The English crossing at Blanchetaque broke a French strategic encirclement and enabled Edward III to reach the Battle of Crécy two days later.
Key Facts
- Date
- 24 August 1346
- Location
- Ford at Blanchetaque, River Somme, France
- English commander
- King Edward III
- French commander
- Godemar du Fay
- French casualties
- Over half of their force
- Distance from sea
- 10 miles
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After landing in Normandy and raiding deep into France, the English army marched north to join a Flemish allied force. Philip VI anticipated this move, garrisoning all bridges and fords over the River Somme and stripping the region of food, leaving the English army encircled and unable to cross the river. Edward III learned of a tidal ford at Blanchetaque and moved to exploit it before the French could fully seal it.
At low tide on 24 August 1346, English longbowmen waded into the ford and suppressed a defending line of mercenary crossbowmen under Godemar du Fay. When French cavalry charged to dislodge them, English men-at-arms entered the water and engaged in close combat. Reinforced continually, the English pushed the French back, causing them to break and flee with casualties reported at over half their number, while English losses remained light.
The English army crossed the Somme successfully and, two days later, defeated the main French army under Philip VI at the Battle of Crécy. Edward then besieged Calais, which surrendered after twelve months. Calais became a crucial English commercial and military outpost in northern France, retained for two hundred years, and the Crécy campaign marked a decisive early phase of the Hundred Years' War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
King Edward III.
Side B
1 belligerent
Godemar du Fay.