[162] The modern historian Alfred Burne estimates 10,000 infantry, as "a pure guess",[163] for a total of 12,000 French dead. [142], Philip himself was caught up in the fighting, had two horses killed underneath him, and received an arrow in the jaw. Corrections? [7] He heavily defeated two large French armies at the battles of Bergerac and Auberoche, captured more than 100 French towns and fortifications in Périgord and Agenais and gave the English possessions in Gascony strategic depth. Edward III of England, having landed some 4,000 men-at-arms and 10,000 archers (longbowmen) on the Cotentin peninsula in mid-July 1346, had ravaged lower Normandy west of the Seine and gone as far south as Poissy, just outside Paris, when Philip VI of France, uncertain of the direction that Edward meant ultimately to take, advanced against him with some 12,000 men-at-arms and numerous other troops. [61] Contemporary chroniclers estimated the crossbowmen present as between 2,000 and 20,000. By 12 August, Edward's army was encamped at Poissy, 20 miles from Paris, having left a 20-mile wide swath of destruction down the left bank of the Seine,[25] burning villages to within 2 miles (3 km) of Paris. [32], Edward was determined to break the French blockade of the Somme[33] and probed at several points, vainly attacking Hangest and Pont-Remy before moving west along the river. [1] Following a series of disagreements between Philip VI of France (r. 1328–1350) and Edward III of England (r. 1327–1377), on 24 May 1337 Philip's Great Council in Paris agreed that the lands held by Edward in France should be taken back into Philip's hands on the grounds that Edward was in breach of his obligations as a vassal. By the time the French charges reached the English men-at-arms, who had dismounted for the battle, they had lost much of their impetus. During the morning of the battle, they were each issued with two more quivers, for a total of 72 arrows per man. Articles such as this one were acquired and published with the primary aim of expanding the information on Britannica.com with greater speed and efficiency than has traditionally been possible. [63] Despite this advice, the French attacked later the same afternoon; it is unclear from the contemporary sources whether this was a deliberate choice by Philip, or because too many of the French knights kept pressing forward and the battle commenced against his wishes. The numbers of mounted men-at-arms are given as either 12,000 or 20,000. Contemporary chroniclers all note it as being extremely large for the period. [103] (He intercepted some of the French survivors the day after the battle). Having temporarily shaken off the French pursuit, he used the respite to prepare a defensive position at Crécy-en-Ponthieu. Those few who managed to reach the English lines died in fierce fighting. The English army had landed in the Cotentin Peninsula on 12 July. It had burnt a path of destruction through some of the richest lands in France to within 2 miles (3 km) of Paris, sacking many towns on the way. A shifting battle, where both sides gained and lost momentum and the result could have gone either way. All contemporary sources agree that English casualties were very low. Caen, the cultural, political, religious and financial centre of north west Normandy, was stormed on 26 July and subsequently looted for five days. [82][83] The army had been in position since dawn, and so was rested[84] and well-fed, giving them an advantage over the French, who did not rest before the battle. [54] Modern historians suggest that half a million arrows could have been shot during the battle. By the end of the day on 18 June 1815, thousands of men lay dead, and when the smoke cleared, it was Napoleon Bonaparte looking out across the battlefield as victor. [63] Clifford Rogers estimates "the French host was at least twice as large as the [English], and perhaps as much as three times. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Crecy, How Stuff Works - History - Battle of Crecy. [69] Many of the men-at-arms in the French army were foreigners: many joined individually out of a spirit of adventure and the attractive rates of pay offered. Size of the armies at the Battle of Creçy: The English army numbered some 4,000 knights and men-at-arms, 7,000 Welsh and English archers and some 5,000 Welsh and Irish spearmen. The English archers de-strung their bows to avoid the strings becoming slackened; the Genoese with their crossbows did not need to take precautions, as their bowstrings were made of leather. [166] Sumption considers it "a political catastrophe for the French Crown". The far bank was defended by a force of 3,500 French. [49] They were mounted on entirely unarmoured horses and carried wooden lances, usually ash, tipped with iron and approximately 4 metres (13 ft) long. [39] The exact size and composition of the English force is not known. After landing with some 12,000 men, including 7,000 archers and taking Caen in Normandy, Edward III moved northwards. The number of the Genoese crossbowmen is variously given as two, "The Battle of Crécy: Context and Significance", "The Development of Battle Tactics in the Hundred Years War", "Inter-frontal Cooperation in the Fourteenth Century and Edward III's 1346 Campaign", "Numerical Analysis of English Bows used in Battle of Crécy", "The Longbow-Crossbow Shootout at Crécy (1346): Has the "Rate of Fire Commonplace" Been Overrated? [71], Since Philip came to the throne, French armies had included an increasing proportion of crossbowmen. [43] Up to a thousand men were convicted felons serving on the promise of a pardon at the end of the campaign. [171] The battle established the effectiveness of the longbow as a dominant weapon on the Western European battlefield. [82] Froissart writes that the French army suffered a total of 30,000 killed or captured. [62], These numbers are described by historians as exaggerated and unrealistic, on the basis of the extant war treasury records for 1340, six years before the battle. More than 5,000 French soldiers and civilians were killed; among the few prisoners was Raoul, Count of Eu, the Constable of France. After his surprise landing in Normandy Edward was devastating some of the richest land in France and flaunting his ability to march at will through France. The ships which were expected to be waiting off Crotoy were nowhere to be seen. The English then laid siege to the port of Calais. [110] The Italians were rapidly defeated and fled;[117] aware of their vulnerability without their pavises, they may have made only a token effort. [161], No reliable figures exist for losses among the common French soldiery, although