'MODERN WARFARE' AT THE 1450 BATTLE OF FORMIGNY IN BETWEEN ERAS

"Cannons, high amounts of ranged troops, and a flank march - which year?" I think most of us would be in the ballpark of the eighteenth to nineteenth century. But the Battle of Formigny had all these elements in 1450, at the tail end of the Hundred Years' War. As such, it is far from a simple clash of lines but a view on evolving medieval tactics, technology, and what would be to come in later periods of warfare.

By Pascal Baatz

King Henry VI faced a host of problems in the latter half of the 1440s. A war with Scotland, widespread discontent, and even rebellion made his strategic position rather weak. A war with France at this point was among the things to avoid at all costs. Unfortunately, English-controlled Normandy proved to be too much of a powder keg, again. In 1449 the French town of Fougéres was sacked by a Captain in English service. The French soon retaliated by taking several towns in Normandy as bargaining chips. Neither side backed down, and King Charles VII of France declared war shortly after. With so many problems, the English holdings in France were left to their own devices. King Charles' troops swept through Normandy, taking most of it within a year of the…

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Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy (Digital) - 1 Issue, WSS 125

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