Crécy 1346—the arrow storm that shattered French chivalry—turned a hillside in Picardy into the birthplace of modern warfare.
A decade of dynastic tension ignites the Hundred Years’ War. Edward III lands in Normandy and unleashes a ruthless chevauchée—Caen burns, the countryside reels, and Philip VI is dragged into a battle on English terms. Near Crécy-en-Ponthieu, Edward chooses a ridge, dismounts his men-at-arms, and anchors his line with thousands of English longbowmen in lethal formation.
At dusk, haste and pride doom France. The Genoese vanguard advances without pavises, their bolts falling short—then the sky turns black as massed longbows scythe through men and horses. Wave after wave of armored knights crash uphill into bodkin hail. On the right, the Black Prince holds under brutal pressure, “winning his spurs” while nobles fall—among them John of Bohemia.
By night’s end, Philip VI is wounded and forced from the field; English losses are astonishingly light. The aftermath ripples outward: the siege of Calais secures a permanent English foothold, gunpowder pieces and disciplined missile fire overturn battlefield orthodoxy, and the prestige of heavy cavalry is broken. Crécy isn’t just a victory—it’s a turning point where skill and organization outrun bloodline and ritual.
[00:00:00 Prologue – Arrow Storm at Crécy]
[00:00:35 Seeds of War – Succession Crisis & Claims]
[00:02:01 Invasion & Chevauchée – Normandy Burns, Caen Falls]
[00:04:03 Choosing the Ridge – Longbow Deployment]
[00:06:07 The Genoese Advance – No Pavises, No Chance]
[00:07:25 Philip’s Fatal Order – Assault at Dusk]
[00:09:02 Black Cloud of Arrows – Vanguard Breaks]
[00:11:35 Cavalry in Chaos – The Black Prince Holds]
[00:13:31 Death of Nobles – John of Bohemia Falls]
[00:25:12 Legacy – Twilight of Chivalry]
Credit to : Warrior Epoch