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Battle of Crecy Timeline

(26 August 1346)

The Battle of Crécy was a major English victory during the early phase of the Hundred Years' War. Fought on 26 August 1346 near Crécy-en-Ponthieu in northern France, King Edward III's army, heavily reliant on Welsh and English longbowmen, routed the much larger French force led by King Philip VI. The battle demonstrated the dominance of the longbow over armored knights and marked a turning point in medieval military tactics. Less

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Origins and Background

Norman Conquest establishes English claims in France

1066

Since the Norman Conquest of 1066, English monarchs had held titles and lands within France, the possession of which made them vassals of the kings of France.

Image source: Battle of Crécy

Norman Conquest establishes English claims in France

Philip's Great Council confiscates Edward's French lands

May 24, 1337

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.

Historical Analysis

War treasury records of 1340 cited against inflated numbers

1340

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.

Primary source published in Camden Series

1844

Camden Series XXVIII, 1844 — a published primary source volume relevant to the study of the Battle of Crécy.

Primary source published in London Rolls Series

1889

London: Rolls Series, 1889 — a published primary source relevant to the study of the Battle of Crécy.

Computer analysis shows bodkin arrows could penetrate plate armour

2017

A computer analysis in 2017 by Warsaw University of Technology demonstrated that heavy bodkin point arrows could penetrate typical plate armour of the time at 225 metres (738 ft).

Campaigns of the Hundred Years' War

Edward III attempts a northern campaign

1345

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.

Edward's main army anchors off Sluys

Jun 29, 1345 - Jul 22, 1345

In early 1345 Edward's main army sailed on 29 June and anchored off Sluys in Flanders until 22 July, while Edward attended to diplomatic affairs.

French army under Duke John marches on Gascony

Mar 1346

In March 1346 a French army numbering between 15,000 and 20,000, "enormously superior" to any force the Anglo-Gascons could field, including all the military officers of the royal household, and commanded by John, Duke of Normandy, the son and heir of Philip VI, marched on Gascony.

English army lands at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue

Jul 12, 1346

The English landed at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Normandy, on 12 July 1346.

Battle and Aftermath

Battle of Crécy fought in northern France

Aug 26, 1346

The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King Philip VI and an English army led by King Edward III.

French army crippled by defeat at Crécy

Aug 26, 1346

The battle crippled the French army's ability to relieve the siege; the town fell to the English the following year and remained under English rule for more than two centuries, until 1558.

Siege target falls to the English

1347

The battle crippled the French army's ability to relieve the siege; the town fell to the English the following year, in 1347.

English rule over the captured town lasts over two centuries

1347 - 1558

The town fell to the English in 1347 and remained under English rule for more than two centuries, until 1558.

Town returns to French control

1558

The town that had been held by the English since 1347 remained under English rule for more than two centuries, until 1558, when it finally left English hands.

Key Facts

  1. The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France during the early years of the Hundred Years' War.
  2. King Edward III of England commanded an army of roughly 8,000–14,000 men against a much larger French force under King Philip VI.
  3. English and Welsh longbowmen played the decisive role, raining arrows on French knights and crossbowmen, who suffered devastating losses.
  4. Heavy rain had muddied the battlefield and hindered the effectiveness of French Genoese crossbowmen, whose weapons were also slower to reload than the longbows.
  5. Edward III's sixteen-year-old son, Edward of Woodstock (the Black Prince), distinguished himself at Crécy, beginning his legendary military reputation.

Source

This Battle of Crecy timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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