Crécy and Its Aftermath

The Battle of Crécy on August 26, 1346, shattered French military confidence and demonstrated the obsolescence of traditional tactics. Edward III's army, though outnumbered, deployed in a defensive position with dismounted men-at-arms supported by longbowmen. The French attacks, disorganized and piecemeal, were destroyed by arrow storms that killed horses and penetrated armor. Philip VI himself barely escaped, while thousands of French nobles perished, including the blind King John of Bohemia, who charged to certain death rather than flee.

Crécy's impact transcended military defeat. The flower of French chivalry lay dead, victims of English commoners with bows. The social implications were profound: if peasant archers could destroy noble knights, what justified aristocratic privilege? The immediate political consequences included successful English siege of Calais, which would remain in English hands for two centuries, providing a permanent base for invasions.

The Black Death's arrival in 1348 compounded military disaster with demographic catastrophe. Perhaps one-third of France's population perished, disrupting economic life and royal administration. Social tensions exploded as survivors demanded higher wages while authorities attempted to maintain pre-plague conditions. The Jacquerie of 1358, though occurring under Philip's successor, reflected pressures building during his reign. Royal inability to provide either military security or protection from disease undermined monarchical prestige.

Philip VI's death in 1350 left a kingdom traumatized by defeat and disease. Yet the institutional structures created by the Capetians survived. Royal administration continued functioning despite crises. The principle of hereditary succession remained unchallenged within France, whatever English claims. The monarchy's survival through such disasters demonstrated remarkable institutional resilience that would be tested further under Philip's successors.