Crécy

Michael Livingston revisits Edward III’s victory over Philip VI of France at Crécy in 1346, one of the defining battles of the Hundred Years’ War. He reconstructs the English campaign through Normandy, the pursuit by the French army and the fighting in which disciplined defensive positions, archery and command failures produced devastating casualties among the French and their allies. Edward, the Black Prince and the royal commanders are placed within the wider diplomatic contest that drew rulers and contingents from across Europe to the battlefield.

The book’s central argument concerns the location and shape of the battle itself. Using manuscripts, fieldwork, satellite imagery and terrain analysis, Livingston challenges the traditional site and explains how different ground changes the likely sequence of events. The result combines a narrative of the campaign with an account of historical detection, showing how accepted battlefield maps can survive long after their evidential foundations have weakened.