Hi I’m Kevin Hicks and welcome to my channel the History Squad and today in part four of
our series we're looking at the battle of Crecy now if you've seen part three of this series our
hundred years war series I mentioned about having some of the perry miniatures the little soldiers
sent over from the UK. Well they arrived they've taken an age to paint but we've now got them so
they will help us describe to you the battle of cressy so the army's moved on from Blanchetaque.
They've all been resupplied the army now is moving up to Poitou, this is the
ground the land of Edward III's grandmother he felt as if he belonged to the land
and he moves his army in to the forest of Crecy. He reconnoitres the ground, he looks over the
ground reconnaissance you see this King he was not just in my opinion a bit of a genius when
it comes to logistics he also had an incredibly powerful spy network his intelligence network
was far better than the French and yet he was in enemy territory he knew where the French were
they'd gone in a, a slightly different direction but he was counting that they would come for him
but he's got time now to have a good look around and choose the ground which he already knew
now the day before Crecy the 25th of August his army is in the forest of Crecy they've not moved
into position just yet, they're resting because they traveled over 300 miles in 30 odd days yeah.
An entire army with wagon trains roughly 10 miles a day, wow cooks, tailors, tent makers,
the ladies you name it in that wagon train so the battle of Crecy 1346. Wow the English are there
they're ready, it's first thing in the morning everybody gets up and the King is about them.
This is quite incredible because the ground itself it falls away quite sharply
in length down to where the French will come in it's about 2,000 yards and across the
battlefield is quite extensive well over 2,000 yards it's bracketed on one side on the right
of the English by the village of Crecy and then further over by the smaller village of Waddicourt.
But it's the topography the shape of the land apparently there were terraces where
the farmers farmed the ground but we we've got no trace of them but the closer you get up
there is a sudden rise as you get up towards the English the King knew this he surveyed it and then
the King himself on a simple poulfrey, on a simple pony if you like unarmored except for his sword,
places his troops himself. He forms his men at arms in the center two points.
Either side they are bracketed by bowman, these are formed in what's called the
hearse shape this means that they can enfilade or shoot across into the enemy
and support each other this is the beginning of a new kind of warfare which will be known as the
English way or the English system. The King has his reserves behind then there's the woods behind
but there's another thing to this battlefield not only have you got these terraces and
goodness knows what in the way, it's the way it's shaped because on the English left here,
the Valle de Klerks is so steep that horses will have difficulty almost impossible
for horses to charge up it. So the French will be drawn to the center here, to the center of the
Prince of Wales division which is ideal for Edward III because he has his artillery placed here
and if anything happens he can bring troops across. This is how the King laid his troop.
Now what we've done with the model is, is we've, we've just shown you one tiny part
of the battlefield out on the English right wing there and we'll describe this as, as we go through
but the King placed the troops and their sections himself, all morning he is doing this. Meanwhile
the French are nowhere to be seen. Obviously we have scouts out and he has somebody sat
at the top of the windmill to keep an eye out to see what they can see because on this ridge
was the famous windmill which gave the King an absolute panoramic view of the whole scene. Now
in the woods to behind the English you have the wagon train the leaguered up wagons,
the supply chain. Everything is gonna go perfect and then the bowmen are simply told lay down your
arms where you stand and then go and dig holes in front of your position. Thousands of holes of dug,
not great big pits these are just holes to trip the horses. This is savage isn't it yeah. The
holes are done everybody's ready everybody's in their position and uh the French aren't there so
the English, twiddling their thumbs, are going to be fed from the central kitchen.
They are ordered company by company leave their arms where they are go and collect their food
bring it back and then sit down in your place. This is incredible and then the King has his grand
review. It's in the middle of the day sometime where the army stands up ready and the King
himself reviews his entire army, that's fifteen thousand men, seven thousand bowmen right and then
collectively around about 15,000 men. He reviews the lot it's said to be the greatest,
most important review of an army in history. The reason being if he lost he could lose his Kingdom.
All afternoon the English army simply sit down all waiting for the trumpets to sound the arrival of
the French. That is if the French arrive. The King has gambled, if the French arrive it's his ground,
it's his choosing and the French arrive. But not until around four o'clock in the afternoon.
There'd already been a rainstorm and this this kind of shows you what, what the English
and the Welsh bowmen because they've got to be one or two there at least yeah.
