1368-1369: Gascon Appeals and the 'Legal' Relaunch of War

For Charles V, reconquest had to be politically justified. The opening came in Guyenne, where lords and towns challenged the Black Prince’s fiscal authority.

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💰 Taxation Crisis in Aquitaine

After costly Castilian campaigning, the Black Prince imposed new taxation (notably in January 1368). Many local elites judged it illegitimate, especially amid mercenary devastation.

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🧾 Appeal to the King of France

When local redress failed, Gascon lords appealed to Charles V. By accepting jurisdiction, he reasserted feudal sovereignty and created a legal pathway against the Black Prince.

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🏛️ Procedure Before Open War

The monarchy used legal timing and political bargaining to gather support among Gascon elites before full military escalation.

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⚔️ 1369: Rupture and Confiscation

By early 1369, fighting resumed locally, and at the top level Charles V moved toward formal confiscation of Aquitaine, converting legal argument into strategic war policy.

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🧠 To Remember

• Gascon appeals transformed fiscal conflict into sovereign rupture.
• Charles V resumed war with a stronger legal and political position.