Edward III
Such considerations as these, together with his previous experience at Halidon Hill, led Edward III. to make his Knight s dismount, when he turned to offer battle to Philip of Valois at Crecy (1346).’ Hejiad about 4000 cavalry, but nearly half of these were ” hobelars,” light-armed men mounted on little nags : and of the men-at-arms only one-fourth were ” knights ” in the restricted sense which the word had reached by that time. The rest were variously described as squires, sergeants, &c. In Philip’s army there were 12,000 men-at-arms, of whom two-thirds were “gentils gens,” and about 60,000 foot, mainly communal troops, but including 6000 Genoese crossbowmen and other mercenaries. The English army was under 20,000 men all told, but there were 10,000 archers, of whom one-fourth were mounted.
To make up for the disproportion of numbers an advantageous position was chosen between Crecy and Wadicourt, fronting south-cast. The right flank was covered by the forest of Crecy. There was a shallow valley in front, and in rear there was a small wood, by the side of which the king caused a park to be made, “and there was set all carts and carriages, and within the park were all their horses, for every man was afoot ; and into this park there was but one entry.” i The men-at-arms were formed in three “battles” with corps of archers, as_ at Halidon Hill ; that of the Prince of Wales was in front, that of Lord Northampton (rather weaker than the others) was in immediate support “on a wing,” and that of the king was in reserve on higher ground. Thus they were in echelon right in front.
At the battle of Bouvines (1214) the French cavalry were told “One knight should not make another his shield; draw up so that all the knights may be in the front line.” It seems likely that this was the general rule, and that at Crecy (as at Agincourt) the English men-at-arms were four deep. Behind them there would be hobelars, and other men less well armed, ” rascals that went afoot with great knives,” Welsh or Irish. Villani says that the English, when fighting on foot, formed a compact body, almost round (like a Scottish schildron), and that each lance was held by two men. An eighteen-foot lance was unwieldy for a single man on foot, but the common practice was to cut it down to a length of five feet, that dimension referring no doubt only to the part in front of the hand-grip.