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 THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR 513 northwestern Germany who felt their independence men- aced by the growing power of France. These last allies, however, proved of little assistance. The first important battle of the war was a naval one at Sluys off the Flemish coast, where the English fleet, aided at the last moment by the Flemish, decisively defeated the French and gained control of the sea for the next thirty years. Papal legates now arranged a truce which lasted until 1345. Meanwhile, however, both French and English were fighting on opposite sides in Brittany over a disputed succession to that duchy. In 1345 the Flemish became dissatisfied with their leader Artevelde, who had proposed to make the son of Edward III Count of Flanders, and murdered him, but they continued for a while longer to be allies of England. In 1346 direct war between the Kings of England and France was renewed in the famous campaign of Crecy, fa- miliar, like so many other incidents of the war, _. J 1 he cam- from the chivalric pen of the fourteenth-century paign of [historian, Froissart. Edward III landed with a Ismail but well-trained army on the coast of Normandy at iln particular he took and sacked the rich city of Caen. WnerTPhilip VI set out tcTcatch himand asked him toname Instead, however, of continuing his march along the south- rn bank of the Seine, he repaired a broken bridge, despite jthe French troops guarding it, and forced a crossing not ar from Paris. He then scurried north toward Flanders as ast as he could go. The river Somme was also guarded, and )nly by crossing an estuary at low tide did Edward escape )eing caught in an unfavorable position by Philip who was
 * La Hogue, and marched through that province plundering.
 * a place of battle, Edward suggested a point south of Paris.
 * lose on his heels with a much larger army.

When the French overtook the English army three days ater, it was drawn up in a favorable position on rising hungry, and thirsty, but so eager for battle that those be- iind kept pressing on instead of obeying the royal command halt. Presently Philip's fighting blood was aroused, too,
 * round at Crecy waiting for them. The French were hot,