Battle of Agincourt: 10 reasons why the French lost to Henry V's army - Telegraph News Battle of Agincourt: 10 reasons why the French lost to Henry V's army The Battle of Agincourt is often heralded as one of the greatest English military victories. Here are ten reasons why King Henry V's army was able to defeat a French force four times its size By Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Isabelle Fraser 6:13PM BST 23 Oct 2015 Comments The Battle of Agincourt was a major victory for England in the Hundred Years' War, and took place Friday, 25 October 1415. The battle was heralded in Shakespeare's Henry V in which the king urges his "band of brothers" to stand together. Despite significantly outnumbering the English army, the French were easily defeated by King Henry V’s forces at the battle in northern France. How did the English win? Here are ten reasons why... Interactive: Battle of Agibcourt Weight of French soldiers' armour The armour of the French army was so heavy that it may have had a considerable role in hampering their victory.

Weighing up to 50kg, it made it particularly difficult to march across the battlefield, and gave the French soldiers a considerable disadvantage in the hand-to hand combat against the less heavily armoured English troops. A recent study in which volunteers had to dress in 15th century armour and run on a treadmill found that wearing a full suit of armour doubled the amount of energy used in battle. Muddiness of the battlefield It had been raining continuously for two weeks and the recently ploughed land, on which the battle took place, was a sea of thick mud. The French knights had to march through it in full plate armour, leaving them already overcome with fatigue before they had even advanced against the English. A re-enactment of the Battle of Agincourt at Portchester Castle. Photo: © Christopher Ison Use of longbow arrows In the longbow, the English had perfected an extraordinary weapon that gave them a considerable advantage over the French crossbow. A trained archer could shoot between 10 and twelve aimed arrows a minute which could wound at 400 yards, kill at 200 and penetrate armour at 100 yards.

The continuous volleys of English arrow fire also maddened the French horses, which trampled through the close-packed ranks of French foot soldiers. Crowding of French troops Disorganisation of the French troops meant as soon as battle commenced, the soldiers became so closely packed that their crossbows and cannons could not be fired effectively and men were unable to swing their swords in attack. This was worsened by the continuing forward rush of their comrades behind them. The combination of the mud and the crowding made them almost helpless. The English simply knocked them down, to drown or suffocate under fallen bodies. Lack of authority The disorganisation of the troops is often attributed to the fact that France's King Charles VI was weak and mentally ill at the time. He handed authority over to Charles d'Albert, Constable of France, and Boucicault, both experienced soldiers. But their rank was not considered high enough to deserve respect from the French nobles in the army and their commands were largely ignored. In comparison Henry V was widely regarded as a charismatic commander, and was respected by his troops. English army on the morning of battle at Agincourt, Hundred Years' War, 1415.

North Wind Picture Archives / Alamy Narrowness of battlefield The narrowness of the field forced the French troops into a suffocating formation, churning up even more mud in the waterlogged field and making them easier targets for the English longbowmen. Expertise of English army Henry V’s army was not typical of the times and was specially recruited; his men were well paid, well trained and disciplined. The majority of his army was comprised of expert longbowmen. Henry preferred a small, professional army, compared the large untrained force of most European armies, which were made up of local knights and peasants. This gave the English a considerable organisational advantage. To fund his venture Henry borrowed huge sums from the City of London , the Lord Mayor and several wealthy merchants and families. The City alone contributed the sum of 10,000 marks – worth some three million pounds in today’s money. In return he gave his funders the Crown Jewels as a guarantee to be redeemed for cash at a later date, much like a mortgage. English army initiated the battle At first the English planned to wait for the French to attack, but with no evidence of movement in the opposing army Henry became impatient and gave the command for the battle to commence.

This gave his soldiers an early advantage over the French, leaving them free to establish a new defensive position and to fire a hail of arrows on the unprepared and compact mass of French knights and men-at-arms. French army expected more troops Despite far outnumbering the English, it is thought that the reason the French were attempting to delay the beginning of battle was that they were waiting on further contingents to arrive. They were attacked before their expected reinforcements reached the battlefield. Complacency of the French army The French were convinced they would win the battle, a complacency that may have been to their cost. Whilst the English camp was sombre the night before battle, the French are said to have spent the night celebrating and taunting the English across the lines. So confident of victory were the French that they had already prepared a specially painted cart in which to parade the captured English king. BBC - History - Henry V z Henry V © Henry V was one of the great warrior kings of medieval England, famous for his victory against the French at the Battle of Agincourt. Henry was born in 1386 or 1387, the son of the future Henry IV.

