West European Studies

The Battle of Crcy is a major event in the European history. The Hundred Years War, The Battle of Crcy fought between France and England was a great struggle that lasted for more than hundred years (with several years in between without conflict). The battle commenced on 26th August 1346 in Northern France. There were violent battles and occasions in which ideals of chivalry were exhibited. The battle was fought at the French village of Crcy-en-Ponthieu near the English Channel, as Edward III of England marched his army from Normandy to Flanders. The result of the battle reavealed that foot soldiers who use simple longbows can defeat knights who are armed with complex arms. The battle proved that knight does not have any kind supremacy over others. Because of all this the battle of Crcy is termed as death knell of feudalism. The victory in this battle made England a major military power.

An English and Welsh army fought against an army comprising French, Flemings, Bohemians, Savoyards Germans, and Luxemburgers. The generals in the Battle of Crcy include King Edward III and his son, the Black Prince, and the king of France, Philip VI. The English army consisted of 4,000 knights and armed men, 7,000 English and Welsh archers. Apart from this there were 5,000 Welsh and Irish spearmen. In the battle of Crcy the English army with 12,000 to 16,000 members, led by  . Though the army of Philip VI heavily outnumbered the English army, the latter group was victorious because of their weaponry and tactics.

Following the commencement of war in 1337, the first war in the Hundred Years War Hundred Years War was the   Battle of Sluys Battle of Sluys was on 24 June 1340. Few years after the battle, Edward tried to attack France through.  He however failed in his endeavor because of unstable alliances and financial difficulties. Edward came up with a different plan six years later. Edward attempted to attack France through a different route. He launched a heavy raid along the lands of Normandy. He found success at the Battle of Blanchetaque Battle of Blanchetaque (on 24 August) and Caen (on 26 July). The plan of France to trap the English forces between the rivers of English escape resulted in the Battle of Crcy.

The battle is considered by many historians as the battle that marks the end of the classic chivalry. The Battle of Crcy also witnessed the first real use of  Europe. The political consequences of the battle are not ignorable. The result of the war was significant for who had financed and supplied resources for his journey to. Even though the English causalities were not serious, thousands of soldiers of the French army and the allied army dies. The counts of Flanders, Alenon, and King a French ally and Blois,  Duke of Lorraine Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine are among them the important people who died.  Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV from the House of Luxembourg House of Luxembourg had his father dead. Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV also lost many of his knights. Charles himself was wounded in the war.

The Protestant Reformation
The 16th century in Europe was very much eventful. The artists and humanists of the Renaissance period make it a period of self-creativity and individualism. Humanists like Petrarch upheld the dignity of mankind. People like Machiavelli, at the same time, injected humanism into politics. Renaissance enabled the secularization of European society. Man is no longer the slave of his destiny now he is rather the architect of his destiny. Renaissance created the notion that man is responsible for his history. There are numerous events that need to be highlighted especially in the fields of literature and the arts. The greatest affair of the 16th century Europe and the most revolutionary incident was nothing but the Protestant Reformation. Reformation forced people to be either a Catholic or Protestant. This was a mandatory choice to be made. In the context of the crucial religious wars happened in the 16th and 17th centuries, people had to be either a Catholic or a protestant.

The most dominant figure in the Reformation period was. Luther happened to enter the University of Erfurt, which the place of a conflict between the Renaissance humanists and the Scholastics, who mixed theology and medieval philosophy. Luther rejected the world after he had an encounter with the power of God. He recognized that he can no longer recognize faith with his worldly desires and ambitions. God spoke to him through the passage from the Epistles of St. Paul For the justice of God is revealed from faith to faith in that it is written, for the just shall live by faith. Luthers advice to the Church to return to the original teachings of the Bible led to the new traditions in Christianity. It also resulted in the Counter-Reformation in the Roman Catholic Church.

This finally culminated in the formation of the Council of Trent. Martin Luthers translation of the Bible presented a standard version of the German language and novel principles and styles to the very art of translation. The hymns he wrote triggered the development of congregational singing found in Christian gatherings. His marriage with a former num started the practice of clerical marriage among Christian groups.