Battle of Crécy
Crécy-en-Ponthieu, Picardy, France
What happened
King Edward III of England and his son Edward, the Black Prince, fought King Philip VI of France, who was joined by the blind King John of Bohemia. Early in the Hundred Years' War, Edward III landed in Normandy and marched through northern France, then took up a strong position on a hillside near Crécy. English and Welsh longbowmen routed Philip's Genoese crossbowmen. The French knights then charged again and again, but the muddy ground, the uphill slope and the arrows disordered the charges, and the English won.
Why it matters
Result: English victory. Leaders: King Edward III / Edward the Black Prince against King Philip VI / Charles II, Count of Alençon. Why it matters: It was a great English victory that showed the power of the longbow against armoured knights.
What came next
Edward went on to besiege Calais, which fell to the English the following year. Calais stayed English for more than two centuries.
Did you know?
The English army had early gunpowder weapons at Crécy; several iron balls that fit early cannon have been found at the battlefield.
Timeline
- 1330 CEEdward, the Black Prince, is born.
- 1346 CEEdward III lands in Normandy and marches through northern France.
- 26 August 1346 CEThe English defeat the French at Crécy.
- 1347 CECalais falls to the English.