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.