<P> During the Crusades, there were in fact too many armored knights in France for the land to support . Some scholars believe that one of the driving forces behind the Crusades was an attempt by such landless knights to find land overseas, without causing the type of internecine warfare that would largely damage France's increasing military strength . However, such historiographical work on the Crusades is being challenged and rejected by a large part of the historical community . The ultimate motivation or motivations for any one individual are difficult to know, but regardless, nobles and knights from France generally formed very sizeable contingents of crusading expeditions . Crusaders were so predominantely French that the word "crusader" in the Arabic language is simply known as Al - Franj or "The Franks" and Old French became the lingua franca of the Kingdom of Jerusalem . </P> <P> In the 11th century, French knights wore knee - length mail and carried long lances and swords . The Norman knights fielded at the Battle of Hastings were more than a match for English forces, and their victory simply cemented their power and influence . Between 1202 and 1343, France reduced England's holdings on the continent to a few small provinces through a series of conflicts including the Bouvines Campaign (1202 - 1214), the Saintonge War (1242) and the War of Saint - Sardos (1324). Improvements in armor over the centuries led to the establishment of plate armor by the 14th century, which was further developed more rigorously in the 15th century . However, by the late 14th century and the early 15th century, French military power declined during the first part of the Hundred Years' War . New weapons, including artillery, and tactics seemingly made the knight more of a sitting target than an effective battle force, but the often - praised longbowmen had little to do with the English success . Poor coordination or rough terrain led to bungled French assaults . The slaughter of knights at the Battle of Agincourt best exemplified this carnage . The French were able to field a much larger army of men - at - arms than their English counterparts, who had many longbowmen . Despite this, the French suffered about 6,000 casualties compared to a few hundred for the English because the narrow terrain prevented the tactical envelopments envisioned in recently discovered French plans for the battle . The French suffered a similar defeat at the Battle of the Golden Spurs against Flemish militia in 1302 . When knights were allowed to effectively deploy, however, they could be more useful, as at Cassel in 1328 or, even more decisively, at Bouvines in 1214 and Patay in 1429 . </P> <P> Popular conceptions of the final stages of the Hundred Years War are often dominated by the exploits of Joan of Arc, but French resurgence was rooted in multiple factors . A major step was taken by King Charles VII, who created the Compagnies d'ordonnance--cavalry units with 20 companies of 600 men each--and launched the first standing army for a dynastic state in the Western world . The Compagnies gave the French a considerable edge in professionalism and discipline . Strong French counterattacks turned the tide of the war . The important victories of Orléans, Patay, Formigny and Castillon allowed the French to win back all English continental territories, except Calais, which was later captured by the French . </P> <P> The French Renaissance and the beginning of the Ancien Régime, normally marked by the reign of Francis I, saw the nation become far more unified under the monarch . The power of the nobles was diminished as a national army was created . With England expelled from the continent and being consumed by the Wars of the Roses, France's main rival was the Holy Roman Empire . This threat to France became alarming in 1516 when Charles V became the king of Spain, and grew worse when Charles was also elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 . France was all but surrounded as Germany, Spain, and the Low Countries were controlled by the Habsburgs . The lengthy Italian Wars that took place during this period resulted in defeat for France and established Catholic Spain, which formed a branch of the Habsburg holdings, as the most powerful nation in Europe . Later in the 16th century, France was weakened internally by the Wars of Religion . As nobles managed to raise their own private armies, these conflicts between Huguenots and Catholics all but demolished centralization and monarchical authority, precluding France from remaining a powerful force in European affairs . On the battlefield, the religious conflicts highlighted the influence of the gendarmes, heavy cavalry units that comprised the majority of cavalrymen attached to the main field armies . The pride of the royal cavalry, gendarme companies were often attached to the main royal army in hopes of inflicting a decisive defeat on Huguenot forces, although secondary detachments were also used for scouting and intercepting enemy troops . </P>

Why was france's military severely weakened by the 1950s