January 27, 2019
How the Longbow Changed Warfare Forever
English King Edward III’s longbowmen shattered multiple charges by French King Philip VI’s mounted French knights at Crécy in 1346.
by Warfare History Network
At the age of 50, John of Bohemia was already old for a warrior and completely blind. He not only was the Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, but also claimant to the thrones of Poland and Hungary. On August 26, 1346, he found himself just south of Calais in northern France, fighting for the French against the English near the village of Crécy. Although unable to see what was occurring, he was able to hear the rout of the front line of Genoese crossbowman and the charge and repulse of the first wave of French cavalry.
He asked two of his barons how bad the situation was, and they told him that the French forces were being cut to pieces. “You are my men, my companions and friends in this journey,†he said. “I ask that you bring me forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword.†At the doubts of a few of them, John insisted that they join the fight. “Let us go forward and die with honor,†he said. Seeing no way to object further, the men are said to have “lowered their voices like lambs†and assented, according to an anonymous Roman chronicler. They then tied the bridles of their horses together to guide him.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-longbow-changed-warfare-forever-42537
