| During the Hundred Years War,there was a series of changes took place in the English army,which was of great significance in the transformation from feudal society to modern society in England.This paper aims to sort out the process of the reform of the English army during the Hundred Years War,and to explore the social background and the social impact of the reform.This paper consists of three parts:The first part analyzes the background and motivation of the reform of the English army,explores how the decline of the feudal system and the development of the agricultural economy promoted the reform.And it also exploring the role of the Hundred Years War itself in promoting the reform of the English army.The second part is the main body of this paper,which mainly analyzes the content of the reform of the English army,and discusses the achievements and shortcomings of the reform.The reform of the English army is mainly divided into three aspects.Firstly,the proportion of archers in the army has increased and the army has become made up of more and more civilians.Secondly,the indenture system has gradually become the only recruitment method for the army;thirdly,the army has adopted the Archers and Men-at-arms tactics and the strategy called chevauchées.The results of the reform are reflected in the outstanding performance of the archers in the major battles,and the limitation of the reform are reflected in the lack of development of the firearms and artillery,which have laid the groundwork for England’s final defeat.The third part discusses the social impact of the reform,which including the emergence of new dependency relationships and the promotion of civilian status.It also analyzes the negative consequences,which including two aspects: firstly,the number of war casualties has increased;secondly,the English indenture system has caused the problem about The Free Company. |
