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The First Treaty of London was formally agreed on 8 May 1358 at Windsor Castle in England. Its terms ended the then 21-year-old Anglo-French conflict now known as the Hundred Years' War. It was sealed by Edward III, king of England, and John II, king of France; the latter was a prisoner, having been captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. The treaty set John's ransom at four million écus, the equivalent of the peacetime income of the English Crown for about 20 years. In addition, France was to transfer to England approximately a quarter of its territory, while Edward was to give up his claim to the French throne. The first instalment of the ransom was due to be paid on 1 November, but with the French government collapsing into anarchy it proved impossible to raise. Edward refused to accept less than full payment and so the treaty lapsed. Subsequent negotiations led to the Second Treaty of London but its terms were so harsh that the French government repudiated it. Hostilities resumed in October 1359, when Edward again invaded France. (Full article...)