[MR] Wikipedia: Battle of Crécy, 1346

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, especially Fellow Archers,

On this date in 1346, an English army led by Edward III defeated a much
larger French-led force near Crécy in northwestern France.

The English had run rampant across France, burning and looting everything
in their path, and had penetrated almost to the gates of Paris. For weeks
they were shadowed by forces led by Philip VI. Edward was able to choose
the ground for their inevitable confrontation, selecting a site on a
hillside with both flanks protected. Before the French army arrived, his
men had dug pits before their lines to discomfort mounted knights. His
position, a safe line of retreat, and his army's ranks were all carefully
prepared.

Using tactics pioneered by his grandfather Edward I, the English king
fielded an army composed of armored knights and heavy men-at-arms fighting
on foot, with large numbers of longbow archers on their flanks. His army
was also equipped with primitive cannons.

The French army attacked without proper organization as soon as they
arrived. The first wave was Genoese crossbowmen, whose shields and
additional ammunition were still in the baggage train. The crossbowmen were
quickly routed. French knights, eager for battle, charged through the
retreating Genoese, cutting down many whom they branded as cowards. English
archers took a heavy toll on the charging knights and infantry, but also
shot the unarmored French horses. Each successive French attack was slowed
by more and more dying horses and soldiers on the battlefield. When the
French finally reached the English lines, their attacks were already
blunted. The slaughter lasted all afternoon and into darkness, until the
remaining demoralized French and their allies melted away.

Various writers have tried to estimate the size of the two armies, and the
number of casualties, but few agree and records are sparse. The English
army is estimated at between 7,000 and 15,000. The French may have had
20,000 to 30,000 men, though some wild claims put their army at 100,000.
French losses were at least 4,000, but included at least 1,542 nobles (by
careful body count), including one allied king (blind John of Bohemia),
nine princes, one duke, ten counts, a bishop and an archbishop. English
losses were minimal, probably numbering no more than 300.

Crécy established England's reputation as a formidable military power. It
also proved the longbow's power. The French would again suffer lopsided
defeats by English longbow armies at Poitiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415),
as well as in many other lesser battles and skirmishes.

Wikipedia's account of the battle is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Crécy .

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