After the Battle of Poitiers, King John II of France was captured by the victorious English, and was held at ransom. Although he was held in the Tower of London as a prisoner, he was afforded many kingly luxuries such as permission to travel about and to enjoy a regal lifestyle. He had what amounted to a small court in prison, owning horses, pets, and clothes while maintaining an astrologer and a court band. King John began the challenging task of negotiating a peace treaty, which would likely require the payment of a large ransom and territorial concessions.
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He signed a treaty in 1359 that would have ceded most of western France to England and involved a colossal ransom of 4 million crowns for his freedom. Charles had little choice but to reject the treaty as invalid, and King Edward used this as an excuse to reinvade France later that year. As well as the war itself, the lack of centralized leadership due to King John’s capture caused a massive increase in tensions within France.
The Hundred Year’s War was just a much a civil war as it was a war against the English. On top of this, bandits began to roam the country. Basically, when King John was kidnapped, France went to hell. He was released back to France to try and make money for his own ransom in exchange for forty noble’s sons. He eventually, when he could not deliver the money needed, returned himself to English custody, where he lived the rest of his life.
