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113-654: The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King Philip   VI and an English army led by King Edward III . The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France during the Hundred Years' War , resulting in an English victory and heavy loss of life among the French. The English army had landed in the Cotentin Peninsula on 12 July. It had burnt

226-573: A 'talibanised' Afghanistan is not in Pakistan's interests. According to Ejaz Haider, a Pakistani military journalist, there is a confusion in the media regarding the policy on using Afghan territory to as a fallback area for Pakistan military assets. Haider blames General Mirza Aslam Beg for proposing this when he was the chief of army staff of the Pakistan Army under Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto , stating that this concept "was unpopular even when he

339-500: A challenge on 14 August suggesting that the two armies do battle at a mutually agreed time and place in the area. Edward indicated that he would meet Philip to the south of the Seine, without actually committing himself. On 16 August the French moved into position; Edward promptly burnt down Poissy, destroyed the bridge there, and marched north. The French had carried out a scorched earth policy, carrying away all stores of food and so forcing

452-663: A deal regarding the counties in Champagne: she received vast lands in Normandy (adjacent to the fief in Évreux that her husband Philip III of Navarre owned) as compensation, and he kept Champagne as part of the French crown lands. Philip's reign was plagued with crises, although it began with a military success in Flanders at the Battle of Cassel (August 1328), where Philip's forces re-seated Louis I, Count of Flanders , who had been unseated by

565-653: A duke and three counts led entourages from non-French territories. Since Philip came to the throne, French armies had included an increasing proportion of crossbowmen. As there were few archers in France, they were usually recruited from abroad, typically Genoa; their foreign origin led to them frequently being labelled mercenaries. They were professional soldiers and in battle were protected from missiles by pavises  – very large shields with their own bearers, behind each of which three crossbowmen could shelter. A trained crossbowman could shoot his weapon approximately twice

678-662: A few German mercenaries, the foreigners constituting probably no more than 150 in number. The exact size and composition of the English force is not known. Contemporary estimates vary widely; for example Froissart 's third version of his Chronicles more than doubles his estimate in the first. Modern historians have estimated its size as from 7,000 to 15,000. Andrew Ayton suggests a figure of around 14,000: 2,500 men-at-arms, 5,000 longbowmen, 3,000 hobelars (light cavalry and mounted archers) and 3,500 spearmen. Clifford Rogers suggests 15,000: 2,500 men-at-arms, 7,000 longbowmen, 3,250 hobelars and 2,300 spearmen. Jonathan Sumption , going by

791-411: A hillside near Crécy-en-Ponthieu . Late on 26 August the French army, which greatly outnumbered the English, attacked. During a brief archery duel a large force of French mercenary crossbowmen was routed by Welsh and English longbowmen . The French then launched a series of cavalry charges by their mounted knights . These were disordered by their impromptu nature, by having to force their way through

904-461: A military power was established in an evening's hard fighting." Edward ended the campaign by laying siege to Calais , which fell after eleven months, the Battle of Crécy having crippled the French army's ability to relieve the town. This secured an English entrepôt into northern France which was held for two hundred years. The battle established the effectiveness of the longbow as a dominant weapon on

1017-418: A minute to a shorter effective range than a longbowman of about 200 metres (220 yd). Edward deployed his army in a carefully selected position, facing south east on a sloping hillside, broken by copses and terracing , at Crécy-en-Ponthieu. This was in an area which Edward had inherited from his mother and well known to several of the English; it has been suggested that the position had long been considered

1130-454: A path of destruction through some of the richest lands in France to within 2 miles (3 km) of Paris, sacking many towns on the way. The English then marched north, hoping to link up with an allied Flemish army which had invaded from Flanders . Hearing that the Flemish had turned back, and having temporarily outdistanced the pursuing French, Edward had his army prepare a defensive position on

1243-604: A policy that seeks to control Afghanistan , a policy often referred to by the media as "strategic depth", which is used as the reason for Pakistan's support of certain factions of the Taliban in Afghanistan. In the years 2014–2015, with Pakistan's domestic operation against militants in full swing, Pakistani military leaders said that they adhered to no such policy. The term "strategic depth" has been used in reference to Pakistan 's utilization and contact with Afghanistan following

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1356-723: A popular revolution . Philip's wife, the able Joan the Lame , gave the first of many demonstrations of her competence as regent in his absence. Philip initially enjoyed relatively amicable relations with Edward III, and they planned a crusade together in 1332, which was never executed. However, the status of the Duchy of Aquitaine remained a sore point, and tension increased. Philip provided refuge for David II of Scotland in 1334 and declared himself champion of his interests, which enraged Edward. By 1336, they were enemies, although not yet openly at war. Philip successfully prevented an arrangement between

1469-510: A short, sharp fight routed the French. The main French army had followed the English, and their scouts captured some stragglers and several wagons, but Edward had broken free of immediate pursuit. Such was the French confidence that Edward would not ford the Somme that the area beyond had not been denuded, allowing Edward's army to plunder it and resupply. Meanwhile, the Flemings, having been rebuffed by

1582-597: A suitable site for a battle. The left flank was anchored against Wadicourt , while the right was protected by Crécy itself and the River Maye beyond. This made it difficult for the French to outflank them. The position had a ready line of retreat in the event that the English were defeated or put under intolerable pressure. While waiting for the French to catch up with them, the English dug pits in front of their positions, intended to disorder attacking cavalry, and set up several primitive gunpowder weapons. Edward wished to provoke

