Wednesday, September 19, 2007
This Day in the History of Battles Won by Superior Technology
On this day in 1356, at the Battle of Poitiers, an English army led by the Black Prince defeated the French at the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). It was the Welsh invention of the yew long bow (with a 150 pound pull) that provided the edge here (and not at Agincourt in 1415) because the bodkin point arrowhead could pierce even the steel plate armor the French knights wore (and of course any arrowhead could take out their horses). This was the second big battle on the fields outside Poitiers, but the first is also known as the battle of Tours where in 732 Charles Martel stopped further Islamic expansion.
And how cool a name is the Black Prince?
Labels: English Victories over French
