Genoese Crossbowmen | Most Sought-After Mercenaries of Europe

ammunition, there was no way they could withstand this. They fled very quickly. The Count of Alençon and his horsemen, who formed the second line, thought that the Genoese were cowards or worse, had betrayed the French. He couldn't understand her quick escape from the battle.   Apparently, as DeVries emphasizes, neither the Genoese

crossbowmen

nor the French knights had fought archers before. Alençon was furious and ordered his men to advance and shoot down the

crossbowmen

. However, when they came within range of the English, the knights became familiar with the devastating force of the English longbow. The confusion caused by the clash of the cavalry with their own crossbowmen made the attackers an easy target, so the English archers combined with three bombards wreaked havoc on the French lines.  Despite all this, the French cavalry charged the English army again and again al

most

until midnight.

Their charges, however, were hampered by a couple of factors: first, the ground was muddy due to a rapid, heavy downpour in the afternoon, and second, they had to advance uphill through traps and English field fortifications. Meanwhile, the English arrows fell incessantly on the French knights. Despite these adverse circumstances, a total of 15 waves of French cavalry advanced against the English lines. Philip reportedly retired only after two horses died under his command and he was left with no choice but to retire. Hours after having abandoned the battle, the militiamen continued arriving at the battlefield and with them, too late, the useless equipment of the Genoese crossbowmen.  Most historians estimate French casualties at around 15,000;

Those of the English were insignificant: two knights, forty men-at-arms and some archers and lancers.   It is unknown how many Genoese lost their lives in the Crécy field and there is no way to know. But there must have been many. Ridden by English arrows, run down by their own cavalry and then caught between the fronts, a large portion of them must have been annihilated.  The Battle of Crécy is one of the

most

talked about events of the Hundred Years' War.   It is considered the battle in which the English longbow demonstrated its superior effectiveness, which is of course debatable.

Despite this harsh defeat, the Genoese crossbowmen remained some of the most

sought

after

mercenaries

for quite some time.   Only when the crossbow was gradually replaced by firearms and became a mere hunting weapon did the Genoese crossbowmen also disappear from the battlefields of Europe.