1695-525: A token effort. Modern historians disagree as to how many casualties they suffered; some contemporary sources suggest they may have failed to get off any shots at all, while a recent specialist study of this duel concludes that they hastily shot perhaps two volleys, then withdrew before any real exchange with the English could develop. Italian casualties in this phase of the battle were probably light. The knights and nobles following in Alençon's division, hampered by

1808-461: A total of 30,000 killed or captured. The modern historian Alfred Burne estimates 10,000 infantry, as "a pure guess", for a total of 12,000 French dead. The result of the battle is described by Clifford Rogers as "a total victory for the English", and by Ayton as "unprecedented" and "a devastating military humiliation". Sumption considers it "a political catastrophe for the French Crown". The battle

1921-426: A waiting game, and he was forced to withdraw into Flanders and return to England to raise more money. In July 1340, Edward returned and mounted the siege of Tournai . By September 1340, Edward was in financial distress, hardly able to pay or feed his troops, and was open to dialogue. After being at Bouvines for a week, Philip was finally persuaded to send Joan of Valois, Countess of Hainaut , to discuss terms to end

2034-513: A whirlwind campaign through Gascony at the head of an Anglo-Gascon army. He heavily defeated two large French armies at the battles of Bergerac and Auberoche , captured more than 100 French towns and fortifications in Périgord and Agenais and gave the English possessions in Gascony strategic depth . In March 1346 a French army numbering between 15,000 and 20,000, "enormously superior" to any force

2147-479: A wounded Philip barely escaped capture. Fortune had turned against the French. The English seized and held the advantage. Normandy called off the siege of Aiguillon and retreated northward, while Sir Thomas Dagworth captured Charles of Blois in Brittany. The English army pulled back from Crécy to mount the siege of Calais ; the town held out stubbornly, but the English were determined, and they easily supplied across

2260-642: Is either military or non-military in nature. The military version would state that the Pakistan military wishes to use Afghan territory as a "strategic rallying point" where they can, in the event of a successful Indian attack, retreat to and re-group for a counter-attack. The non-military version would be based on the idea that Pakistan can improve relations with other Islamic countries and former Soviet states such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan , developing improved economic and cultural ties with them and thus making them into strong allies against India. The former chief of army staff General Ashfaq Kayani and previously

2373-457: Is no record of any prisoners being taken until the next day, after the battle. Fresh forces of French cavalry moved into position at the foot of the hill and repeated Alençon's charge. They had the same problems as Alençon's force, with the added disadvantage that the ground they were advancing over was littered with dead and wounded horses and men. Ayton and Preston write of "long mounds of fallen warhorses and men ... add[ing] significantly to

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2486-471: Is too few and that English deaths might have numbered around three hundred. To date, only two Englishmen killed at the battle have been identified; two English knights were also taken prisoner, although it is unclear at what stage in the battle this happened. The French casualties are considered to have been very high. According to a count made by the English heralds after the battle, the bodies of 1,542 French noble men-at-arms were found (perhaps not including

2599-720: Is very useful in times of war. The issue was the tradeoff between space and time as witnessed by Germany ’s failure to defeat the Soviet Union in 1942. In the face of a German invasion, the Soviet military retreated from occupied Poland in June 1941 to the outskirts of Moscow in December 1941, which allowed the Soviet Union to move its industrial base to the east of the Ural Mountains . Thus,

2712-607: The Avignon papacy and Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV , although in July 1337 Louis concluded an alliance with Edward III. The final breach with England came when Edward offered refuge to Robert III of Artois , formerly one of Philip's trusted advisers, after Robert committed forgery to try to obtain an inheritance. As relations between Philip and Edward worsened, Robert's standing in England strengthened. On 26 December 1336, Philip officially demanded

2825-545: The Earl of Arundel , with 800 men-at-arms and 1,200 archers. Behind them, the King commanded the reserve battle, with 700 men-at-arms and 2,000 archers. Each division was composed of men-at-arms in the centre, all on foot, with ranks of spearmen immediately behind them, and with longbowmen on each flank and in a skirmish line to their front. Many of the longbowmen were concealed in small woods, or by lying down in ripe wheat. The baggage train

2938-570: The English Channel . Philip led out a relieving army in July 1347, but unlike the Siege of Tournai , it was now Edward who had the upper hand. With the plunder of his Norman expedition and the reforms he had executed in his tax system, he could hold to his siege lines and await an attack that Philip dared not deliver. It was Philip who marched away in August, and the city capitulated shortly thereafter. After

3051-504: The Normans were ill-prepared for war, and many of the fighting men were at Aiguillon. Edward sacked and burned the country as he went, taking Caen and advancing as far as Poissy and then retreating before the army Philip had hastily assembled at Paris. Slipping across the Somme , Edward drew up to give battle at Crécy . Close behind him, Philip had planned to halt for the night and reconnoitre

3164-506: The War of Saint-Sardos ) and took Angoulême , while the forces in Brittany under Sir Thomas Dagworth also made gains. The French responded in the spring of 1346 with a massive counterattack against Aquitaine , where an army under John, Duke of Normandy , besieged Derby at Aiguillon . On the advice of Godfrey Harcourt (like Robert III of Artois , a banished French nobleman), Edward sailed for Normandy instead of Aquitaine. As Harcourt predicted,

