Abstract

This chapter addresses the nature of Anglo-papal relations in the years that preceded the outbreak of the Hundred Years’ War – namely the period between 1334, when Benedict XII was elected, and the summer of 1338, when Edward III left England for the continent and the hostilities between England and France began. The chapter discusses how effective Benedict XII's arbitration was in the years leading up to the outbreak of the conflict, using Anglo-French and French-papal diplomatic correspondence. The chapter concludes that Benedict XII’s attempt at preventing the outbreak of the war should not be negatively assessed on the basis of its outcome. Arguably, the pope reacted and engaged with the political circumstances using all the means at his disposal, but was not able to control Edward III, Louis of Bavaria, and Philip VI's individual agendas. If anything, Benedict XII's failed attempts at preventing the outbreak of the Anglo-French conflict therefore evidence the inability of the late-medieval papacy to carry any political weight before the secular rulers rather than his personal miscalculation of the circumstances.

Keywords: Pope Benedict XII, Hundred Years’ War, Edward III, king of England, Philip VI, king of France, diplomacy, Louis of Bavaria