This article is about the battle in 1346 during the Hundred Years War. For the Second World War battle for the same city see Battle for Caen. This article is in need of attention. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Combatants Allied Powers Nazi Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery, Miles Dempsey, Richard OConnor, Guy Simonds Edgar Feuchtinger, Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, Günther von Kluge Strength 2nd British Army, 51st Highland Division, 11th British Armoured divison, 7th British Armoured Divison, Polish 1st Armoured Division, VIII British Corps, Royal Air...

Battle of Caen
Part of Crécy Campaign, Hundred Years War
Date 26 July 1346 Location Caen, Normandy Result English army captured the city
Combatants
England	France
Commanders
Edward III of England	Count de Eau
Strength
12,000 (not all engaged)	1,500 soldiers
Casualties
Unknown, light	~5,000 soldiers and civilians

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. It was the first significant action of the campaign which would ultimately lead to the crushing English victory at the battle of Crecy and the subsequent siege of Calais, which had a significant effect on the remainder of the Hundred Years War. This article is in need of attention. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... // Events Serbian Empire was proclaimed in Skopje by Dusan Silni, occupying much of the South-Eastern Europe Foundation of the University of Valladolid Foundation of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge August 26 Battle of Crecy after which Edward the Black Prince honored the bravery of John I, Count of Luxemburg... Caen is a commune of northwestern France. ... Mont Saint-Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... Image File history File links Arms_of_Edward_III_of_England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Image File history File links Blason_France_moderne. ... Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377) was one of the most successful English kings of medieval times. ... The first part of the Hundred Years War was from 1337 to 1360, from the outbreak of hostilities until the signing of the Treaty of Brétigny. ... Combatants England France Commanders Edward III of England Hugues Quiéret, Nicolas Béhuchet Strength 250 ships 190 ships Casualties Unknown 20 000 (Europe A History by Norman Davies) The naval Battle of Sluys was fought on 24 June 1340. ... The Battle of Auberoche was fought in 1345 between the English and the French. ... The Battle of Blanchetaque was fought in 1346 between French and English forces. ... Combatants Kingdom of England, Allied knights from Germany and Denmark France, Genoese Mercenaries, the Kingdoms of Navarre, Bohemia and the Balearic Islands Commanders Edward III of England Edward, the Black Prince Philip VI of France Strength about 12,000 30,000 to 40,000 Casualties 150-1,000 killed and... Combatants England France Commanders Edward III of England Jean de Fosseux Strength 34,000 men:5300 knights, 6600 infantry, 20,000 archers, 2,000 Flemish soldiers 7,000 to 8,000 citizens Casualties  ?  ? The Siege of Calais in northern France began in 1346, towards the beginning of what would later... Combatants Scotland England Commanders David II of Scotland William Zouche, Archbishop of York Strength 12,000 3,000-3,500 Casualties Unknown (high) Unknown (very low) The Battle of Nevilles Cross took place near Durham, England on October 17, 1346. ... The naval Battle of LEspagnols sur Mer (Spanish on the Sea), or Battle of Winchelsea took place on 29 August (Old Style) 1350 and was a victory for an English fleet of 50 ships commanded by Edward III, with the Black Prince, over a Castilian fleet of 40 ships... Combatants Kingdom of England Gascony France Commanders Edward, the Black Prince Captal de Buch John II of France Strength 9,000 12,000 Casualties Minimal 2,500 killed or wounded The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdom of England and France on September 19, 1356, resulting in the... // Events Serbian Empire was proclaimed in Skopje by Dusan Silni, occupying much of the South-Eastern Europe Foundation of the University of Valladolid Foundation of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge August 26 Battle of Crecy after which Edward the Black Prince honored the bravery of John I, Count of Luxemburg... Mont Saint-Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... Edward III King of England Edward III (13 November 1312–21 June 1377) was one of the most successful English Kings of medieval times. ... The Battle of Cr cy took place on August 26, 1346, near Cr cy-en-Ponthieu, in the Somme d partement of northern France and was one of the defining combats of arms of the Hundred Years War. ... Combatants England France Commanders Edward III of England Jean de Fosseux Strength 34,000 men:5300 knights, 6600 infantry, 20,000 archers, 2,000 Flemish soldiers 7,000 to 8,000 citizens Casualties  ?  ? The Siege of Calais in northern France began in 1346, towards the beginning of what would later... This article is in need of attention. ...

Landing in France

The campaign began on the 11 July when Edward's fleet departed the South of England and landed the day afterwards at St. Vaast la Hogue, twenty miles from Cherbourg. The force was estimated to be between 12,000 and 15,000 strong and consisted of both English and Welsh soldiers combined with a number of German and Breton mercenaries and allies, including several local barons who were unhappy with the rule of King Philip IV of France. The English army marched southwards, Edward's aim being to conduct a chevauchée or large scale raid across French territory to reduce his opponent’s morale and wealth. His soldiers responded by burning towns in their path and looting whatever they wished from the populace. The towns of Carentan, St Lo and Torteval were razed as the army passed, along with many others. Caen, the cultural, political, religious and financial centre of North-West Normandy was Edward's initial target, he hoped to recoup his expenditure on the expedition and terrorise the French government by taking this important position and destroying it. July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Cherbourg is a city of Normandy, in northwestern France, in the Manche département, of which it is a sous_préfecture. ... Philip IV the Fair (French: Philippe IV le Bel) (1268 – November 29, 1314) was King of France from 1285 until his death in 1314. ... Carentan is a town and commune of the Manche département in Normandy, France. ... Saint-Lô is a town and commune of France, the préfecture (capital) of the Manche département, in Normandy. ... Torteval is the smallest of the ten Guernsey parishes. ... Mont Saint-Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ...

