On 26 August 1346, during the Hundred Years' War, an English army led by King Edward III met a much larger French army commanded by King Philip VI near Crécy-en-Ponthieu in northern France. The English had landed on the Cotentin Peninsula in July and burned a path through rich farmland to within a few miles of Paris. They then turned north to link up with a Flemish army, but the Flemish had turned back. Edward chose a defensive position on a hillside, and the French attacked late in the day. A French force of mercenary crossbowmen was driven off by English and Welsh longbowmen. French cavalry charges were broken by mud, a steep slope, pits dug by the English and heavy archery fire. Fighting continued into the night, and the French were defeated with heavy losses. The English then besieged Calais, which fell the following year.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.