He was created prince of Wales at his father's coronation in 1399. He showed his military abilities as a teenager, taking part in the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. He then spent the next five years fighting against Owen Glendower's rebellion in Wales. He was also keen to have a role in government, leading to disagreements with his father. Henry became king in 1413. In 1415, he successfully crushed a conspiracy to put Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, on the throne. Shortly afterwards he sailed for France, which was to be the focus of his attentions for the rest of his reign. Henry was determined to regain the lands in France held by his ancestors and laid claim to the French throne. He captured the port of Harfleur and on 25 October 1415 defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt. Between 1417 and 1419 Henry followed up this success with the conquest of Normandy. Rouen surrendered in January 1419 and his successes forced the French to agree to the Treaty of Troyes in May 1420.

Henry was recognised as heir to the French throne and married Catherine, the daughter of the French king. In February 1421, Henry returned to England for the first time in three and half years, and he and Catherine went on a royal progress round the country. In June, he returned to France and died suddenly, probably of dysentery, on 31 August 1422. His nine-month-old son succeeded him. Battle of Agincourt Battle of Agincourt The English victory over the French king’s army; immortalized in Williams Shakespeare’s play “Henry V”. King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War: picture by Harry Payne The previous battle of the Hundred Years War is the Battle of Poitiers The next battle in the British Battles series is the Battle of Flodden War: Hundred Years War. Date of the Battle of Agincourt: 25th October 1415. Place of the Battle of Agincourt: Northern France Combatants at the Battle of Agincourt: An English and Welsh army against a French army.

Commanders at the Battle of Agincourt: King Henry V of England against the Constable of France, Charles d’Albret, Comte de Dreux. Size of the armies at the Battle of Agincourt: The English army landed in France and besieged the port town of Harfleur some 30,000 strong. The siege took its toll, many in the army dying of disease, and a strong garrison had to be left to defend the captured port. At the Battle of Agincourt Henry’s army was probably around 5,000 knights, men-at-arms and archers. Estimates of the size of the French army vary widely, from 30,000 to as high as 100,000. The attack by Henry V’s army on Harfleur before the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War Uniforms, arms and equipment at the Battle of Agincourt: Knights wore steel plate armour of greater thickness and sophistication than at Creçy with visored helmets. Two-handed swords were coming into vogue as the battle weapon of the gentry.

Otherwise weapons remained the lance, shield, sword, various forms of mace or club and dagger. Each knight wore his coat of arms on his surcoat and shield. King Henry V prays with his army before the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War: click here to buy this picture The English and Welsh archers carried a more powerful bow than their fathers and grandfathers under Edward III and the Black Prince. Armour piercing arrow heads made this weapon more deadly than its predecessor, stocks of thousands of arrows being built up in the Tower of London in preparation for war. For hand-to-hand combat the archers carried swords, daggers, hatchets and war hammers. They wore jackets and loose hose; although many were rendered bare foot by the time of the battle from the long harrowing march from Harfleur. Archers’ headgear was a skull cap either of boiled leather or wickerwork ribbed with a steel frame. It is claimed that many of the archers stripped off their upper garments for the battle to ease the use of their bows. King Henry wore a polished and plumed bascinet helmet for the battle, surmounted by a gold crown.

His surcoat was emblazoned with the arms of England and France. Winner of the Battle of Agincourt: King Henry V of England won a decisive victory in the battle. Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War: map by John Fawkes Account of the Battle of Agincourt: On his accession to the throne of England in April 1413 Henry V resolved to revive the war against France and press his claim to the French throne. Fitful negotiations between the two countries resumed, in which Henry made unacceptable demands that the French emissaries rejected with increasing alarm. All the while England prepared for war. Shakespeare imaginatively incorporated into his portrayal of these negotiations a gift from the French Dauphin of a barrel of tennis balls that Henry threatened to turn into cannon shot. Over the winter of 1414 to 1415 the King ordered his officers to commandeer shipping to transport his army, assembling at Southampton, across the Channel. In August 1415 Henry’s army landed at Harfleur and began the siege of the town.

