History
Hundred Years' War: Crécy to Agincourt
The Hundred Years' War's great English victories were fought at Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415), with the sieges of Calais and Harfleur in between. This route follows them across northern and western France.
From the longbowmen on the hillside at Crécy to the field at Azincourt, each stop shows how the campaigns unfolded. Exact battlefield positions are often uncertain, so most pins are approximate.
Timeline & locations
What do the location labels mean?
- Exact
- The pin marks the actual place where it happened or was filmed.
- Approximate
- The right area — a town, park or district — but not a precise spot.
On 26 August 1346 Edward III's army stood on a hillside near Crécy-en-Ponthieu, its left flank against Wadicourt and its right protected by Crécy itself and the River Maye. A force of French mercenary crossbowmen was routed by Welsh and English longbowmen. Crécy established the effectiveness of the longbow as a dominant weapon on the battlefield.
Location precision: The pin marks the village of Crécy-en-Ponthieu; the sources place the English line on a hillside nearby without a precise spot.
Visitor guidance: Crécy-en-Ponthieu is a village in the Somme; the battle took place on the hillside nearby.
Sources
- Battle of Crécy
- Locator:
- Background and Battle sections
- Battle of Crécy
After Crécy the English marched north and arrived outside Calais on 4 September 1346. The port was strongly fortified, under the experienced Jean de Vienne. Calais then stayed under English rule until 1558. Its leaders' surrender is remembered in Rodin's Burghers of Calais, which commemorates six men who were to have been executed by Edward III in 1347. The statue can be seen in the city today.
Visitor guidance: Rodin's Burghers of Calais stands in the city of Calais.
Sources
- Siege of Calais (1346–1347)
- Locator:
- Siege and Memorials sections
- Calais
- Locator:
- Monuments and memorials
- Siege of Calais (1346–1347)
On 19 September 1356 the Black Prince's army took a position about 5 miles south of Poitiers on a wooded hill in the Fôret de Nouaillé. There King John II of France was captured along with his 14-year-old son Philip. French soldiers who fled towards Poitiers found the gates shut: the citizens, fearing the Anglo-Gascons, had closed them and manned the walls.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap46.50893, 0.41450Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks Nouaillé-Maupertuis near the wooded hill; the exact field is not fixed here.
Sources
- Battle of Poitiers
- Locator:
- Prelude and Battle sections
- Battle of Poitiers
On 18 August 1415 Henry V's army besieged Harfleur. The siege marked the first time an English army made significant use of gunpowder artillery against a large town. The siege lasted until 22 September, and an outbreak of dysentery struck the English army during it. On Monday 8 October the army set out for Calais.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap49.50752, 0.20014Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The pin marks the town of Harfleur, not a specific part of the siege lines.
Sources
- Siege of Harfleur
- Locator:
- Investment and siege; Aftermath
- Siege of Harfleur
On 25 October 1415, Saint Crispin's Day, Henry V's army fought the French near Azincourt. Recently ploughed land hemmed in by dense woodland favoured the English. Around 6,000 French fighting men were killed. Historians do not know the precise battlefield, which may lie between the woods of Tramecourt and Azincourt. In the village, the Centre Azincourt 1415 museum is dedicated to the battle.
Not pinned on the mapVisitableLocation precision: The exact site of the battle is not known; sources place it near the village of Azincourt.
Visitor guidance: The Centre Azincourt 1415 museum in the village is dedicated to the battle.
Sources
- Battle of Agincourt
- Locator:
- Setting, Aftermath, Agincourt today
- Battle of Agincourt