3277-572: The War of the Breton Succession allowed the English to place permanent garrisons in Brittany . However, Philip was still in a commanding position: during negotiations arbitrated by the pope in 1343, he refused Edward's offer to end the war in exchange for the Duchy of Aquitaine in full sovereignty. The next attack came in 1345, when the Earl of Derby overran the Agenais (lost twenty years before in

3390-403: The chivalric ideals held by knights of the time, since nobles would have preferred to die in battle, rather than dishonourably flee the field, especially in view of their fellow knights. No reliable figures exist for losses among the common French soldiery, although they were also considered to have been heavy. Jean Le Bel estimated 15,000–16,000. Froissart writes that the French army suffered

3503-427: The crown of France , the crown of Navarre was not subject to Salic law. Philip VI was neither an heir nor a descendant of Joan I of Navarre , whose inheritance (the kingdom of Navarre , as well as the counties of Champagne , Troyes , Meaux , and Brie ) had been in personal union with the crown of France for almost fifty years and had long been administered by the same royal machinery established by King Philip IV,

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3616-459: The 31st. On 7   August, the English reached the Seine, 12 miles (19 km) south of Rouen, and turned south-east. By 12 August, Edward's army was encamped at Poissy , 20 miles (30 km) from Paris, having left a 20-mile-wide swathe of destruction down the left bank of the Seine, burning villages to within 2 miles (3 km) of Paris. Philip's army marched parallel to the English on the other bank, and in turn encamped north of Paris, where it

3729-609: The Anglo-Gascons could field, including all the military officers of the royal household, and commanded by John, Duke of Normandy , the son and heir of Philip   VI, marched on Gascony. They besieged the strategically and logistically important town of Aiguillon . On 2   April the arrière-ban , the formal call to arms for all able-bodied males, was announced for the south of France. French financial, logistical and manpower efforts were focused on this offensive. Derby, now Lancaster, sent an urgent appeal for help to Edward. Edward

3842-632: The Catholic (French: le Catholique ) and of Valois ( de Valois ) was the first king of France from the House of Valois , reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign was dominated by the consequences of a succession dispute . When King Charles IV of France died in 1328, his nearest male relative was his sororal nephew, King Edward III of England , but the French nobility preferred Charles's paternal cousin, Philip. At first, Edward seemed to accept Philip's succession, but he pressed his claim to

3955-410: The English and Welsh archers was unique to them; it took up to ten years to master and could discharge up to ten arrows per minute well over 300 metres (980 ft). A computer analysis in 2017 demonstrated that heavy bodkin point arrows could penetrate typical plate armour of the time at 225 metres (738 ft). The depth of penetration would be slight at that range; predicted penetration increased as

4068-568: The English longbowmen in an archery duel. The longbowmen outranged their opponents and had a rate of fire more than three times greater. The crossbowmen were also without their protective pavises, which were still with the French baggage, as were their reserve supplies of ammunition. The mud also impeded their ability to reload, which required them to press the stirrups of their weapons into the ground, and thus slowed their rate of fire. The Italians were rapidly defeated and fled; aware of their vulnerability without their pavises, they may have made only

4181-402: The English position before giving battle the next day. However, his troops were disorderly, and the roads were jammed by the rear of the army coming up and the local peasantry, which furiously called for vengeance on the English. Finding them hopeless to control, he ordered a general attack as evening fell. Thus began the Battle of Crécy . When it was done, the French army had been annihilated and

4294-475: The English position, a council of war was held where the senior French officials, who were completely confident of victory, advised an attack, but not until the next day. The army was tired from a 12-mile march, and needed to reorganise so as to be able to attack in strength. It was also known that the Count of Savoy , with more than 500 men-at-arms, was marching to join the French and was nearby. (He intercepted some of

4407-537: The English to spread out over a wide area to forage, which greatly slowed them. Bands of French peasants attacked some of the smaller groups of foragers. Philip reached the River Somme a day's march ahead of Edward. He based himself at Amiens and sent large detachments to hold every bridge and ford across the Somme between Amiens and the sea. The English were now trapped in an area which had been stripped of food. The French moved out of Amiens and advanced westwards, towards

4520-407: The English. They were mounted on entirely unarmoured horses and carried wooden lances, usually ash, tipped with iron and approximately 4 metres (13 ft) long. Many of the men-at-arms in the French army were foreigners: many joined individually out of a spirit of adventure and the attractive rates of pay offered. Others were in contingents contributed by Philip's allies: three kings, a prince-bishop,

4633-406: The English. They were now willing to give battle, knowing they would have the advantage of standing on the defensive while the English were forced to try to fight their way past them. Edward was determined to break the French blockade of the Somme and probed at several points, vainly attacking Hangest and Pont-Remy before moving west along the river. English supplies were running out and the army

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4746-455: The French army melting away from the battlefield. The English slept where they had fought. The next morning substantial French forces were still arriving on the battlefield, to be charged by the English men-at-arms, now mounted, routed and pursued for miles. Their losses alone were reported as several thousand, including the Duke of Lorraine. Meanwhile, a few wounded or stunned Frenchmen were pulled from