Harfleur finally surrendered on 22nd September 1415, no French army having appeared to relieve it. Henry now faced a dilemma. The late departure of the army from England and the unexpectedly stubborn resistance of the Harfleur garrison left little of the campaigning season. Large forces were assembling round him; the French barons putting aside their fractious quarrelling to confront this foreign invasion; even Duke John of Burgundy sending a detachment to the main French army. Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War: picture by Henri Duplay: click here to buy this picture Henry assembled his council and informed it that he intended to march from Harfleur to Calais, ignoring his councillors’ misgivings at this foolhardy and apparently pointless scheme: Henry could go to Calais by sea with impunity. He had no need to risk his army by marching across the front of powerful French forces and hazarding the crossings of the Seine and the Somme Rivers (with all the difficulties Edward III had encountered before Creçy).

King Henry V of England, the victor of Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War Henry sent a messenger by sea to Calais ordering the Governor of the town, Sir William Bardolph, to march to the crossing point in the estuary of the Somme that Edward III had used in 1346 and hold it open for Henry’s army. On 8th October 1415 the English army marched out of Harfleur on its 100 mile journey to Calais. At the Somme estuary there were no sign of Bardolph and in his place a French force barred the crossing. The French were gathering all around Henry, contingents guarding the bridges and fords along the Somme for a considerable distance. Henry marched south east up the left bank of the river, a French force keeping pace and opposing any attempt to cross. Finally the English army was able to outstrip the shadowing Frenchmen by cutting straight across a bow in the river, crossing and resuming the march north east towards Calais. In the face of the gathering French armies Henry ordered his archers to cut sharpened staves to form a barrier against mounted attack.

On 24th October 1415 the English army, led by a screen of scouts, marched through the Picardy town of Frévent, now within 30 miles of Calais and safety. As the army entered the valley beyond the town, the scouts came riding back at speed with the news that an immense army blocked the road. The French had managed to march past the English and cut across their route during the delay on the Somme. A medieval illustration of the Battle of Agincourt: the opposing Royal Standards are displayed: England on the right; France on the left. The English Royal Standards incorporates the Lilies of France to show the claim of the Kings of England to the French throne: click here to buy this picture A Welsh man-at-arms, David Gambe, on being questioned by King Henry as to the size of the French army, said “There are enough to kill, enough to capture and enough to run away.” Beyond the village of Maisoncelles the French came into sight, a mass of knights and men-at-arms spilling across the valley from the East. Seeing that he could not pass without giving battle Henry ordered his army to encamp and prepare to fight the next day.

That evening an air of resignation hung over the English, caused by the heavy rain that began to fall and the enormous French camp two miles up the road, marked in the dark by myriads of twinkling fires, laughter and music: the French had little doubt but that they would prevail the next day. During the night Henry made his way around his army giving words of encouragement; again a dramatic episode made much of by Shakespeare. The next morning, 25th October 1415, the feast of St Crispin and a public holiday in England, the English army marched out of Maisoncelles, taking up position across the road to Calais in three divisions of knights and men-at-arms; commanded by Lord Camoys on the right, the Duke of York in the centre and Sir Thomas Erpingham on the left. The Archers formed wedged divisions along the front. Further down the road the French army was forming for battle. The Constable of France led the first French line. The Dukes of Bar and d’Alençon led the second and the Counts of Merle and Falconberg led the third.

In front of the English position two forests approached the road from each side, leaving an area of muddy plough between them, insufficient for the French army to deploy with ease when every French knight of significance wished to be in the front with his retinue; the mass of knights and men-at-arms too compacted and unwieldy to manoeuvre or control. The English soldiers knelt down before the battle commenced and kissed the ground as a symbol that they might be returning to the earth before the day was over. Henry’s men waited for the French to begin the attack but there was no movement in the opposing army. It may be that there was inadequate overall command and no central decision made when to commence the assault or it may be that the French were waiting for further contingents to arrive and take their station. The armies clash at the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War Finally Henry, urged to begin the battle by his commanders, gave the command “Forward banners” and the army advanced with trumpets blaring.

Once in arrow range of the French Henry gave the command to halt and the divisions closed up, the archers setting their pointed staves in the ground forming a fence leaning outwards towards the French. Now within the confines of the two woods Henry directed parties of archers and men-at-arms to move through the trees nearer to the French. Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War On the king’s signal the English archers opened a devastating fire on the compact mass of French knights and men-at-arms. After the initial shock the front line of the French army moved forward to the charge. In the narrow confines of the muddy rain soaked ploughland the charge quickly reduced to a stumbling walk, impeded by the floundering men and horses shot down by the archers, the arrow storm from the front compounded by the fire of the English concealed in the woods on the flanks. The battle raged over the stake fence along the English line, the archers abandoning their bows and joining the knights and men-at-arms in hand to hand combat with the French cavalry, much of it now dismounted; the soldiers from the woods attacking on the flanks.

