Battle of Blanchetaque
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Blanchetaque in 1346 was the second of the three battles which made up what became the Crecy campaign of King Edward III of England during the early stages of the Hundred Years War. Although smaller and less notorious than the battle of Crecy
which followed it, it can be said that without the victory at Blanchetaque the subsequent defeat of the French royal army at Crecy would never have been possible, as the English force would not have been in any position to oppose the French adequately had they not successfully forded the Somme River
during the battle of Blanchetaque.
in the battle there
on the 26 July and subsequently looting the city, the English army marched eastward along the Seine River, whilst the French forces had retreated in front of the advancing enemy, employing what would later become known as scorched earth
tactics in an attempt to starve the English forces during their advance. This strategy suffered a setback when on the 14 August the English captured an unguarded ford on the Seine at Poissy
and prepared a pontoon bridge with which to cross. This threatened Paris and caused much alarm amongst the French populace, but actually might have been turned to the French advantage, as now the English army was supposedly trapped between the impassable Seine and Somme Rivers. Every bridge and ford on either waterway was heavily guarded, with King Philip VI situated first at Paris and then moving to Amiens
and then entering the plain between the rivers in an effort to hunt down the English force with his much larger army.
Edward meanwhile was determined to break the French blockade of the Somme and probed at several points in late August, vainly attacking Hangest
and Pont-Remy
before slowly moving north along the western river bank trying to find an opening. Behind him toiled the French army, which despite some close encounters was unable to successfully come up on the English army. On the 23 August a force of French levies opposed the English passage at Boismont
, but were ridden down by Edward's cavalry and massacred to a man and the town burnt to the ground. On the evening of the 24 August, the English force was encamped at the town of Acheux
whilst the French army was just six miles away in Abbeville
, watching the bridge there in case Edward attempted to attack it. Accounts differ as to the exact method of discovery, but during the night Edward was made aware by either an Englishman living locally or a French captive that just four miles away, near the village of Saigneville
, was a tiny ford named Blanchetaque (so named for the white stones lining the river's bed) which was likely unprepared for an attack. Edward immediately broke camp in the middle of the night and moved his whole force toward the river.
Around 8:00am 100 English knights and men-at-arms entered the ford under the leadership of Reginald Cobham and the Earl of Northampton
, both highly experienced officers. This advance was supported by large numbers of English longbow
men who unleashed a hail of arrows on the French lines, causing casualties and a vital distraction to the defenders. The Genoese crossbowmen in French service were unable to respond in kind and the English reached the French side of the river. A vicious scrum emerged on the river bank, the ferocity of the English attack creating a beachhead into which Edward fed more soldiers. The combination of desperate foot soldiers and accurate archery forced the French force backwards until their lines broke and they fled to Abbeville, pursued closely by English cavalry.
An hour and a half after the French lines broke, the entire English army was across the ford and marching northward into countryside rich in food and loot. The French had been so confident that the English could not breach the Somme line that they had not denuded the area, and so the English were able to resupply, burning the towns of Noyelles-sur-Mer
and Le Crotoy
in the process. King Philip was not slow to pursue his enemy and chased Edward's far smaller force towards the coast, capturing several slow wagons before hesitating and allowing the English to gain a march on him. Edward used this respite to prepare a position close to the town of Crecy, where battle was joined the following day.
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
which followed it, it can be said that without the victory at Blanchetaque the subsequent defeat of the French royal army at Crecy would never have been possible, as the English force would not have been in any position to oppose the French adequately had they not successfully forded the Somme River
Somme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
during the battle of Blanchetaque.
The campaign
After defeating the French defenders of CaenCaen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
in the battle there
Battle of Caen (1346)
The Battle of Caen in 1346 was a running battle through the streets of the Norman city during the English invasion of Normandy under King Edward III in July of that year...
on the 26 July and subsequently looting the city, the English army marched eastward along the Seine River, whilst the French forces had retreated in front of the advancing enemy, employing what would later become known as scorched earth
Scorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
tactics in an attempt to starve the English forces during their advance. This strategy suffered a setback when on the 14 August the English captured an unguarded ford on the Seine at Poissy
Poissy
Poissy is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.In 1561 it was the site of a fruitless Catholic-Huguenot conference, the Colloquy at Poissy...
and prepared a pontoon bridge with which to cross. This threatened Paris and caused much alarm amongst the French populace, but actually might have been turned to the French advantage, as now the English army was supposedly trapped between the impassable Seine and Somme Rivers. Every bridge and ford on either waterway was heavily guarded, with King Philip VI situated first at Paris and then moving to Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
and then entering the plain between the rivers in an effort to hunt down the English force with his much larger army.
