.

Edward I always sought the agreement of Parliament before
assembling an army or taking actions of war, and Parliamentary
consent came to be expected for such. He completed the conquest
and annexation of Wales in 1284. The feudal army was summoned for
the last time in the 100 year war with France, which began in
1337. In it the English longbow was used to pierce French knights'
armor. There had been much competition between the strength of
arrows to pierce and the heaviness of armor to resist. Guns and
cannon with gunpowder were introduced in 1338. A system to raise
an army by contract was developed. Contracts were made with
nobles, knights, or esquires who undertook to enlist an agreed
number of armored men-at-arms and archers, who were paid wages.
The King provided transport for each contractor and his retinue,
baggage, and horses. The title of "knight" now resumed its
military character as well as being a social rank.

After Edward I died in 1307, there was a period of general
lawlessness and contests for power between earls and barons and
the irresponsible King Edward II, who was not a warrior king. He
eventually was assassinated. Also in 1307, Parliament required the
king to obtain its consent for any exchange or alteration of the
currency.

By 1319, the guilds of London had become so powerful that they
extracted a charter from the king that to be a citizen of London
one had to be a member of a guild.

By 1326, scholars, the nobility, and the clergy had reading
eyeglasses, which had been invented in Italy, probably by the
glass blowers. Italy was famous for its glasswork. The first
eyeglasses were fabricated by pouring molten glass into curved
molds. The actual shape was difficult to control because thermal
expansion and contraction resulted in bubbles and other optical
imperfections.

As of 1336, importing foreign cloth or fur, except for use by the
King's family, was prohibited, as was the export of unwoven wool.
Later, this was relaxed and a customs tax of 33% was imposed on
wool exported.

Foreign cloth workers were allowed by statute to come to live in
the nation, be granted franchises, and be in the King's
protection. But no cloth was to be exported until it was fulled.
During the reign of Edward III, Flanders weavers were encouraged
to come to England to teach the English how to weave and finish
fine cloth. A cloth industry grew with all the manufacturing
processes under the supervision of one c