Within two hours of the battle beginning it was clear that the English had won. While individual French soldiers fought hard, it was from desperation as the English knights, men-at-arms and archers overwhelmed the struggling mass, taking as prisoner those who might be worth a ransom and killing the rest. King Henry V and the Duke D’Alençon at the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War The Duke D’Alençon bringing up his division to assist the first line was overcome and about to surrender to Henry himself when he was struck dead. The Constable of France, Charles D’Albret, was killed with numbers of other prominent French nobles, the Dukes d’Orleans and de Brabant among them. The French third line hovered on the edge of the field uncertain whether to take the risk of joining the fight until Henry sent a herald to order them off the battlefield on pain of receiving no quarter. The third line melted away.

King Henry V defends his brother the Duke of Gloucester at the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War: click here to buy this picture On the English side the Duke of York died, trampled into the mud, while Henry himself defended his wounded brother, the Duke of Gloucester, against a mob of Frenchmen. The main battle was finished by midday, the remnants of the French army streaming away from the battlefield while the English rounded up their prisoners. At this point a small French force led by local nobles, Isambart d’Agincourt and Robert de Bournonville, used their local knowledge to march around the forests and fall on the English baggage at Maisoncelles. Fearing a renewal of the battle with an attack on his rear Henry ordered the French prisoners put to the sword, enforcing this order with the threat of hanging, and reformed his army to face the threat. The French raiders were quickly repelled but not before many of the prisoners were killed, an incident that marred the English victory by depriving the soldiers of the considerable sums they could have raised through ransom.

The final act of the battle was to disperse the remnants of the third line and ransack the French camp; before resuming the march to Calais, previously so difficult, now triumphantly easy. The French are overwhelmed at the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War Casualties at the Battle of Agincourt: It is believed that some 8,000 Frenchmen died in the battle, including many of the most senior nobles of France. English losses are thought to have been in the hundreds. The Duke of York died in the battle as did the Earl of Suffolk, whose father had died in the siege of Harfleur the month before. Follow-up to the Battle of Agincourt: King Henry continued his march to Calais and returned to England for the celebrations to mark the victory at Agincourt. His army stayed at Calais but it was too late in the season for further campaigning. Harfleur became an English town for the time being. The French King Charles descended into a bout of insanity on hearing the terrible news of the defeat and France’s losses at Agincourt.

French prisoners taken at the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War: click here to buy this picture Anecdotes and traditions from the Battle of Agincourt: King Henry knighted David Gambe as he lay dying in the mud after the battle. After the battle Henry V entertained his senior commanders to dinner, waited on by captured French knights. During the battle an English knight, Sir Piers Legge of Lyme Hall, lay wounded in the mud while his mastiff dog fought off the French men-at-arms. Only when Sir Piers’ squire and servants came up after the battle would the mastiff allow anyone to approach his master. Sir Piers did not survive his wounds, but the dog returned to Lyme Hall and is reputed to have sired the English Mastiff breed. It was believed among the English archers during the Hundred Years War that the French intended to cut off the first and second right hand fingers of every captured archer to prevent him from again using a bow. The archers raised those two fingers to the advancing French as a gesture of defiance.

Lord Camoys, a leading Catholic peer and the descendant of the commander of Henry V’s right flanking division, has his seat at Stonor in the South Oxfordshire Chilterns. King Henry V gives thanks for his victory after the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415 in the Hundred Years War References for the Battle of Agincourt: The Hundred Years War by Robin Neillands. British Battles by Grant. The previous battle of the Hundred Years War is the Battle of Poitiers The next battle in the British Battles series is the Battle of Flodden 25 October 1415: The Battle of Agincourt, Henry V's Longbowmen Defeat The French - Kindle edition by DecisiveDays.com. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. By Wolf Walterson on January 12, 2014 Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase As an amateur historian I already knew the story of Agincourt, I have also read Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction. When I read this narrative I had just finished writing an academic paper on "Henry V" for an undergraduate Shakespeare class.