Edward meanwhile was determined to break the French blockade of the Somme and probed at several points in late August, vainly attacking Hangest
Hangest-sur-Somme
Hangest-sur-Somme is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated by the banks of the river Somme, on the D3 road, some southeast of Abbeville.-Population:-External links:*...
and Pont-Remy
Pont-Remy
Pont-Remy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated at the junction of the D901 and D183 roads at an ancient crossing point of the Somme River, some southeast of Abbeville.-Population:...
before slowly moving north along the western river bank trying to find an opening. Behind him toiled the French army, which despite some close encounters was unable to successfully come up on the English army. On the 23 August a force of French levies opposed the English passage at Boismont
Boismont, Somme
Boismont is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D3 road, some northwest of Abbeville and close to the estuary of the river Somme.-Population:-External links:*...
, but were ridden down by Edward's cavalry and massacred to a man and the town burnt to the ground. On the evening of the 24 August, the English force was encamped at the town of Acheux
Acheux
Acheux is part of the name of two commune of the Somme department of northern France:* Acheux-en-Amiénois* Acheux-en-Vimeu...
whilst the French army was just six miles away in Abbeville
Abbeville
Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Location:Abbeville is located on the Somme River, from its modern mouth in the English Channel, and northwest of Amiens...
, watching the bridge there in case Edward attempted to attack it. Accounts differ as to the exact method of discovery, but during the night Edward was made aware by either an Englishman living locally or a French captive that just four miles away, near the village of Saigneville
Saigneville
Saigneville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-History:Prior to construction of the Canal de la Somme, Saigneville stood at the southern end of a ford across the Somme estuary...
, was a tiny ford named Blanchetaque (so named for the white stones lining the river's bed) which was likely unprepared for an attack. Edward immediately broke camp in the middle of the night and moved his whole force toward the river.
The battle
On arrival at the river, it was discovered that the French had defended the position more strongly than previously believed. Guarding the far side of the crossing were 3,500 soldiers under Godemar du Foy, a highly experienced French general. Another problem was the tide which, being just over ten miles from the coast, was heavy, high and not expected to drop to crossable levels for some hours. During this time both sides prepared for the coming action, as Edward was determined that he would have to cross at this point. English supplies were running out and the army was ragged, starving and beginning to suffer the start of a drop in morale. The French force was drawn up in three lines along the sloping bank, with the best soldiers, 500 men-at-arms, positioned in the center.Around 8:00am 100 English knights and men-at-arms entered the ford under the leadership of Reginald Cobham and the Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, KG was an English nobleman and military commander.-Lineage:He was the fifth son of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan. He had a twin brother, Edward...
, both highly experienced officers. This advance was supported by large numbers of English longbow
Longbow
A longbow is a type of bow that is tall ; this will allow its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw....
men who unleashed a hail of arrows on the French lines, causing casualties and a vital distraction to the defenders. The Genoese crossbowmen in French service were unable to respond in kind and the English reached the French side of the river. A vicious scrum emerged on the river bank, the ferocity of the English attack creating a beachhead into which Edward fed more soldiers. The combination of desperate foot soldiers and accurate archery forced the French force backwards until their lines broke and they fled to Abbeville, pursued closely by English cavalry.
An hour and a half after the French lines broke, the entire English army was across the ford and marching northward into countryside rich in food and loot. The French had been so confident that the English could not breach the Somme line that they had not denuded the area, and so the English were able to resupply, burning the towns of Noyelles-sur-Mer
Noyelles-sur-Mer
Noyelles-sur-Mer is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Noyelles-sur-Mer is situated on the coast, facing the English Channel, on the D11 and D40 junction, some northwest of Abbeville.-Railways:...
and Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. The inhabitants are known as Crotellois-Geography:Le Crotoy is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, on the estuary of the river Somme, some northwest of Abbeville....
in the process. King Philip was not slow to pursue his enemy and chased Edward's far smaller force towards the coast, capturing several slow wagons before hesitating and allowing the English to gain a march on him. Edward used this respite to prepare a position close to the town of Crecy, where battle was joined the following day.
Consequences
Without the victory at Blanchetaque, won through determination rather than any tactical genius, Edward would have been unable to find either the food his army so desperately required or the excellent position from which he won his most famous battle at Crecy just two days later. It is hard to judge the consequences had his army been unsuccessful in the action, but it could well have spelled the end for Edward and his army; Blanchetaque was the last viable crossing before the sea and the English army could not have fought or marched as a cohesive entity without the food and supplies the victory provided. As it was, Blanchetaque provided the impetus and position needed with which to later defeat the French army and conduct the siege of Calais. Casualties in the action are not clear, but it is claimed that as many as 2,000 French soldiers were killed in the battle or retreat which followed it . English losses are less well known but were likely to have been substantially less than those of the French.Trivia
- Bernard CornwellBernard CornwellBernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
's novel HarlequinHarlequin (novel)Harlequin is the first novel in The Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell. It begins a series of stories set in the middle of the fourteenth century, an age when the four horsemen of the apocalypse seem to have been released over Europe.-Plot introduction:The narrative tells how Thomas of Hookton...
provides a dramatised yet substantially accurate portrayal of this action. - Ken FollettKen FollettKen Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels. He has sold more than 100 million copies of his works. Four of his books have reached the number 1 ranking on the New York Times best-seller list: The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, Triple, and World Without End.-Early...
's novel World Without End also describes this battle.