Spots 
Louis, Duke of Anjou, alongside Constable Bertrand du Guesclin, advances into Gascony to systematically dismantle English footholds. The capture of Bergerac demonstrates how coordinated artillery bombardments and surrounding siege lines break local garrisons before open battles are fought. Town after town surrenders under terms rather than risk total destruction, shifting the regional balance of power back toward the French crown.
The death of King Edward III in 1377 leaves the English crown to his ten-year-old grandson, Richard II. Parliament and royal uncles, led by John of Gaunt, step in to manage governance amid looming French naval raids along the southern coast. Internal political maneuvering and financial strain immediately complicate England's capacity to maintain its continental war campaign.
The election of Urban VI in Rome followed by the rival election of Clement VII in Avignon splits Christendom into two competing obedience networks. Charles V aligns France with Clement VII, while England and the Holy Roman Empire support Urban VI. Religious allegiance instantly becomes a diplomatic weapon, deepening existing geopolitical rivalries across Europe.
King Charles V dies at Beauté-sur-Marne in September 1380 after spending his reign rebuilding royal administration and reclaiming lands lost during earlier English invasions. His death leaves the crown to his young son, Charles VI, under the guardianship of competing royal dukes. The kingdom stands geographically strengthened yet vulnerable to renewed internal strife among the regents.
An account of French reconquests, royal succession, and ecclesiastical division during the Hundred Years' War.