France . revolution had been revealed by theBattle of Crecy. That victory had come as a completesurprise to both parties, although the success of theEnglish archers at the Battle of Sluys and Blanquetaquehad foreshadowed it. Not only had the English com-moners proved superior to the chivalry of France, butthis superiority, lying in the astonishing missile powerof the longbow, was for a generation the monopoly ofthe English. Only muscles trained from childhood coulduse it as those English archers had done. France, whichhad grown so fair and flourishing, lay at the mercy of amarauding army, whic
France . revolution had been revealed by theBattle of Crecy. That victory had come as a completesurprise to both parties, although the success of theEnglish archers at the Battle of Sluys and Blanquetaquehad foreshadowed it. Not only had the English com-moners proved superior to the chivalry of France, butthis superiority, lying in the astonishing missile powerof the longbow, was for a generation the monopoly ofthe English. Only muscles trained from childhood coulduse it as those English archers had done. France, whichhad grown so fair and flourishing, lay at the mercy of amarauding army, which had but to land and live at itspleasure. The temptation was not likely to be war of plunder began in 1351, and lasted till is not necessary to recount the details of it. The Battle of Poitiers only repeated the lesson of Crecy. In a brilliant passage Michelet has pointed out thatthe Battle of Cr6cy involved also a social revolution. Itwas the death-blow of chivalry. The whole chivalry. THE BLACK DEATH 143 of the most chivalrous nation was exterminated by asmall band of foot-soldiers. . The issue revealed a factof which none dreamed till then, the military inefficiencyof that feudal world, which had thought itself the onlymilitary world. Two easy massacres at Mons-en-Puelleand Cassel had retrieved the reputation they had lostat Courtrai. But from the day of Crecy there was manyan unbeliever in the religion of nobUity. Philippes resistance to the English was handicappedby lack of money, without which, and without regularmilitary service, it was impossible to keep an army inthe field. He had recourse to the States General * andProvincial to provide him with aids of men and 1346 they succeeded in extorting the concession thatthe new tax on salt (gabeUe),f which had been imposed in1343, and the impost on sales of merchandise, should beonly temporary. With the consent of the Popes atAvignon, a tithe was levied annually upon the net incomesof the cler
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