4859-417: The French at Estaires , besieged Béthune on 14 August. After several setbacks they fell out among themselves, burnt their siege equipment and gave up their expedition on 24 August. Edward received the news that he would not be reinforced by the Flemings shortly after crossing the Somme. The ships which were expected to be waiting off Crotoy were nowhere to be seen. Edward decided to engage Philip's army with

4972-460: The French barons and prelates and the University of Paris decided that males who derive their right to inheritance through their mother should be excluded according to Salic law . As Philip was the eldest grandson of King Philip III of France , through the male line, he became regent instead of Edward, who was a matrilineal grandson of King Philip IV and great-grandson of King Philip III. During

5085-404: The French into a mounted charge uphill against his solid infantry formations of dismounted men-at-arms, backed by Welsh spearmen and flanked by archers. The army had been in position since dawn, and so was rested and well-fed, giving them an advantage over the French, who did not rest before the battle. Having decisively defeated a large French detachment two days before, the English troops' morale

5198-755: The French largely had the upper hand. With his sea power established, Philip gave orders in 1339 to begin assembling a fleet off the Zeeland coast at Sluys . In June 1340, however, in the bitterly fought Battle of Sluys , the English attacked the port and captured or destroyed the ships there, ending the threat of an invasion. On land, Edward III largely concentrated upon Flanders and the Low Countries , where he had gained allies through diplomacy and bribery. A raid in 1339 (the first chevauchée ) into Picardy ended ignominiously when Philip wisely refused to give battle. Edward's slender finances would not permit him to play

5311-528: The French made significant inroads in attritional warfare. In early 1345 Edward attempted another campaign in the north; his main army sailed on 29 June and anchored off Sluys in Flanders until 22 July, while Edward attended to diplomatic affairs. When it sailed, probably intending to land in Normandy , it was scattered by a storm. There were further delays and it proved impossible to take any action with this force before winter. Meanwhile, Henry, Earl of Derby , led

5424-489: The French survivors the day after the battle). Despite this advice, the French attacked later the same afternoon; it is unclear from the contemporary sources whether this was a deliberate choice by Philip, or because too many of the French knights kept pressing forward and the battle commenced against his wishes. Philip's plan was to use the long-range missiles of his crossbowmen to soften up the English infantry and disorder, and possibly dishearten, their formations, so as to allow

5537-580: The Western European battlefield. Since the Norman Conquest of 1066, English monarchs had held titles and lands within France, the possession of which made them vassals of the kings of France. Following a series of disagreements between Philip VI of France ( r.  1328–1350 ) and Edward III of England ( r.  1327–1377 ), on 24 May 1337 Philip's Great Council in Paris agreed that

5650-559: The Western European battlefield. English and Welsh archers served as mercenaries in Italy in significant numbers, and some as far afield as Hungary. Modern historian Joseph Dahmus includes the Battle of Crécy in his Seven Decisive Battles of the Middle Ages . Philip VI of France Philip VI (French: Philippe ; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (French: le Fortuné ) or

5763-416: The accompanying mounted men-at-arms to break into their ranks and rout them. Modern historians have generally considered this to have been a practical approach, and one with proven success against other armies. The French army moved forward late in the afternoon, unfurling their sacred battle banner, the oriflamme , indicating that no prisoners would be taken. As they advanced, a sudden rainstorm broke over

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5876-787: The battle wore on the rate would slow. Regular resupply of ammunition would be required from the wagons to the rear; the archers would also venture forward during pauses in the fighting to retrieve arrows. Modern historians suggest that half a million arrows could have been shot during the battle. The English army was also equipped with several types of gunpowder weapons, in unknown numbers: small guns firing lead balls; ribauldequins firing either metal arrows or grapeshot ; and bombards , an early form of cannon firing metal balls 80–90 millimetres ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 4 – 3 + 5 ⁄ 8  in) in diameter. Contemporary accounts and modern historians differ as to what types of these weapons and how many were present at Crécy, but several iron balls compatible with

5989-678: The bombard ammunition have since been retrieved from the site of the battle. The exact size of the French army is even less certain, as the financial records from the Crécy campaign are lost, although there is consensus that it was substantially larger than the English. Contemporary chroniclers all note it as being extremely large for the period. The two who provide totals estimate its size as 72,000 or 120,000. The numbers of mounted men-at-arms are given as either 12,000 or 20,000. An Italian chronicler claimed 100,000 knights (men-at-arms), 12,000 infantry and 5,000 crossbowmen . Contemporary chroniclers estimated

6102-416: The carrying capacity of its original transport fleet, believes the force was around 7,000 to 10,000. Up to a thousand men were convicted felons serving on the promise of a pardon at the end of the campaign. Many of the English, including many of the felons, were veterans; perhaps as many as half. The men-at-arms of both armies wore a quilted gambeson under mail armour which covered the body and limbs. This

6215-458: The column. The Italians stayed in the van, while the mounted men-at-arms left their accompanying infantry and wagons behind. Discipline was lost; the French were hampered by the absence of their Constable, who was normally responsible for marshalling and leading their army, but who had been captured at Caen. Once it halted, men, especially infantry, were continually joining Philip's battle as they marched north west from Abbeville. After reconnoitring

