Battle of Crécy

Timeline

1. 1346Battlefield of Crécy · PicardyEdward III drew up about 12,000 English troops along a slope, placing longbowmen on both flanks and in the center, with caltrops and ditches deployed. Philip VI approached from Paris with a larger French and allied force, including many heavy cavalry and crossbowmen, intending to overwhelm the English by sheer numbers.
2. 1346Battlefield of Crécy · PicardyThe Genoese crossbowmen of the French army had limited range in the rain and were devastated by English longbow volleys. French knights then charged uphill in multiple waves, suffering heavy losses and disorder under dense arrow fire and field obstacles. The Black Prince Edward's right wing bore the main pressure but held firm, and King John of Bohemia was blinded in the melee and killed.
3. 1346Battlefield of Crécy · PicardyBy nightfall the French could no longer organize an effective attack, and Philip VI withdrew with the remnants. English casualties were far lighter than the enemy's, consolidating the strategic initiative gained since the Norman landing, and they immediately marched north, paving the way for the siege of Crécy. Crécy is thus regarded by later generations as a watershed in longbow tactics and the course of the Hundred Years' War.