by Peter Robbins, 14 September 2025
c.1477 by Master of Mary of Burgund
KING OF FRANCE: Think we King Harry strong,
And, princes, look you strongly arm to meet him.
The kindred of him hath been fleshed upon us,
And he is bred out of that bloody strain
That haunted us in our familiar paths.
Witness our too-much-memorable shame
When Cressy battle fatally was struck
And all our princes captived by the hand
Of that black name, Edward, Black Prince of
Wales (Henry V, Willam Shakespeare)
The Crecy Campaign & Battle – An Overview
The Battle of Crécy occurred during the early phase of the Hundred Years’ War, a dynastic conflict between England and France over claims to the French throne and control of territory. In 1346, King Edward III of England launched a major expedition to pressure the French crown, disrupt its economy, and assert his claim to sovereignty. Edward landed in Normandy with around 15,000–20,000 men—mostly English and Welsh longbowmen, men-at-arms, and light troops—with the aim of striking deep into northern France. His plan combined rapid movement, plundering raids (chevauchées), and psychological warfare to force King Philip VI of France into open battle.
Edward’s army landed near Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in July 1346 and swiftly overran large areas of Normandy, capturing and sacking towns such as Caen. This devastating chevauchée disrupted French communications and spread panic. Philip VI scrambled to raise a much larger royal army, calling on feudal levies and allies, while trying to cut off Edward’s route to Flanders and potential reinforcements. Edward avoided being trapped by maneuvering northeast, fording the Seine at Poissy after a tense pursuit, and headed toward the English-controlled port of Calais. The French shadowed his movements, hoping to corner him before he could resupply or retreat.
As Philip’s forces closed in, Edward’s army crossed the Somme near Abbeville under pressure from pursuing French cavalry. Finding himself with little room to maneuver, Edward selected a strong defensive position near the village of Crécy-en-Ponthieu on August 26, 1346. The chosen ground favored his smaller, disciplined force: a gently sloping hillside with good fields of fire for his archers and natural obstacles that would disrupt cavalry charges. Edward deliberately prepared to fight a defensive battle, arranging his men-at-arms in three divisions, flanked by large contingents of longbowmen deployed in a shallow arc.
Philip VI attacked without fully coordinating his forces. The vanguard, including the Genoese crossbowmen, advanced in poor order and under heavy rain, which rendered their bowstrings ineffective. Edward’s longbowmen, whose strings had been kept dry, unleashed devastating volleys that shattered the Genoese. Philip’s mounted knights then charged repeatedly uphill but were funneled into narrow fronts and cut down by arrow storms and disciplined counter-attacks. The Black Prince, Edward’s son, commanded one division and earned fame for holding firm under intense pressure. Over the course of the day, the French suffered catastrophic losses, including many high-ranking nobles, while English casualties were minimal.
Crécy was a watershed moment in medieval warfare. It demonstrated the tactical supremacy of disciplined infantry and longbow firepower over traditional heavy cavalry assaults. Edward’s victory allowed him to march north and lay siege to Calais, which fell in 1347, giving England a vital continental foothold for decades. Strategically, the campaign showed how rapid, destructive raids could destabilize France, force battle on English terms, and shift the balance of power. Politically, Crécy enhanced Edward’s prestige and weakened Philip VI’s authority, setting the stage for further English successes in the Hundred Years’ War.
The battle, as played through using WDS’ Age Of Longbow : Volume I, is below.
Note that many of the images are annotated with what’s happening in the battle.
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Battle Summary
I stood mostly still. I fired a crudload of arrows with our longbows. This in places funneled the enemy into pockets of three divisions of halberd wielding welshmen and the like. Boom, done. Minor Victory at least. Now, can I improve on this? I don’t know if I can honestly. It would likely mean taking an objective or two in addition which is highly unlikely without some heavy cav present, which we don’t have. Anyhow, it’s a rather static defense battle, but I knew that getting into it. Shows very readily why this disposition for the English worked very well for them at Crecy.
Resources Of Note
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Crecy 1346: A Tourists’ Guide |
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Crécy: Battle of Five Kings |
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Crécy 1346: Triumph of the longbow (Campaign, 71) |
Wargames Of Note
Board / Tabletop Wargames
- Renaissance of Infantry (SPI, 1970)
This is a tactical hex-&-counter board game covering medieval battles from about 1250 to 1550. Crécy is one of the featured battles. Wikipedia
- Yeoman (aka “Renaissance of Infantry” revised)
Yeoman includes scenarios for Crécy among its eighteen battles and uses a fairly simple turn structure (“I Go, You Go”) with missile fire, movement, and melee phases. Wikipedia
- Black Prince: Crecy & Navarette (Strategy & Tactics magazine #260)
This is a more detailed simulation, offering rules tailored to reflect differences in weapons, tactics, leadership etc. The game uses hexes (50 yards per hex), with specific counters for English, French, etc. It covers Crécy and also the Navarette battle of 1347. planetongames.com+1
- Legio Wargames – Medieval Scenarios
Legio offers downloadable PDF scenario sets for tabletop games, including a scenario for Crécy 1346, which can be used under various rulesets (e.g. Tree of Battles) or adapted to other miniature/tabletop rule systems.
Video Games / Other Digital Adaptations
- WDS – Age Of Longbow Volume I, which we recently reviewed and is used in the AAR above.
- Field Of Glory II: Medieval, Storm of Arrows DLC includes Crecy, and we will have an AAR from it soon.
- Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War
This is more of an action/strategy hybrid, not a strict simulation. It includes key battles of the Hundred Years War, such as Crécy, Poitiers, Orleans etc. It allows you to experience the period with some strategic choices.
- Field of Glory – Battle Pack
The video-game / PC wargame Field of Glory has a “battle pack” scenario that includes Crécy among its great battles. It lets players refight it under the visual and rule system of that engine. - Stronghold Mod / Custom Scenario: “Battle of Crecy 1346”
There is a custom downloadable scenario (“Battle of Crecy 1346”) for Stronghold (or a Stronghold-type environment) made by community modders which lays out the forces and lets players try to recreate the battle.
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