6328-404: The confusion, though contemporary accounts differ as to whether they inflicted significant casualties. Alençon's battle (division of the army) then launched a cavalry charge . This was disordered by its impromptu nature, by having to force its way through the fleeing Italians, by the muddy ground, by having to charge uphill, and by the pits dug by the English. The attack was further broken up by

6441-466: The core of the French army, supported by two to six thousand mercenary crossbowmen recruited by and hired from the major trading city of Genoa , and a "large, though indeterminate, number of common infantry". How many common infantrymen, militia and levies of variable levels of equipment and training, were present is not known with any certainty, except that on their own they outnumbered the English army. The French men-at-arms were equipped similarly to

6554-505: The country had from 1948 to 1967) as the " Auschwitz borders" because of the perceived danger of annihilation by regional foes. Since 1967, Israel has occupied the West Bank , somewhat widening the area under the military's effective control. To compensate for the lack of strategic depth, Israel approaches all wars as "must-win." This puts a great importance on deterrence (partially by threat of nuclear weapons ), superior firepower , and

6667-519: The country. In 1349, Philip bought the Province of Dauphiné from its ruined ruler, the Dauphin Humbert II , and entrusted the government of this province to his grandson, Prince Charles . Philip VI died in 1350 and was succeeded by his son John II . Little is recorded about Philip's childhood and youth, in large part because he was of minor royal birth. Philip's father Charles, Count of Valois ,

6780-405: The crossbowmen present as between 2,000 and 20,000. These numbers are described by historians as exaggerated and unrealistic, on the basis of the extant war treasury records for 1340, six years before the battle. Clifford Rogers estimates "the French host was at least twice as large as the [English], and perhaps as much as three times." According to modern estimates, 8,000 mounted men-at-arms formed

6893-615: The defeat at Crécy and loss of Calais, the Estates of France refused to raise money for Philip, halting his plans to counter-attack by invading England. In 1348 the Black Death struck France and in the next few years killed one-third of the population, including Queen Joan. The resulting labour shortage caused inflation to soar, and the king attempted to fix prices , further destabilising the country. His second marriage to his son's betrothed Blanche of Navarre alienated his son and many nobles from

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7006-598: The defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan. He argues that the notion of Pakistan using Afghan territory for its own purposes is a "distortion of a concept or of history" and is being used to vilify Pakistan. Israel is a narrow country, and its internationally recognized borders leave it just 85 miles (137 km) across at its widest point and 9 miles (14 km) at its narrowest (between Tulkarm and Tel Aviv ). A number of Israeli leaders (originally Abba Eban ) have referred to Israel's internationally recognized borders (those

7119-514: The difficulties facing fresh formations ... as they sought to approach the English position." Nevertheless, they charged home, albeit in such a disordered state that they were again unable to break into the English formation. A prolonged mêlée resulted, with a report that at one point the Prince of Wales was beaten to his knees. One account has the Prince's standard-bearer standing on his banner to prevent its capture. A modern historian has described

7232-483: The director-general of the ISI , has repeatedly stated to the media that the Pakistan armed force's "strategic depth" policy with regards to Afghanistan is not to "control" Afghanistan but to ensure a "peaceful, friendly and stable" relationship with Afghanistan. This policy therefore aims to ensure that Pakistan will not be threatened with long-term security problems on its Western border with Afghanistan. According to Kayani,

7345-479: The extradition of Robert to France. On 24 May 1337, Philip declared that Edward had forfeited Aquitaine for disobedience and for sheltering the "king's mortal enemy", Robert of Artois. Thus began the Hundred Years' War , complicated by Edward's renewed claim to the throne of France in retaliation for the forfeiture of Aquitaine. Philip entered the Hundred Years' War in a position of comparative strength. France

7458-502: The father of French bureaucracy. These counties were closely entrenched in the economic and administrative entity of the crown lands of France , being located adjacent to Île-de-France . Philip, however, was not entitled to that inheritance; the rightful heiress was the surviving daughter of his cousin King Louis X , the future Joan II of Navarre, the heir general of Joan I of Navarre. Navarre thus passed to Joan II, with whom Philip struck

7571-474: The field. The English archers de-strung their bows to avoid the strings becoming slackened. A contemporary account, followed by some modern historians, has the rain weakening the Genoese crossbows' strings, reducing their power and range; other modern historians state that their bowstrings were protected by leather coverings and so the Genoese were as unaffected by the storm as the English archers. The Genoese engaged

7684-417: The fighting as "horrific carnage". Edward sent forward a detachment from his reserve battle to rescue the situation. The French were again repulsed. They came again. The English ranks were thinned, but those in the rear stepped forward to fill the gaps. How many times the French charged is disputed, but they continued late into the night, with the dusk and then dark disorganising the French yet further. All had

7797-506: The fleeing crossbowmen, by the muddy ground, by having to charge uphill, and by the pits dug by the English. The attacks were further broken up by the effective fire from the English archers , which caused heavy casualties. By the time the French charges reached the English men-at-arms , who had dismounted for the battle, they had lost much of their impetus. The ensuing hand-to-hand combat was described as "murderous, without pity, cruel, and very horrible." The French charges continued late into

7910-475: The following children: After Joan died in 1349, Philip married Blanche of Navarre , daughter of Queen Joan II of Navarre and Philip III of Navarre , on 11 January 1350. They had one daughter: By an unknown women he had: By his mistress, Beatrice de la Berruère, he had another son: Philip is a character in Les Rois maudits ( The Accursed Kings ), a series of French historical novels by Maurice Druon . He