they were also considered to have been heavy. [37] Edward received the news that he would not be reinforced by the Flemings shortly after crossing the Somme. English longbowmen and mounted men-at-arms waded into the tidal river and after a short, sharp fight routed the French. [167] A contemporary chronicler opined "By haste and disorganisation were the French destroyed. Alençon was among those killed. [29] The French army outside Paris consisted of some 8,000 men-at-arms, 6,000 crossbowmen, and many infantry levies. The ensuing hand-to-hand combat was described as "murderous, without pity, cruel, and very horrible". [110] The Genoese engaged the English longbowmen in an archery duel. Though it remained in use into the 17th century, the longbow was eclipsed by the arrival of firearms which required less training and permitted leaders to more quickly raise armies for battle. [70] They were professional soldiers and in battle were protected from missiles by pavises – very large shields with their own bearers, behind each of which three crossbowmen could shelter. [75] This was in an area which Edward had inherited from his mother and well known to several of the English; it has been suggested that the position had long been considered a suitable site for a battle. He based himself at Amiens and sent large detachments to hold every bridge and ford across the Somme between Amiens and the sea. Bands of French peasants attacked some of the smaller groups of foragers. [23][24] On 7 August, the English reached the Seine, 12 miles (19 km) south of Rouen, and turned south-east. At Crécy (August 26, 1346), despite serious disadvantages, the English forces won the first major battle...…, …by mercenary Genoese crossbowmen at Crécy on August 26, 1346, marked the end of massed cavalry charges...…, …pursued him, catching up near Crécy in Ponthieu and immediately giving battle. [89] To its left, the other battle was led by the Earl of Arundel,[90] with 800 men-at-arms and 1,200 archers. [113] The battle was reported to the English parliament on 13 September in glowing terms as a sign of divine favour and justification for the huge cost of the war to date. [152] No reliable figures exist for losses among them, although their casualties were also considered to have been heavy, and a large number were said to have been wounded with arrows. During this conflict, the weapon proved decisive at victories such as Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356), and Agincourt (1415). The English ranks were thinned, but those in the rear stepped forward to fill the gaps. [87] The King's son, Edward, Prince of Wales, aided by the earls of Northampton and Warwick (the 'constable' and 'marshal' of the army, respectively), commanded the vanguard[88] with 800 men-at-arms, 2,000 archers and 1,000 foot soldiers including Welsh spearmen. [55][56], The English army was also equipped with several types of gunpowder weapons, in unknown numbers: small guns firing lead balls; ribauldequins firing either metal arrows or grapeshot; and bombards, an early form of cannon firing metal balls 3.2–3.6 inches (80–90 mm) in diameter. [72] A trained crossbowman could shoot his weapon approximately twice a minute. [172] Modern historian Joseph Dahmus includes the Battle of Crécy in his Seven Decisive Battles of the Middle Ages. There he posted dismounted men-at-arms in the centre, with cavalry to their right (under his son Edward, the Black Prince) and to their left (under the earls of Arundel and of Northampton) and with archers on both wings. [155], The French casualties are considered to have been very high. [40][78] The position had a ready line of retreat in the event that the English were defeated or put under intolerable pressure. In any event, there is no record of any prisoners being taken until the next day, after the battle. Simon Adams is a historian and writer living and working in London. The Italians stayed in the van, while the mounted men-at-arms left their accompanying infantry and wagons behind. The next morning substantial French forces were still arriving on the battlefield, to be charged by the English men-at-arms, now mounted, routed and pursued for miles. The weapons they used are not recorded, but in similar battles they used their lances as pikes, cut them down to use as short spears, or fought with swords and battle axes. [4] In early 1345 Edward attempted another campaign in the north; his main army sailed on 29 June and anchored off Sluys in Flanders until 22 July, while Edward attended to diplomatic affairs. These articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected. [8], In March 1346 a French army numbering between 15,000 and 20,000,[9] "enormously superior" to any force the Anglo-Gascons could field, including all the military officers of the royal household,[10] and commanded by John, Duke of Normandy, the son and heir of Philip VI, marched on Gascony. Paris was in uproar, swollen with refugees, and preparations were made to defend the capital street by street. They came again. [18], The English landed at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Normandy, on 12 July 1346. Hearing that the Flemish had turned back, and having temporarily outdistanced the pursuing French, Edward had his army prepare a defensive position on a hillside near Crécy-en-Ponthieu. [165] According to Ayton "England's international reputation as a military power was established in an evening's hard fighting. The discharge of the English bombards added to the confusion, though contemporary accounts differ as to whether they inflicted significant casualties. These were disordered by their impromptu nature, by having to force their way through the fleeing crossbowmen, by the muddy ground, by having to charge uphill, and by the pits dug by the English. [109][136], Fresh forces of French cavalry moved into position at the foot of the hill and repeated Alençon's charge. Interested in participating in the Publishing Partner Program? The French charges continued late into the night, all with the same result: fierce fighting followed by a French repulse. [137] Famously, blind King John of Bohemia tied his horse's bridle to those of his attendants and galloped into the twilight; all were dragged from their horses and killed. 2005, ISBN 1-84383-115-5. After several setbacks they fell out among themselves, burnt their siege equipment and gave up their expedition on 24 August. English infantry moved forward to knife the French wounded, loot the bodies and recover arrows. Des Weiteren erzählt der Comic Crécy von Warren Ellis und Raulo Caceres die Geschichte von der Schlacht von Crécy aus der Sicht eines englischen Bogenschützen.