Even with the familiarity of the story, and the additional research, I enjoyed the read very much. I will look it up periodically for a quick refresher. I look forward to reading more from Decisive Days. By Brian K. Kerley, author of "The Octagon Key". briank.kerley@gmail.com Agincourt | Article about Agincourt by The Free Dictionary Agincourt | Article about Agincourt by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Agincourt (äzhăNko͞or`), modern Fr. Azincourt, village, Pas-de-Calais dept., N France. There, during the Hundred Years War Hundred Years War, 1337–1453, conflict between England and France. Causes Its basic cause was a dynastic quarrel that originated when the conquest of England by William of Normandy created a state lying on both sides of the English Channel. In the 14th cent. ..... Click the link for more information. , Henry V Henry V, 1387–1422, king of England (1413–22), son and successor of Henry IV.

Early Life Henry was probably brought up under the care of his uncle, Henry Beaufort. ..... Click the link for more information. of England with some 6,000 men defeated a French army six times that size on Oct. 25, 1415. His success, which was due mainly to the superiority of the masses of English longbow men over the heavily armored French knights, demonstrated the obsolescence of the methods of warfare of the age of chivalry. The victory enabled the English to conquer much of France. The battle is the central scene of Shakespeare's drama Henry V. Bibliography Battle of Agincourt - Oct 25, 1415 - HISTORY.com Battle of Agincourt Publisher A+E Networks During the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, Henry V, the young king of England, leads his forces to victory at the Battle of Agincourt in northern France. Two months before, Henry had crossed the English Channel with 11,000 men and laid siege to Harfleur in Normandy. After five weeks the town surrendered, but Henry lost half his men to disease and battle casualties.

He decided to march his army northeast to Calais, where he would meet the English fleet and return to England. At Agincourt, however, a vast French army of 20,000 men stood in his path, greatly outnumbering the exhausted English archers, knights, and men-at-arms. The battlefield lay on 1,000 yards of open ground between two woods, which prevented large-scale maneuvers and thus worked to Henry’s advantage. At 11 a.m. on October 25, the battle commenced. The English stood their ground as French knights, weighed down by their heavy armor, began a slow advance across the muddy battlefield. The French were met by a furious bombardment of artillery from the English archers, who wielded innovative longbows with a range of 250 yards. French cavalrymen tried and failed to overwhelm the English positions, but the archers were protected by a line of pointed stakes. As more and more French knights made their way onto the crowded battlefield, their mobility decreased further, and some lacked even the room to raise their arms and strike a blow.

At this point, Henry ordered his lightly equipped archers to rush forward with swords and axes, and the unencumbered Englishmen massacred the French. Almost 6,000 Frenchmen lost their lives during the Battle of Agincourt, while English deaths amounted to just over 400. With odds greater than three to one, Henry had won one of the great victories of military history. After further conquests in France, Henry V was recognized in 1420 as heir to the French throne and the regent of France. He was at the height of his powers but died just two years later of camp fever near Paris. Related Videos Battle of Agincourt | Article about Battle of Agincourt by The Free Dictionary Battle of Agincourt | Article about Battle of Agincourt by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Agincourt (äzhăNko͞or`), modern Fr. Azincourt, village, Pas-de-Calais dept., N France. There, during the Hundred Years War Hundred Years War, 1337–1453, conflict between England and France.

Causes Its basic cause was a dynastic quarrel that originated when the conquest of England by William of Normandy created a state lying on both sides of the English Channel. In the 14th cent. ..... Click the link for more information. , Henry V Henry V, 1387–1422, king of England (1413–22), son and successor of Henry IV. Early Life Henry was probably brought up under the care of his uncle, Henry Beaufort. ..... Click the link for more information. of England with some 6,000 men defeated a French army six times that size on Oct. 25, 1415. His success, which was due mainly to the superiority of the masses of English longbow men over the heavily armored French knights, demonstrated the obsolescence of the methods of warfare of the age of chivalry. The victory enabled the English to conquer much of France. The battle is the central scene of Shakespeare's drama Henry V.

Bibliography Battle of Poitiers September 19 1356 Reenactment of the Battle of Agincourt 592nd Anniversary 25th October 1415 | 22 July 2007* Six members of the Medieval Combat Society traveled to Azincourt, France to commemorate and reenact the Battle of Agincourt fought on the 25th October 1415 between the English led by king Henry Vth and the French led by king Charles VI. The English were outnumbered by around three to one and had suffered from illness and long marches. Through the use of their tactics and the longbow, the English inflicted a resounding defeat over the French. Today the battle at Azincourt reflects a battle of the hundred years war to represent the victories and defeats of both sides during the war, *and is celebrated in July when the weather is generally fairer.

