The Battle of Crécy - (Liverpool Historical Casebooks) by Michael Livingston & Kelly de Vries (Paperback)

About the Book

This casebook is the most extensive collection of documents ever assembled for the study of one of the famous battles in history -- the Battle of Crécy (1346).

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award 2017

This casebook is the most extensive collection of documents ever assembled for the study of one of the famous battles in history. Here we see the Battle of Crécy across the cultural landscape of Europe -- through chronicles and letters, through poems and prophecies, through sermons and laments -- enabling us to understand the events of 26 August 1346 like never before. Together with other experts, the editors have gathered, edited, and translated over 80 fourteenth-century sources concerning this fascinating and important conflict -- sources from Bohemia to France, from Italy to Wales -- many here printed or translated for the first time. Original essays provide historical context and literary background to help interpret the battle in light of this new material. Among the discoveries: despite its fame, the location of the battle has been misidentified for centuries, and the actions of the men on both sides of the bloodied field have been completely misunderstood. This unparalleled accumulation of material means that the Battle of Crécy will never be seen in the same way again.

Review Quotes

'...The remarkable volume ... is unlike any previous study of the battle of Crécy. ...The gathering together of this vast range of source materials into a single volume and offering new translations would, in itself, present a remarkable achievement. ...offers striking new insights about the campaign of 1346 and the battle itself. ...offers unprecedented access to the sources for the campaign of 1346 and the battle of Crécy both to scholars and to students.'
David Bachrach, The Medieval Review

'An immense collection, followed by a thorough and renewed reflection on a battle as essential to the history of France.'
Sehepunkte

'Livingston and DeVries thus provide another essential book on the Battle of Crécy, enriching the debate around some of its military aspects. More fundamental for any scholar of the Hundred Years War is the useful edition of collected primary sources.'
Pit Péporté, Hémecht

Livingston and DeVries 'provide another essential book on the Battle of Crécy, enriching the debate around some of its military aspects. More fundamental for any scholar of the Hundred Years War is the useful edition of collected primary sources. It will greatly facilitate access to this material and hopefully give rise to further, diverse studies.' Pit Péporté, Revue d'Histoire luxembourgeoise

About the Author

Michael Livingston is an Associate Professor at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He is the editor of 'Battle of Brunanburh: A Casebook'(2011), along with scholarly editions of 'Siege of Jerusalem' (2004), 'In Praise of Peace' (2005), and 'The Middle English Metrical Paraphrase of the Old Testament' (2011). Kelly DeVries is Professor of History, Loyola University Maryland, an Honorary Historical Consultant with the Royal Armouries, Leeds, and often appears in television documentaries as an expert commentator on warfare in the Middle Ages.