France’s Knights Charged a Smaller English Army — Why Did They Lose at Crécy?

In 1346, France assembled the largest army in Europe — tens of thousands of armored knights, mercenary crossbowmen, and allied kings — and sent them charging uphill into a smaller English force. By nightfall, the flower of French nobility lay dead in the mud. This is the story of how the Battle of Crécy shattered the age of the mounted knight and changed warfare forever. #history #medieval #battle #hundredyearswar #crécy #longbow #warfare #england #france SOURCES: • Britannica — "Battle of Crécy" • World History Encyclopedia — "Battle of Crécy" by Mark Cartwright • WarHistory.org — "Battle of Crécy, August 26, 1346" • History.com — "Battle of Crécy" • Warfare History Network — "The Battle of Crécy: Death by Longbow" by Tim Miller • Wikipedia — "Battle of Crécy," "Crécy Campaign," "Hundred Years' War 1337–1360" • HistoryCrunch — "Battle of Crécy: A Detailed Summary" • Seven Swords — "Battle of Crécy 1346: Longbows, Knights and the Breaking of a French Army" • Compact Histories — "The Battle of Crécy" • Jean Froissart's Chronicles (primary source, 14th century) • EBSCO Research Starters — "Battle of Crécy" • History is Now Magazine — "The English Longbow: A Weapon that Changed the Course of History"