Why am I passionate about this?
I decided to write this book because while there are many works on the Hundred Years War, they tend to dwell on the political and diplomatic, rather than the military aspects. I considered that this period marked a real revolution in military affairs, led by England. It was England that had the world’s only professional army since the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west in the 5th Century, that used technology (the longbow) as a force multiplier, and while moving on horseback did its fighting on foot. It was these three legs of the revolution that allowed tiny English armies to defeat far larger French feudal ones.
Gordon's book list on the Hundred Years' War
Why did Gordon love this book?
There are lots of books about Crecy, the first major land battle of the war, but here the authors examine and compare all the original sources.
Medieval historians were not necessarily interested in the things that modern historians are, so there are many gaps in the various accounts. Similarly, many academics, through no fault of their own, do not understand the mechanics of organising, deploying, and administering an army, or how it actually fought.
Here the authors do examine points such as what formation the English armies would have taken up, where exactly the archers would have been placed, and suchlike.
While I, with my own military experience, might not agree with all the Authors’ conclusions, they do an admirable job of comparing, contrasting, and shining light into dark corners.
1 author picked The Battle of Crécy, 1346 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
With additional contributions from Francoise Autrand, Christophe Piel, Michael Prestwich, and Bertrand Schnerb.
On the evening of 26 August 1346, the greatest military power in Christendom, the French royal army withPhilip VI at its head, was defeated by an expeditionary force from England under the command of Edward III. A momentous event that sent shock waves across Europe, the battle of Crecy marked a turning point in the English king's struggle with his Valois adversary. While the French suffered humiliation and crippling casualties, compounded by the consequential loss of Calais a year later, the self-confidence and military reputation of the…