8023-405: The force he had. Having temporarily shaken off the French pursuit, he used the respite to prepare a defensive position at Crécy-en-Ponthieu . The French returned to Abbeville, crossed the Somme at the bridge there, and doggedly set off after the English again. The English army comprised almost exclusively English and Welsh soldiers, along with a handful of Normans disaffected with Philip VI and

8136-416: The heaps of dead men and dying horses and taken prisoner. The losses in the battle were highly asymmetrical. All contemporary sources agree that English casualties were very low. It was reported that English deaths comprised three or four men-at-arms and a small number of the rank and file, for a total of forty according to a roll-call after the battle. It has been suggested by some modern historians that this

8249-578: The heavy and effective shooting from the English archers, which caused many casualties. It is likely the archers preserved their ammunition until they had a reasonable chance of penetrating the French armour, which would be at a range of about 80 metres (260 ft). The armoured French riders had some protection, but their horses were completely unarmoured and were killed or wounded in large numbers. Disabled horses fell, spilling or trapping their riders and causing following ranks to swerve to avoid them and fall into even further disorder. Wounded horses fled across

8362-428: The hillside in panic. By the time the tight formation of English men-at-arms and spearmen received the French charge it had lost much of its impetus. A contemporary described the hand-to-hand combat which ensued as "murderous, without pity, cruel, and very horrible." Men-at-arms who lost their footing, or who were thrown from wounded horses, were trampled underfoot, crushed by falling horses and bodies and suffocated in

8475-453: The hundreds who died in the clash of the following day). More than 2,200 heraldic coats were reportedly taken from the field of battle as war booty by the English. No such count was made of the lower-born foot soldiers, as their equipment was not worth looting. No reliable figures exist for losses among them, although their casualties were also considered to have been heavy, and a large number were said to have been wounded with arrows. The dead on

8588-563: The industries that had been moved were able to produce the resources that were needed for the Soviet counterattack. In Pakistan, the idea of strategic depth was perceived in 1980s by the National Defence University, Pakistan , professor General Mirza Aslam Beg (later Chief of Army Staff working under Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1980s). Since then, the Pakistan military establishment has been repeatedly accused of forming

8701-594: The king. Philip's last major achievement was the acquisition of the Dauphiné and the territory of Montpellier in the Languedoc in 1349. At his death in 1350, France was very much a divided country filled with social unrest. Philip VI died at Coulombes Abbey, Eure-et-Loir , on 22 August 1350 and is interred with his first wife, Joan of Burgundy, in Saint Denis Basilica , though his viscera were buried separately at

8814-432: The lands held by Edward in France should be taken back into Philip's hands on the grounds that Edward was in breach of his obligations as a vassal. This marked the start of the Hundred Years' War , which was to last 116 years. There followed eight years of intermittent but expensive and inconclusive warfare: Edward campaigned three times in northern France to no effect; Gascony was left almost entirely to its own devices and

8927-544: The media regarding Pakistan intending to use Afghan territory as "strategic depth". He also denies accusations that the Pakistan military has tried to "install a friendly government in Kabul" in order to "secure this depth". He gives the Soviet Union as an example, stating that "after the Saur Revolution , the Soviets executed an installed president every three months in pursuit of that objective" and these policies later resulted in

9040-450: The mud. After the battle, many French bodies were recovered with no marks on them. Alençon was among those killed. The French attack was beaten off. English infantry moved forward to knife the French wounded, loot the bodies and recover arrows. Some sources say Edward had given orders that, contrary to custom, no prisoners be taken; outnumbered as he was he did not want to lose fighting men to escorting and guarding captives. In any event, there

9153-533: The neighboring country's Soviet intervention , to prevent encirclement from a hostile India and a USSR -supported Afghanistan. Some sources state that the policy to control Afghanistan was formulated by NDU professor, General Mirza Aslam Beg , and an Indian source claims this was continued as an active policy by the Pakistan Armed Forces until the policy was "de jure abolished in 1998 and de facto abolished in 2001", period when General Pervez Musharraf

9266-405: The night, all with the same result: fierce fighting followed by a French retreat. The English then laid siege to the port of Calais . The battle crippled the French army's ability to relieve the siege; the town fell to the English the following year and remained under English rule for more than two centuries, until 1558 . Crécy established the effectiveness of the longbow as a dominant weapon on

9379-558: The north bank of the mouth of the River Somme . The English marched out towards the River Seine on 1   August. The French military position was difficult. Their main army, commanded by John, Duke of Normandy, the son and heir of Philip   VI, was committed to the intractable siege of Aiguillon in the south west. After his surprise landing in Normandy, Edward was devastating some of

9492-408: The now demolished church of Couvent des Jacobins in Paris. He was succeeded by his first son by Joan of Burgundy, who became John II . Philip married twice. In July 1313, he married Joan the Lame (French: Jeanne ), daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy , and Agnes of France , the youngest daughter of King Louis IX of France . She was thus Philip's first cousin once removed. The couple had

