The first half of the Hundred Wars War proved devastating not only for France, but also for England.
Both countries were facing an economy shortfall - Increased taxes over in England to fund the war meant many people were forced to live on the streets with the rats, and other murky creatures of the time, and with a similar situation over in France but were people were forced from their homes from the English taking over or destroying towns and entire cities.

This eventually lead to sickness and disease, include one that would be felt for many years to come ..
The Bubonic Plague had reached France.

Brought over from Asia by Genoese trading ships fleeing from Ceffa they were trying to reach Messina in Sicily (southern Italy)
The ships reached their intended destination, but a search when they arrived revealed the entire crew of each vassal were dead.
These ships were then looted for their cargo, a fatal mistake as the looters themselves were infected with the disease,
which spread far and wide across Europe, reaching England and France in June of 1348.

The disease, known as the Black Death, was a disaster for virtually all of Europe, wiping out an approximate 40-60% of the entire population. The cause of the infection has been contributed to the poor conditions thousands faced which wasn't improved with the war between the two countries, although even despite this illness in 1349 the French still found enough strength to launch an attack on the recently English-captured Calais, an attack that failed in defeat.

In the years that followed much of the remainder of the economy in both countries was spent on trying to find a way to treat the Black Death infection that was causing havoc all across Europe, and only a few small skirmishes followed between the two armies.

That is until 1356 - The slowly recovering English had launched a successful campaign to attack Poitiers, and captured the French King, Jean Le Bon who was later released on ransom using coins called "franc-or" - "free gold".
He agreed to end the fighting in 1360, and to leave the English in control of large areas in western France - as well as Calais.

The peace allowed the French King to establish more control. In 1369 the Count of Flanders died, and the new French king,
Charles V, had, for the time being, driven the English from their early conquests in the north of France.
He broke the Anglo-Flemish alliance by forcing the Count's only child, Marguerite of Flanders, to marry his brother
Philippe, Duke of Burgundy. The marriage joined the Low Countries in the north with Burgundy in the east.

In the same year the dying English king Edward III had hoped to strengthen the Anglo-Flemish alliance by marrying the sought-after heiress to his fifth son .. only to find instead his ally was now controlled by France. As the English grew weaker, Philippe brought the whole area of Flanders firmly under his control which remained Burgundian for four reigns of French kings.

In 1380 he French took advantage of English weakness having driven the English out of all but Calais and a few other strongholds in France not long before, and struck across the Channel, helped by Spanish warships based in Rouen.
They had briefly captured the Isle of Wight, and burned south coast towns like Sandwich, Winchelsea and Gravesend.
In Kent; Canterbury and Dover hurriedly build town walls to protect themselves, and Bodiam Castle was built to protect Sussex.

They knew the French had established a large naval force, and expected an invasion within a few years, one which never came.
The short success the French had did not last, for in the late 1380 the French king Charles V was succeeded by his son, Charles VI, who wasn't old enough to rule .. For eight years France was ruled by his uncle, Philip the Bold until he took over later in 1388 although even this was constantly been interrupted by a disease which based on his symptoms, doctors believe the king may have suffered from schizophrenia, porphyria or Bipolar disorder.

Over in England, Edward III's successor the young Richard II also faced problems in way of an English Peasants' Revolt in 1381 which was fuelled by bitter resentment of the unfair Poll Tax raised to pay for the costly French wars, and the recent raids in the southern provinces - He met with Wat Tyler, the leader of the Revolts, and quickly came to a solution by lowering these taxes.

In 1407 the French royal family divided into two camps - the Armagnacs (Maison d'Orleans) and the Burgundians.
This division followed when his condition overcame him enough that after he had emerged from a Forest enroute to Brittany, a page who was drowsy from the sun dropped the king's lance, which clanged loudly against a steel helmet carried by another page.

 Charles shuddered, drew his sword and yelled "Forward against the traitors! They wish to deliver me to the enemy!" The king spurred his horse and began swinging his sword at his companions, fighting until his chamberlain and a group of soldiers were able to grab him from his mount and lay him on the ground. He lay still and did not react, falling into a coma for several days.
The king killed 6 knights, and possibly more (the exact numbers differ in the chronicles from the time).

Charles' uncle Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, assumed the regency on the spot, dismissing Charles' advisers in the process. This was to be the start of the major feud in 1407 which divided France and Burgundy for at least a further 85 years.