Caen itself was an old city broken into two parts. It sat on the north bank of the River Orne and was further divided by a branch of the River Odon which split the town into old and new parts. The old part was a walled city with a very strong castle, but was vulnerable to an English attack at positions where the walls had crumbled. The new part of the city was a wealthy district of merchants and landowners, who lived on the island formed between the Orne and its branch which divided the city. This district was more easily defended, as its perimeter was formed by the river and was connected by three fortified bridges to the neighbouring banks. It was however possible, especially in summer, for a man to ford the branch of the river although such a crossing was inevitably risky. The town also possessed two large fortified abbeys, one on each side of the city, which could be used to form bastions against an attacking force. Orne is the name of two rivers in France: one in Normandy and one in Lorraine. ...

The battle

The English army arrived outside the walls on the 26 July, and immediately seized the undefended abbeys, before forming up for a planned attack on the old town, Edward wasting no time with siege preparations as his army possessed no siege weaponry. The French defenders led by the Count de Eau had originally planned to defend the old town and castle, but pressure from wealthy citizens persuaded him to shift the defence to the island once the English had arrived. This hasty withdrawal proved disastrous, as important precautions, vital for the city's defence were overlooked in the hurried relocation, resulting in later disaster. July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ...

With their initial plan now unnecessary, the English changed the axis of their advance and prepared to assault the defended bridges onto northern bank, whilst a small force was dispatched to blockade the 300 soldiers remaining in the castle in the north of the town led by the Bishop of Bayeux. As Edward pushed his troops into position it seems that the English foot soldiers, eager for plunder preempted his orders and rushed the bridges before the assault team was fully in place. The attack was nominally led by the Earl of Warwick, Earl of Northampton and Richard Talbot, although these men had very little control over the men supposedly under their command. When Edward saw the assault go ahead before he was ready he ordered the retreat but was ignored by his men. Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick (d. ... William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton (~1310 - 1360) was an English nobleman and military commander. ... Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnel Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel (1630 – 14 August 1691), the youngest of sixteen children of Sir William Talbot, Bart. ...

As hundreds of English soldiers flung themselves across the bridges and into a furious melee on the far side which had drawn in the entire French garrison, teams of English Longbow men and Welsh lancers waded across the shrunken river and other found boats which had not been removed from the northern bank during the hasty relocation at the start of the action. The French force was stretched too thin defending the whole river bank and broke at several points and allowed the English to enter the city and attack the bridge defenders from the rear, prompting a collapse in the city's defence. The most senior French officers took to their horses and rode through the English to the castle's safety whilst a few others barricaded themselves in the tower overlooking the bridge, but the rest of their forces were cut down as they ran, only a handful of prisoners being taken. The English longbow, also called the Welsh longbow, was a powerful type of medieval longbow (a tall bow for archery) about 2. ...

Aftermath

The victorious English then began a furious sack of the town, burning most of it to the ground, seizing hundred of pounds worth of valuables and gold as well as killing approximately a half of the town's population, with the remainder fleeing into the countryside, pursued by cavalry. At least 2,500 French bodies were later buried in mass graves outside the town, and total fatalities are said to have topped 5,000. English casualties were not recorded except that one man-at-arms was killed, although losses amongst the enlisted archers and lancers must have been heavy. The sack of the city continued for five days, during which Edward attempted and failed to capture the castle, and paid homage over the grave of his ancestor William the Conqueror who was buried in the town. William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ...

Amongst the spoil from the city were several senior French noblemen who had not escaped and were later ransomed by their English captors. Also discovered was a proclamation from the French king for Norman raiding parties to despoil the south coast of England, which was used by recruiting parties in England for some years to come to stir up anti-French feeling. The English army moved off on the 1 August, leaving behind the castle and devastated city and pushing southwards towards the River Seine and potentially Paris beyond. That goal would be denied to Edward, but in the subsequent victories at Blanchetaque, Crecy and Calais, he would establish an English presence in northern France for two hundred years to come. August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... This article is about the river in France; it should not be confused with the Senne, a much smaller river that flows through Brussels. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... The Battle of Blanchetaque was fought in 1346 between French and English forces. ... The Battle of Cr cy took place on August 26, 1346, near Cr cy-en-Ponthieu, in the Somme d partement of northern France and was one of the defining combats of arms of the Hundred Years War. ... Combatants England France Commanders Edward III of England Jean de Fosseux Strength 34,000 men:5300 knights, 6600 infantry, 20,000 archers, 2,000 Flemish soldiers 7,000 to 8,000 citizens Casualties  ?  ? The Siege of Calais in northern France began in 1346, towards the beginning of what would later...

Trivia

• Bernard Cornwell's novel Harlequin provides a dramatised yet substantially accurate portrayal of this action.

Bernard Cornwell OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English historical novelist. ...

References

• Jonathan Sumption, The Hundred Years War, Vol 1, Trial by Battle, 1990, ISBN 0571138950
• A.H. Burne, The Crecy War, 1955, ISBN 1853670812