Autumn 1339, Northern France
King Edward's army landed on French shores, ready to fight against France. It was his inheritance to rule France as the grandson of Philip IV. War was hard and long, and after every battle he felt no closer to the war ending. Despite any setbacks, he was prepared to fight for France until the day he died if he had to. But he had support from the Holy Roman Emperor and from several of Northern Europe, so he felt optimistic. He instilled in his son every time he saw him that France was their birthright. He made the prince swear to continue the cause during his reign if Edward could not secure France during his own life.
Even though Salic law prevented women from inheriting the throne in France, he argued that the inheritance could still pass through a woman. He wasn't advocating for his mother to become Queen of France, but he was the only direct descendent of the last king. The throne should always pass to the nearest male descendent, and he was the nephew of Charles IV. Instead of Edward, the closest, the French nobility preferred to defect from the House of Capet and begin the House of Valois to the former king's cousin. Initially, Edward didn't want to cause a stir and supported his first cousin once removed. Once he saw what a poor king Philip VI was, he pushed for his own claim. He knew in his heart he was a better leader for the French people.
As the English made camp in Cambrai, he expected manpower from the counts from Hainault and Namur. Cambrai was in France, but the disputed lands were currently a free city of the Holy Roman Empire. To please his Bavarian brethren, Edward chose to seize Cambrai to end any threats from Philip VI of France and his allies John I of Bohemia, Philip III of Navarre, Aymon the Count of Savoy, Humbert II of Viennois and King Alfonso XI of Castile and Leon.
Edward had remained on the continent for more than a year and spent most of the time in Flanders forming alliances after he placed his daughter Joan in the Emperor's care. After many negotiations, Edward expected his allies to help him support the siege of Cambrai for the greater good of their unified cause. As he waited at camp, a messenger met him to say that the counts were still allies, but they had lands to lose if they directly battled the French and had decided they could not take the risk and declared neutrality.
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"Damnation!" the king bellowed. "Curse those cowards!"
Nevertheless, he knew he had God on his side, he commanded his army forward. God may have been on his side, but wars cost money, and he had already spent a fortune trying to claim what was his. Without his allies' help, Edward would have to rely only on the supplies they had packed on their own ships.
"Forward," he commanded, and so the army moved forward.
It was slow-moving, marching until finally they finally came upon a clearing with the French army up high on a hill.
"At last," Edward said. "We just need to draw their army down from on high and fight us on equal footing."
Edward's army waited. Edward could not fight them while they had the advantageous position. Despite waiting days, the French army made no attempt to leave the hill, and Edward's advisors reminded him of their limited supplies.
Angry but needing to be practical, the English turned back once Edward saw there was no clear path to victory. Conquering France could wait. It would take as long as it needed to take.
When he was abroad, he almost never thought of his family. Travel was hard, setting up encampments was hard, wielding a weapon, killing soldiers was hard and so was risking his own life on the battlefield. If he dwelled on his wife, on his children, perhaps his determination would waiver.
He knew deep in his bones his cause was righteous, but he was still a man who had heartaches just as any other. To combat this, he had others write letters back to England to update his status and give any advice needed on ruling in his absence. He tried to only think of his family in a general sense when he said his nightly prayers. He prayed for their health and safety, but he could not dwell on missing them the way any father and husband would miss their family, but he had to remain focused for his long absences away. He could not write to them all to say he missed them, or he would waiver and abandon his own cause to be with them again, so he masked his own loneliness to write only about his military successes.
Because of this, the king never once sent a letter directly to Princess Joan. It was not because he missed her, but he didn't want to miss her too much by putting his heartache into words. All Joan knew was that her father abandoned her and sent not a word of affection.