A series of disasters in the mid-14th century brought France to the brink of destruction. The bankruptcy of the French state and a bitter civil war in the royal family were followed by the defeat and capture of the king of France by the Black Prince at Poitiers. A peasant revolt and a violent uprising in Paris completed the tragedy. In a humiliating peace treaty, France ceded more than a third of its territory to Edward III of England. For 60 years, the British never came closer to complete victory. However, the theme of this volume is not destruction, but survival. France's major cities, provincial towns and rural communities have stood where their leaders failed. They confronted the constant savagery of soldiers and free companies of brigands to destroy most of Edward III's conquests in the next generation. England's triumph was fragile and short-lived. Drawing on a wide range of sources, The Hundred Years' War: Volume II: Trial by Fire is the thrilling continuation of Jonathan Sumption's monumental history of the Hundred Years' War.