Battle of Créçy, August 26, 1346

We consider that Créçy was a great French skirmish that turned into a great victorious English battle during the Edwardian phase of the Hundred Years War. Along with the later battles of Poitiers and Agincourt, it was the first of three major English successes during the conflict. The battle was fought on August 26, 1346, near the city that gave it its name in northern France. The French army knew how to employ its cavalry in more effective ways, as demonstrated in the battle of Cassel (1328) against the Flemings, making better use of the terrain to overthrow the enemy infantry and destroy it from the rear. In Créçy the French, in their historical maneuver, met an English trap. Although the information of the prior recognition of the English strong position had not altered the count of Alençon's willingness to attack, King Philip in verifying his blatant failure could have halted this, let's call it, forceful recognition, and taken an offensive deployment for the attacks in the early hours of the next day. When a typical Byzantine (or Double Perpendicular with forward pressure combined with flank attacks) would then be employed.