ABSTRACT
The towns of Lower Normandy were relatively little disrupted by the war save at specific stages, such as in the sieges of Mont-Saint-Michel, Pontorson and Granville, and in the conquests of Henry V and Charles VII. Others, particularly those on the frontiers to the east and in the Pays de Caux, saw much more activity, changed hands more than once and undoubtedly suffered from economic dislocation brought about by war. Control of the administration and economy of the town was sometimes in the hands of the English or French king when the archbishop's lands were confiscated. Overall there can be no doubt that the towns of Normandy suffered less than the countryside. Neither the English nor French rulers were vengeful but, rather, sought to maintain and promote urban prosperity for the sake of the defence and the well-being of the duchy as a whole. War enhanced the importance of the towns in the political and economic structure of the duchy.
