This Day in History: 26 August 2020
26 August 1346
674 years ago, today, the Battle of Crecy occurred during the Hundred Years War, in Normandy, between King Edward III's English army and King Philip VI's French army. The battle saw the early usage of the deadly longbow by the English and is regarded as one of the most decisive in history. A month prior, Edward had landed an invasion force of about 14,000 men on the Normandy coast, where the English army began to march north into the French countryside. Once King Philip learned of Edward's arrival, he rallied an army of 12,000 men, made up of knights and Genoese crossbowmen. Edward halted his army at Crecy and prepared for French attack.
The 4,000 Genoese crossbowmen led the assault, but they were quickly overwhelmed by Edward's 10,000 longbowmen, who could reload much faster and fire further. The crossbowmen retreated, before the whole French army finally withdrew at nightfall. Nearly a third of their army were killed in the battle, including Philip's own brother, Charles II of Alencon, and 1,500 other knights and esquires. Philip himself escaped with only a wound, but English losses were less than a hundred. The battle marked a decline in the use of the mounted knight in European warfare, and the rise of England as a world power. From Crecy, Edward would march on to Calais, which ultimately surrendered to him in 1347.
Want to find out more about the Battle of Crecy? Click here for more information, or here for a video with more about the battle.
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