In 1355, the Hundred Years' War flared up again. In July 1356, Edward, the Black Prince, son of Edward III of England, took an army on a great "chevauchée" through France. John pursued him with an army of his own. In September the two forces met a few miles southeast of Poitiers.