The Hundred Years War: The Battle Of Crecy

The English and French have a rich history of engaging in wars. The friction between the two countries began in earnest when William the Conqueror seized power in England and brought Normandy with him into the British Kingdom. The Hundred Years war, which interestingly did not actually last for a hundred years, but rather a hundred and sixteen years, marked the apex of fighting between the two countries. One notable battle in the war was the Battle of Crecy, which took place in 1346, a mere ten years into the start of the war. The battle proved a decisive victory for the English, marked notably by the English use of the longbow. Ultimately, as Froissart seems to exhibit in his recanting of the battle, the British victory can be traced back to superior strategy and preparation.
Jean Froissart describes the preparation taken by both the French Army and British Army prior to the important battle. Froissart enumerates the amount of soldiers, and various noblemen that King Edward III had collected to fight this battle. King Edward, according to
The British used it to such great effect that there were those, including Benjamin Franklin, who questioned as to why the British would abandon the crossbow for firearms even in the year 1776. (Esper 382) David Niccole says that a longbow could fire approximately fifteen times a minute, which was far superior to firearms at the time. (Niccole 18)Froissart enumerates as to how the British expertise with the longbow was frustrating the French armies, especially the French archers, and ultimately lawing waste to the French army. The British continued to slay the French armies, even the next day. That was due to the fringe French armies not having learned of the French defeat the day before. This continued the trend of poor communication and strategy on the behest of the French. The French organization was so poor that they managed to negate their superior strength in