Battle of Crécy
1346 CE · France
The Battle of Crécy was fought in 1346 CE in France between Kingdom of England vs the Kingdom of France and allies; decisive English victory; the longbow proved its worth against mounted knights.
Battle of Crécy: quick facts
- Date
- 1346 CE
- Location
- France
- Belligerents
- Kingdom of England vs the Kingdom of France and allies
- Commanders
- Edward III and Edward the Black Prince vs Philip VI
- Result
- decisive English victory; the longbow proved its worth against mounted knights.
- Era
- 🏰 Medieval Europe
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Crécy?
Edward III's English army, anchored by devastating longbow fire, destroyed a much larger French force that charged uphill in disorganized waves. The French suffered catastrophic losses among their nobility, including the blind King John of Bohemia who rode into battle tied to his knights. Crécy demonstrated the dominance of the English longbow and heralded the decline of mounted knightly warfare.
Did you know?
The blind King John of Bohemia insisted on fighting at Crecy. He had his horse tied to two knights' horses so they could lead him into battle, where all three were killed together.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Crécy on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.