E X T E N S I O N ENGLAND IN THE 15TH CENTURY The 15th century in England was a time of war, economic crisis1, and social problems. It was also a time of cultural and technological change. War From 1337 to 1453 England and France fought the Hundred Years War.The English kings wanted the French throne. Henry V won at Agincourt in 1415 but in 1450 the English were finally defeated. The other important wars in this period were the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) Extensions 1 and 2. Economic crisis and social problems Lords began to take lands that once everyone could use.Then, sheep farming was preferred to field working, so many lands were used for sheep farming and not for agriculture. Wars and terrible diseases (for example, leprosy) caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people.The gap2 between the rich and the poor became bigger. Cultural and technological change William Caxton introduced the printing press3 into England. In 1476, he published an edition of Geoffrey Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales (1400). This was the first book that was printed in the English language. In 1485, Caxton also printed Le Morte d Arthur by Thomas Malory about the legendary King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. 1. crisis: a time of great danger, difficulty or doubt when problems must be solved. 2. gap: a difference that separates people or situations. 3. printing press: a machine that produces books, newspapers, etc. by pressing a surface covered in ink (= coloured liquid for writing, drawing, etc.) onto paper.