They ran to their bows string them put the bow strings under their helmets yeah under their
hats keep them dry but coming towards the English of course are the Genoese crossbowmen they can't
take off their bow strings they'll be soaking wet and they are so tensioned that when you
actually draw them back they will stretch this will lessen the range. So around four o'clock the
French actually arrive on the battlefield their foremost the front of their army what's called
a vanguard is the Genoese crossbowman. As they pull onto the battlefield they wheel to their left
and there they face the Prince of Wales division they are not ready to form up and yet behind them
are heavily armored cavalry. The Genoese were the most disciplined force that the French had on the
battlefield, this is without a doubt. They could maneuver, they could move but they needed time to
sort themselves out for instance, way back in the French army all of the massive shields and
the men who carried them the paviseurs and the pavises were actually stored in wagons yeah. So
they needed to be brought forward. But instead Alencon the Duke of Alencon he actually pushes
he wants to get on and fight the English but it's so late in the afternoon the King has taken advice
um we should actually recognize the area we should perhaps wait until the morning. The English are
certainly waiting for the French to do that but no. Alencon goes against the French King's orders
the Genoese are pushed forward, their ranks are ragged because they're trying to get over this
terrain. They stop, they pause three times to order their ranks, they're professional soldiers
on the third stand all hell breaks loose. You see what these Genoese have been doing is they've been
shooting bolts up the hill to gauge the range. The English could also see where
those bolts were landing and they knew when the Genoese made their third stand
they could outrange them. The sky turned black. Those poor Genoese soldiers without
the protection of their shields their pavises, they didn't stand a chance.
Men span round with arrows through them, men fell to the ground screaming in absolute agony and then
cracks of thunder. Shoots of flame like dragon's breath. The King's secret weapon,
his cannons the first time they had actually been used in open battle as these iron balls
shot through the Genoese bowman the arrows reigning into them they were in agony they
began to fall back. But the French behind them believed them to be traitors cowards,
here develops a battle within the battle. Now I’ve read so many different accounts but what I’ve seen
in the in the words is this the French cavalry begin to ride down the Genoese believing them to
be cowards and traitors. The Genoese in turn, turn on some of the knights, shooting them at close
range. Eventually the horses break through the Genoese who filter off the battlefield. The charge
now led by Alencon gains momentum but they haven't reconoitered it, they don't know the terrain.
They're coming up the hill there are bowmen in their hearse on the left and right who are going
to shoot from each side, enfilading them with arrows, pouring the arrows into those poor horses
and then wallop, the horses encounter the holes. Horses legs snap, they actually catapult into the
air but still the knights ride into the English. They get as close as the Prince of Wales himself
where Alencon is killed. Legend says he managed to strike one blow but I doubt it.
Now the English men at arms with the Prince of Wales weighed in to the knights trapped on their
horses, sheer carnage, but already the ground is beginning to tremble with another charge coming
up the hill because they can't see just over the lip of the hill what's really going on,
and on they come. And now the bowmen still being resupplied, the wives hand the arrows to the kids
who run them into the bowmen. This is fantastic the way it actually works. Wave after wave of
horses are coming in and those horses have been riddled with arrows but the French really did
get to grips with our men at arms, the Prince of Wales division was pushed back slightly.
At one stage they wanted to reinforce the uh Prince of Wales division, this is a boy 16, 17
years of age who’s fighting for his life. The King was asked you know, can you send some knights?
Apparently he sent 20 but he said ‘let the boy earn his spurs’. Wow, the boy earned his spurs.
I reckon there was something like 1700 French knights and men at arms around the Prince of
Wales division at the end of the battle. But coming up the hill he's a brave old soldier
yeah John of Luxembourg King of Bohemia what a guy blind. Tether my horse to yours so I might
strike one last blow against the English or words to that effect and he charged up the hill
and he was killed. Now the French charged throughout the evening into darkness 15 times they
charged not knowing about the carnage on top of the hill King Philip of France he wanted to charge
but his bridle was pulled aside and he was led off the battlefield. Eventually the French army simply
melts away it has lost the day. Edward III meanwhile sends a reconnaissance force out,
where has the French army gone are they a threat? I think it was the Earl of Warwick
and Northampton they go down the battlefield to see what's happened to the French army
but coming the other way in the darkness are French reinforcements who believe the army
in front of them to be their allies or the French but they're not it’s the English, and the English
attacked them. It resulted in over 2,000 French dead the English they say lost two nights
up to 70 men at arms and bowmen the French we will never know the true losses of the French
because they did not count their common debt the numbers were around seven and a half thousand
noble French and men at arms a disaster for the French and an incredible victory
for Edward III, who in my book is one of the greatest Kings we English ever had.
So I hope you've enjoyed our little film about the battle of Crecy, if you have thumbs up.
If you're a subscriber already, hey thanks a million and keep those comments coming
because we're having a great deal of fun going through them brilliant thank you.
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some of these history forums because they are I will be honest with you great fun.
Now if you've missed any of the series you can catch up by pressing the playlist here
and there's also a link in the description. So thank you very much and bye for now.