9605-498: The period in which Charles IV's widow was waiting to deliver her child, Philip VI rose to the regency with support of the French magnates, following the pattern set up by his cousin King Philip V who succeeded the throne over his niece Joan II of Navarre . He formally held the regency from 9 February 1328 until 1 April, when Jeanne of Évreux gave birth to a daughter named Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans . Upon this birth, Philip

9718-583: The populace. Caen , the cultural, political, religious and financial centre of north-west Normandy, was stormed on 26 July and subsequently looted for five days. More than 5,000 French soldiers and civilians were killed; among the few prisoners was Raoul, Count of Eu , the Constable of France . On 29 July Edward sent his fleet back to England, laden with loot, with a letter ordering that reinforcements, supplies and money be collected, embarked and loaded respectively, and sent to rendezvous with his army at Crotoy , on

9831-472: The possibility of an English landing in northern France, relied on their powerful navy. This reliance was misplaced, and the French were unable to prevent Edward successfully crossing the Channel . The English landed at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue , Normandy , on 12 July 1346. They achieved complete strategic surprise and marched south. Edward's soldiers razed every town in their path and looted whatever they could from

9944-406: The range closed or against armour of less than the best quality available at the time. Contemporary sources speak of arrows frequently piercing armour. Archers carried one quiver of 24 arrows as standard. During the morning of the battle, they were each issued two more quivers, for a total of 72 arrows per man. This was sufficient for perhaps fifteen minutes' shooting at the maximum rate, although as

10057-425: The richest land in France and flaunting his ability to march at will through France. On 2   August, a small English force supported by many Flemings invaded France from Flanders; French defences there were completely inadequate. The treasury was all but empty. On 29 July, Philip proclaimed the arrière-ban for northern France, ordering every able-bodied male to assemble at Rouen , where Philip himself arrived on

10170-419: The routed mercenaries, hacked at them as they retreated. By most contemporary accounts the crossbowmen were considered cowards at best and more likely traitors, and many of them were killed by the French. The clash of the retreating Genoese and the advancing French cavalry threw the leading battle into disarray. The longbowmen continued to shoot into the massed troops. The discharge of the English bombards added to

10283-702: The same result: fierce fighting followed by a French retreat. In one attack the Count of Blois dismounted his men and had them advance on foot; the Count's body was found on the field. The French nobility stubbornly refused to yield. There was no lack of courage on either side. Famously, blind King John of Bohemia tied his horse's bridle to those of his attendants and galloped into the twilight; all were dragged from their horses and killed. There are accounts of entire English battles advancing on occasion to clear away broken French charges milling in front of them, then withdrawing in good order to their original positions. Philip himself

10396-425: The second day of battle alone were said to have been exceptionally numerous, with estimates varying from 2,000 to, according to Edward   III himself, 4,000. A disproportionate number of magnates featured among the slain on the French side, including one king ( John of Bohemia ), nine princes, ten counts , a duke , an archbishop and a bishop . According to Ayton, these heavy losses can also be attributed to

10509-418: The siege. On 23 September 1340, a nine-month truce was reached. So far, the war had gone quite well for Philip and the French. While often stereotyped as chivalry-besotted and incompetent, Philip and his men had in fact carried out a successful Fabian strategy against the debt-plagued Edward and resisted the chivalric blandishments of single combat or a combat of two hundred knights that he offered. In 1341,

10622-467: The subsequent offensive to culminate short of its goal and far from its source of power. Commanders must be able to plan for both eventualities, and have measures and resources in place on both tactical and strategic levels to counter any and all stages of a minor or major enemy attack. The measures do not need to be limited to purely-military assets since the ability to reinforce civilian infrastructure or make it flexible enough to withstand or evade assault

10735-420: The throne of France after a series of disagreements with Philip. The result was the beginning of the Hundred Years' War in 1337. After initial successes at sea, Philip's navy was annihilated at the Battle of Sluys in 1340, ensuring that the war would occur on the continent. The English took another decisive advantage at the Battle of Crécy (1346), while the Black Death struck France, further destabilising

10848-404: The throne of France. The other was King Edward III of England , who was the son of Charles's sister Isabella of France , and Charles IV's closest male relative . The Estates General had decided 12 years earlier that women could not inherit the throne of France. The question arose as to whether Isabella should have been able to transmit a claim that she herself did not possess. The assemblies of

10961-507: The use of pre-emptive war to prevent threats from encroaching on Israeli territory. Yitzhak Rabin said about the Six-Day War (considered a classic example of pre-emption): The basic philosophy of Israel was not to initiate war, unless an active war was carried out against us. We then lived within the lines prior to the Six-Day War, lines that gave no depth to Israel—and therefore, Israel

11074-470: The younger brother of King Philip IV of France , had striven throughout his life to gain the throne for himself but was never successful. He died in 1325, leaving his eldest son Philip as heir to the counties of Anjou , Maine , and Valois . In 1328, Philip VI's first cousin King Charles IV died without a son, leaving his widow Jeanne of Évreux pregnant. Philip was one of the two chief claimants to

11187-402: Was a large battle of mounted men-at-arms led by Count Charles of Alençon , Philip's brother, accompanied by the blind King John of Bohemia . The next battle was led by Duke Rudolph of Lorraine and Count Louis of Blois , while Philip commanded the rearguard. As news filtered back that the English had turned to fight, the French contingents sped up, jostling with each other to reach the front of

