After waging war with each other for more than a century, in 1453, both England and France emerged as stronger, centralized governments. As the governments had gained strength, the nobility in both countries found themselves with less power and influence than they had enjoyed previously, and the system of feudalism, which before the war had been necessary in the absence of a larger, protective entity, was on the decline. In their strategies against each other, both countries had developed new military tactics. And though England had fewer resources than did France, it still managed to assert itself at sea, marking the beginning of that country’s naval prowess.