There are two such special countries on the European continent, the United Kingdom and France. They are neighbors, separated only by the English Channel, the narrowest part of which is only 34 kilometers. They share a common leadership and social system, but their relationship is extremely delicate. During the past 1,000 years, they had the same fate, and wars broke out between each other constantly. At the same time, when foreign enemies invaded, they actively sought cooperation and formed alliances to resist together.
Infested by Vikings
Vikings, known as pirates, were harassing England in 789 AD, and the rulers at that time had to reach an agreement with the Viking tribes to allow them to settle in the northeast of England. France also could not stand the harassment of Vikings, and in 911 AD the king of France made the Viking chief of Normandy a duke to stop the invasion.
The Hundred Years War between Britain and France (divided into four stages)
The Hundred Years War between England and France lasted from the 1430s to the 1550s. The war lasted for 116 years and was the longest known war in the world.
After the Norman dukes in France conquered Britain, successive British kings occupied a large amount of land in France by making peace with France and became the main vassal of the French king. In 1328, Philip VI succeeded to the throne, and King Edward III and Philip VI competed for the dynasty. of inheritance. In 1337, Edward III became king of France, and Philip VI reclaimed all the British lands in France, and the war began.
In addition to fighting for the throne, the war was also for the French-affiliated region of Flanders. France occupied the area in 1328, and King Edward III of England prohibited the export of wool to the area. In order to obtain the source of raw materials, people in the area supported the British anti-French struggle, which further deepened the contradiction between Britain and France.
The first stage: From 1337 to 1360, Britain and France competed for Flanders and Keene. In the Battle of Sluss, the British won sea dominance. In the Battle of Crecy, the British army gained land superiority and occupied the port of Calais. , The French army was defeated in the battle of Poitiers, and two uprisings broke out in France, both of which were suppressed by the British.
The second stage: From 1369 to 1380, in order to retake the occupied territories, Charles V used surprise and guerrilla tactics to force the British army to retreat to the coastal area. In order to ensure the occupation of the port, the British signed an armistice agreement with France.
The third stage: From 1415 to 1424, the intensification of domestic conflicts in France led to the weakening of national strength. The British army took the opportunity to attack France, occupying northern France, forcing France to sign a contract at Troyes, and France became part of the United Kingdom of England and France.
Charles V declared himself the regent of France and demanded that Charles VI succeed to the throne after his death. Later, the two kings died at the same time, and their sons succeeded and started the battle for the throne again.
The fourth stage: From 1424 to 1453, with the participation of the French people, especially the guerrilla war led by Joan of Arc, it was a just war against aggression, and won the battle of Orleans, she led the army again She regained the northern territories, but was later betrayed by the French royal family and finally burned to death. Her death inspired the fighting spirit of the French people, which led to the British army’s retreat on the battlefield. On October 19, 1453, the British army surrendered in Bordeaux. , the war is over.
The Hundred Years War had a major impact on both countries. The war was fought in France from the beginning to the end, which seriously damaged the economic development of France and brought major disasters to the French people. However, it awakened the French national consciousness and created the political independence of France. Favorable conditions, and at the same time caused the intensification of internal contradictions in Britain, which accelerated the disintegration of the British feudal system.
British and other coalition forces against Napoleon
In the struggle against Napoleon, the United Kingdom successively formed seven anti-French alliances. In 1803, a naval battle between Britain and France occurred. The French army led by Napoleon wanted to land in the United Kingdom through the English Channel. The naval battle established Britain’s maritime supremacy for the next 100 years. The French Empire never set foot on British soil again. In the seventh anti-French alliance, the Battle of Waterloo between the British and the French began. The French army of 72,000 fought against the British 68,000. With the help of Prussia, Napoleon’s army was defeated in one fell swoop.
The Second Opium War Sino-British and French Allied Forces Invaded China
Since China was under the rule of the Qing government at that time and its national strength was weakened, the British and French allied forces launched the Second Opium War against China from 1856 to 1860. They had a common goal of further opening up the Chinese market and expanding their interests in China. After the Second Opium War, the Qing government was forced to sign the “Tianjin Treaty”, “Beijing Treaty”, etc., China lost more than 1.5 million square kilometers of land and huge indemnity.
The Anglo-French coalition joined hands in two anti-fascist wars in Europe
In the First World War, Britain and France, as members of the Allied Powers, had been dealing with the German army until the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The German army’s advance was curbed, and the battle between the two sides entered a state of anxiety. Later, the Allied Powers led by Britain and France gradually Take the initiative.
In the Second World War, the British and French forces formed an alliance again. In the Dunkirk retreat after the defeat, France was willing to sacrifice more than 30,000 people to ensure that nearly 400,000 British troops were withdrawn to the mainland. But there were some discordant elements in the war, because France was already occupied by Germany, and Britain wanted to take over the French fleet in order to avoid the French fleet being used by Germany, and the result was a conflict.
It is not difficult to see from the above description that Britain and France are both old enemies and allies, and they are “jealous” and “cherishing each other”. They are like two brothers in a family. When it comes to their own interests, they will be at odds with each other, and they will not hesitate to combine when facing foreign enemies. The reason why the editor can’t make any comments, readers can understand it by themselves!
