The interpretation of war as accomplishment of a certain noble and just mission appears to have been an important factor which influenced English national identity. Justifying war against neighbouring Christian peoples, the English medieval theologians, lawyers and historians treated each battle as an ordeal, wherein the Lord sent victory to the just party, and each victory by one's countrymen became a verdict of divine justice. It is important to note that the English authors were ready to see signs of divine support to their side in any conflict, and as a consequence came to form a conception of the English as a chosen people. Historical notions of English righteousness did not change even in periods of military failure. For example, narrating the defeats inflicted by the French at the end of the Hundred Years' War, the English chroniclers blamed all troubles on unfaithful allies and poor military leaders, but never questioned God's benevolence towards the English side.

The measures undertaken by the royal administration had quite an effective impact on popular awareness, forming a patriotic attitude to England's wars. While I do not attribute a conscious desire to inculcate beliefs of national superiority to medieval monarchs and their "ideologists", I would argue that such beliefs came about as an indirect consequence of propaganda which had in fact been aimed at the achievement of quite specific goals: gathering of surtaxes, organization of border defences, recruitment of mercenaries, etc. Some elements of that propaganda, in particular collective prayers for the success of royal armies, and the streamlined system of dissemination of information through newsletters and proclamations, promoted the perception of war as a matter of the sovereign's honour by all subjects of English crown. Being obliged to support him as true vassals and true Christians, they were thus led to develop feelings of personal participation and individual interest in the successful end of the conflict.

Official propaganda not only engendered pride in feats of one's countrymen in English society, but also inspired fear of the enemy threatening to invade England itself and plotting enslavement of its population. It is necessary to note that the patriotic rhetoric urging the people to join in the struggle with the enemy and even accept death for the defence of the motherland (pro patria mori), testifies not only to the durability of ancient topoi, but also to a well-developed national consciousness. Following the authors of royal proclamations and engaged by authorised preachers, English chroniclers too worked at the "proper" image of the enemy. Comparing fellow-countrymen and "others" (who in times of war turned from strangers into enemies), historians inevitably placed the representatives of the conflicting sides at the opposite ends of the "scales" of mental and ethical and even physical parameters.