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How did the judgment of Paris lead to the Trojan War?

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Painting by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo showing crowds pulling the large wooden Trojan Horse into the city of Troy, with excited figures and ancient buildings in the background. — Greek mythology Oil on canvas by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, c. 1760; in the National Gallery, London.

The "judgment of Paris" served as the catalyst for the Trojan War by setting in motion a chain of events involving divine intervention and the abduction of Helen of Troy.12

The conflict began when Eris, the personification of strife, threw a golden apple inscribed "for the most beautiful" among the guests at a wedding. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all claimed the prize, leading Zeus to appoint the Trojan prince Paris as the arbitrator. Paris rejected bribes of power and military might, instead awarding the apple to Aphrodite, who promised him the love of the world's most beautiful woman: Helen.2134

With Aphrodite’s assistance, Paris seduced Helen, who was the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. Paris’s refusal to return her triggered the war, as the Greek kings were bound by the oath of Tyndareus to defend Helen’s marriage, forcing them to assemble a massive military force to sail against Troy.3456