Crecy: English Longbow Defeats French Knights
English longbowmen devastated the French army at Crecy on August 26, 1346, in one of the most decisive battles of the Hundred Years' War. Edward III positioned his archers on a hillside where they could fire downhill into the advancing French. Genoese crossbowmen employed by France fired first but were outranged; their weapons had a rate of two bolts per minute against the English longbow's ten to twelve arrows. When French cavalry charged, their horses were cut down in waves. The battle killed roughly 1,500 French knights and up to 10,000 soldiers. Edward's 16-year-old son, the Black Prince, earned his spurs commanding the right wing. Crecy proved that massed archery could destroy armored cavalry, changing European warfare forever.
August 26, 1346
680 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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