The Battle of Crecey
During the summer of 1346 the some of the most fertile farmlands in France were marred with a burning and charred scar. Kind Edward III of England had invaded France on July 12th with the largest English fleet ever assembled. His Army of almost 15,000 men had been given orders to sack and burn any villages, towns, and fields in their path. They obliged their king and led a path of destruction from the coast of Normandy where they landed ultimately culminating just two miles outside Paris. Upon reaching Paris, the uncontested success of the English army was put to the test.
King Philip VI of France had assembled an army far larger than the English Force, and they were currently moving towards the English camp intent to engage in battle. King Edward was never one to falter in the face of battle, but even he recognized that his army, outnumbered almost five-to-one by the French stood little chance. Rather than engaging the French near Paris, he turned his sights north and began marching his Army towards where he thought a force of allied troops would be able to link up with him, strengthening his numbers.
The allied troops never materialized. What the English found instead was a French trap. Edward and his men were forced onto a small peninsula surrounded on two sides by the English Channel, and a tidal river to a third side. With the French Army approaching from the fourth side they had no choice but to attempt to ford the muddy tide lands of the river while the tide was low. Despite being met on the opposite bank by a small detachment of the French Army, the English managed to escape moments before Phillip and the main contingent of the Army arrived at their rear.
The French Army was not entirely French however. It was a coalition of forces led by King Philip, his brother, the Count of Alencon, King John the blind of Bavaria, and several other dukes and counts from all over Europe. They all shared the common goal of defeating the English. But they also, all desired to be the commander who took the glory. Each of the leaders commanded his own army, and each of them wanted to be the first to find the English force. The leaders raced against each other, each vying to be first into the battle, and first to claim victory.
In the afternoon of August 26th the English were sighted. First to arrive was Count Alencon. With him were his own men at arms, as well as several thousand mercenaries from Italy. The Italians were generally the first into action when the French did battle, and they inflicted devastating losses by using their crossbows from distance. Count Alencon was eager to engage the enemy. So eager, that he deliberately ignored the order of his brother, the king, to halt, and wait for the rest of the Army to catch up. The count could see the enemy. The English were perched at the top of a ridge. They were his for the taking. So why should he wait. He gave the order to his crossbowmen to advance.
King Philip gave his order not just wanting his brother to wait for more soldiers. But to wait for the supply wagons. Those wagons carried a key piece of equipment that the crossbowmen relied upon. Their shields. Despite their lack of protection, the crossbowmen began marching up the ridge toward the English. They fired their first volley of arrows, but due to the elevation change their missiles fell short of the English. It was at that point that King Edward instructed his longbowmen to string their bows (when not fighting stings were kept under their hats to stay dry) and begin firing.
An Italian crossbowman took about one minute to reload and fire. During that time a longbowmen could fire anywhere from 10-15 arrows. As English arrows began to fall, the Italians, without their shields, quickly panicked and turned to run. Their retreat however was met head on by the first of what would be many unsuccessful French charges up the ridge. The Italians that survived the arrows were now falling victim to the horses and swords of their allies.
The first charge, led by Count Alencon, faltered before cresting the ridge. As he himself fell victim to the English his men turned to retreat, where they were met head on by a charge led by King John of Bavaria, and subsequently chewed up by their own allies just as the Italians had been. This process repeated itself several times as each successive Duke, Count, and King reached the battlefield. With more and more men arriving every minute those at the battlefield had little choice but to advance up the hill, as they were being pushed from behind by the next Nobleman eager to gain glory.
When the battle concluded at least 4,000 French soldiers lay dead in the field. Atop the ridge, the English counted just 50 dead. The desire of the French nobles to outdo each other had led to an absolute catastrophe.
Social media has made it easier than ever to be envious of the lives you see others living. It makes it seem like there is something wrong with you for not being able to drive your new SUV to the airport to fly first class to an overwater bulgalow with your family, all of whom have perfect haircuts, new outfits, and smiles on their faces. You hopefully already know this, but most of the people you see doing that, are faking it. They are funding those adventures with credit cards, home equity loans, payday advances and a bevy of other financial instruments. Their desire to appear perfect will most like lead them to complete financial destruction. And if you try to keep up with them, that’s where you will find yourself as well.
The desire to keep up with your neighbors and outdo your coworkers may seem innocent enough. But it is the quickest path to completely derailing your financial freedom. Your goal should never be to be the first person with a new iphone. You don’t need to have the biggest house. A newer car won’t make you happy. Rather than striving to outpace your friends, focus on attaining the peace of mind that comes with living within your means, and having savings in the bank.