Philip VI of France

Slay me these rascals, for they shall hinder and trouble us without reason!

Philip VI (French: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (le Fortuné), the Catholic (le Catholique) and of Valois (de Valois), was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign was dominated by the consequences of a succession dispute which led to the Hundred Years War

Quotes

• When the French king saw the Englishmen, his blood changed, and (he) said to his marshalls, "Make the Genoese go on before, and begin the battle in the name of God and St. Dennis."
  [...]
  When the Genoese were somewhat in order, and approached the English, they set up a loud shout, in order to frighten them; but they remained quite still, and did not seem to attend to it. They then set up a second shout, and advanced a little forward; but the English never moved.—They hooted a third time, advancing with their cross-bows presented, and began to shoot. The English archers then advanced one step forward, and shot their arrows with such force and quickness, that it seemed as if it snowed.
  When the Genoese felt these arrows, which pierced their arms, heads, and through their armour, some of them cut the strings of their crossbows, others flung them on the ground, and all turned about, and retreated, quite discomfited. The French had a large body of men at arms on horseback, richly dressed, to support the Genoese.
  The king of France, seeing them thus fall back, cried out, "Kill me those scoundrels; for they stop up our road, without any reason." You would then have seen the above mentioned men at arms lay about them, killing all they could of these runaways.
  • Jean Froissart, Chroniques (tr. Thomas Johnes, 1805)
  • Battle of Crécy, 26 August 1346

External links

• Sir John Froissart’s Chronicles of England, France, and the adjoining Countries, from the latter part of the Reign of Edward II to the Coronation of Henry IV, translated by Thomas Johnes, 4to. (1805) pp. 835. At the Hafod Press. By James Henderson. Reviewed in The Edinburgh Review, Vol. 5, No. 10 (January 1805) p. 359