Bertrand de Broussillon, Arthur. La maison de Craon, 1050—1480:étude historique, accompagnée
du cartulaire de Craon. 2 vols. Paris: Picard, 1893.
Charles, Robert. Histoire de la Ferté-Bernard. Paris: Menu, 1876.
CRÉCY
. In July 1346, King Edward III opened a new phase of the Hundred Years’ War by
landing in Normandy with an army of 15,000 men. By the end of July, the English had
captured Caen and then marched to the east to secure other towns in Normandy. Finally,
on August 24, they were attacked by the French at Crécy-en-Ponthieu. The French force,
under the leadership of their king, Philip VI, numbered 40,000. Given the larger French
numbers, the English dismounted and took a defensive position on higher ground to await
an attack. The battle began in the late afternoon with a relatively ineffective exchange of
archery fire between the English longbowmen and the mercenary Genoese crossbowmen.
This lasted only a short time, but the French knights grew impatient. Recognizing their
superior numbers and anticipating a quick victory, they charged through their own
archers into the lines of dismounted English, commanded in part by Edward, the
“The Battle of Crécy,” Froissart’s
Chroniques. BN fr. 2643, fol. 165.
Courtesy of the Bibliothèque
Nationale, Paris.
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