The conflict grew from the English king's awkward position as both a sovereign and a wealthy French duke. Edward III had a blood claim through his mother, while the French nobility selected Philip of Valois and rejected succession through a woman. Philip's attempt to confiscate Aquitaine and Ponthieu turned insecurity over his throne and territorial consolidation into open war. Rival constitutional positions and valuable territories made this much more than a simple quarrel over a crown.
Chapter · 6:11-14:09
Why Edward III and Philip VI went to war
The rival claims to France and control of Gascony explain why a dispute between kings became the Hundred Years' War.