11300-409: Was caught up in the fighting, had two horses killed under him, and received an arrow in the jaw. The bearer of the oriflamme was a particular target for the English archers; he was seen to fall but survived, albeit abandoning the sacred banner to be captured. Finally, Philip abandoned the field of battle, although it is unclear why. It was nearly midnight and the battle petered out, with the majority of

11413-403: Was high. The English army was divided into three battalions, or " battles ", deployed in a column. The King's son, Edward, Prince of Wales , aided by the earls of Northampton and Warwick (the 'constable' and 'marshal' of the army, respectively), commanded the vanguard with 800 men-at-arms, 2,000 archers and 1,000 foot soldiers including Welsh spearmen. To its left, the other battle was led by

11526-525: Was in a need, whenever there would be a war, to go immediately on the offensive —to carry the war to the enemy's land. Israeli leaders consider the issue of strategic depth to be important in negotiating its final borders as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process . Issues of contention include the West Bank settlements and potential Israeli control of the Jordan Valley after the creation of

11639-439: Was not only morally obliged to succour his vassal but contractually required to; his indenture with Lancaster stated that if Lancaster were attacked by overwhelming numbers, then Edward "shall rescue him in one way or another". Meanwhile, Edward was raising a fresh army, and assembled more than 700 vessels to transport it – the largest English fleet ever to that date. The French were aware of Edward's efforts, and to guard against

11752-436: Was portrayed by Benoît Brione in the 1972 French miniseries adaptation of the series, and by Malik Zidi in the 2005 adaptation. Strategic depth The key precepts any military commander must consider when dealing with strategic depth are how vulnerable these assets are to a quick, preemptive attack or to a methodical offensive and whether a country can withdraw into its own territory, absorb an initial thrust, and allow

11865-418: Was positioned to the rear of the whole army, where it was circled and fortified, to serve as a park for the horses, a defence against any possible attack from the rear and a rallying point in the event of defeat. Around noon on 26 August French scouts, advancing north from Abbeville, came in sight of the English. The crossbowmen, under Antonio Doria and Carlo Grimaldi , formed the French vanguard . Following

11978-691: Was proclaimed king and crowned at the Cathedral in Reims on 29 May 1328. After his elevation to the throne, Philip sent the Abbot of Fécamp , Pierre Roger , to summon Edward III of England to pay homage for the duchy of Aquitaine and Gascony . After a subsequent second summons from Philip, Edward finally arrived at the Cathedral of Amiens on 6 June 1329 and worded his vows in such a way to cause more disputes in later years. The dynastic change had another consequence: Charles IV had also been King of Navarre , but, unlike

12091-414: Was ragged, starving and beginning to suffer from a drop in morale. On the evening of 24 August the English were encamped north of Acheux while the French were 6 miles (10 km) away at Abbeville . During the night the English marched on a tidal ford named Blanchetaque . The far bank was defended by a force of 3,500 French. English longbowmen and mounted men-at-arms waded into the tidal river and after

12204-515: Was reported to the English parliament on 13 September in glowing terms as a sign of divine favour and justification for the huge cost of the war to date. A contemporary chronicler opined "By haste and disorganisation were the French destroyed." Rogers writes that, among other factors, the English "benefitted from superior organisation, cohesion and leadership" and from "the indiscipline of the French". According to Ayton "England's international reputation as

12317-414: Was richer and more populous than England and was at the height of its medieval glory. The opening stages of the war, accordingly, were largely successful for the French. At sea, French privateers raided and burned towns and shipping all along the southern and southeastern coasts of England. The English made some retaliatory raids, including the burning of a fleet in the harbour of Boulogne-sur-Mer , but

12430-531: Was steadily reinforced. Paris was in uproar, swollen with refugees, and preparations were made to defend the capital street by street. Philip sent orders to Duke John of Normandy insisting that he abandon the siege of Aiguillon and march his army north, which after delay and vacillation he did on 20 August – though he would ultimately not arrive in time to change the course of events in the north. The French army outside Paris consisted of some 8,000 men-at-arms , 6,000 crossbowmen, and many infantry levies . Philip sent

12543-666: Was supplemented by varying amounts of plate armour on the body and limbs, more so for wealthier and more experienced men. Heads were protected by bascinets : open-faced iron or steel helmets, with mail attached to the lower edge of the helmet to protect the throat, neck and shoulders. A moveable visor (face guard) protected the face. Heater shields , typically made from thin wood overlaid with leather, were carried. The English men-at-arms were all dismounted. The weapons they used are not recorded, but in similar battles they used their lances as pikes, cut them down to use as short spears, or fought with swords and battle axes. The longbow used by

12656-477: Was the Chairman joint chiefs . According to Richard Olson , U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan , Pakistan military's doctrine of "strategic depth" is a concept in which Pakistan uses Afghanistan as an instrument of strategic security in ongoing tensions with India by attempting to control Afghanistan as a pawn for its own political purposes. It has been speculated that the Pakistan military 's "strategic depth" policy

12769-510: Was the chief and it has never been entertained by serious military planners. No one thinks of placing military and other assets in Afghanistan and thus acquiring strategic depth." Haider states that such a concept has always been impossible "for a host of reasons" and strategic depth is better used to describe achieving security through improving relationships with the governments of neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan and India. Lieutenant-General Asad Durrani of ISI, has rubbished claims in

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