There has been much historical debate over the causes of Anglo-French conflict in the later middle ages. Examining the approaches of historians from the time of the wars to the present day, this book suggests that there was not one "hundred years war", but rather a series of conflicts, with the treaties of 1259(Treaty of Paris), 1360 (Treaty of Bretigny) and 1420 (Treaty of Troyes) forming the points of transition from one phase to the next. It explores Anglo-French relations in their European context, giving particular attention to the role of Scotland, and suggests that Anglo-French hostility in the later middle ages set the two nations on a collision course for centuries to come.