Prelude to the battle of Agincourt English Knight from the time of the battle of Agincourt, from the Azincourt museum The English March to Calais Henry Vth invaded France on 15th August 1415 with the intention of recovering lands lost by England to France, and besieged Harfleur with about 12,000 men, capturing it on the 22nd September 1415. The English left Harfleur on 7th October and marched with about 7,000 men to the English stronghold of Calais. The French had assembled an army and stopped the English from crossing the river Somme, forcing the English army further along the river from Calais, until they finally crossed at Voyenne. The French avoided giving battle waiting for more soldiers to arrive. On the 24th October both armies faced each other ready for battle between the villages of Tramecourt and Agincourt. On the 25th October the French intended to delay with negotiations, and the English army waited for the French advance, as they had done in many previous battle during the hundred years war.

It is thought that the archers were positioned on the flanks of the army with stakes driven in the ground before them to stall cavalry charges. The English army Front - North West English Left Wing The English army at Agincourt is thought to have numbered about 6,000 men, consisting of 1000 men-at-arms who fought on foot, as was the usual English tactic in the hundred years war, and let the French attack the English. The remainder was 5,000 archers with the English longbow. King Henry Vth commanded the centre with men ranked about four deep. The Lord Camoys lead the left wing and the Duke of York the right wing. The archers were positioned either on the wings of the whole army or on the wings of each of the units of men at arms. The English had no reserve. The French army Rear - North West French Right Wing The numbers of the French army vary considerably from 9,000 to 36,000 men, but it is thought by many that they outnumbered the English by 3 to 1.

The French army consisted of 3 battles of 6,000 men each, although it is thought that the first may have grown to 9,000 men. 4-6,000 French crossbow men and archers were positioned before the main army. The French were awaiting the arrival of the Dukes of Brittany, Anjou and Brabant each commanding an additional 1-2,000 men. The first battle had cavalry on the flanks with men at arms on foot in the centre. The French tactic as advised by d'Albret and Boucicaut was to le the English starve or for them to attack the French. The English army advance The armies assembled, probably around 07:00 and waited with neither side moving until about 11:00. The English were running low on food and suffering dysentery and needed to engage the French or march off, so Henry advanced bringing the French within range of the longbows and began the battle. The army was flanked on each side by forest and the new position was slightly narrower thus preventing flanking attacks by the larger French army.

It is possible that English archers were within the woodlands Agincourt Battlefield looking from where the English line advanced, to the French Encampment The French cavalry attack The arrows coming down into the French ranks caused the French cavalry on each wing to charge towards the English, but the French were not prepared and the attack was not at full strength, and they were funneled into a frontal assault and the stakes set by the english archers, all the while thousands of arrows rained down upon them. The attack failed and the remaining cavalry rode back to the French army. The French men-at-arms attack This was followed up by the French army of dismounted men who marched across muddy recently ploughed ground wet from recent rain and churned up by the cavalry charge. The men at arms were keen to fight the English and capture English nobles for ransom thus the French aimed at each of the English armies, with the English archers loosing arrows into their flanks behind their stakes as they advanced. However the space between the woodlands narrowed as they reached the English lines compressing the army as it moved forwards giving them little room to fight.

By the time the attack reached the English, the French army had lost a lot of momentum, but initially pushed the English army back. The two lines battled at each other, with the French rear ranks pushing forwards with eagerness to fight. The Duke of Alencon killed the Duke of York, and attacked Henry Vth knocking one of the florets from his crown, however the Duke of Alencon had become cut off and was cut down by one of Henry's bodyguards whilst trying to surrender. The archers then joined in the hand to hand combat attacking the French flanks. The first army faltered and retreated. The French second French army attack The second army consisting of many of those who had arrived late attacked , but many fled after seeing the ferocity of the fight. The Duke of Brabant who hastily entered the fight had his throat cut as he was not recognised as a noble after he had hastily armoured and borrowed a tabard of a servant. The second army was quickly defeated. The English took a huge number of prisoners, possibly exceeding their own numbers, who were passed to the rear and piles of bodies littered the battlefield. The third French army stood ready to attack.

The French assault the English baggage The Lord of Agincourt what may have been a flanking attack against the English baggage train, which was lightly defended. At the same time the Counts of Marle and Fauquemberghes led a counter attack with around 600 men. Henry thinking himself attacked from the front and rear ordered the killing of all but the most noble of prisoners. The English men-at-arms refused so the job was given to 200 archers. It is unknown how many prisoners were killed but the third French army never attacked, and after it was seen that the French army were retreating from the battlefield the killings were ordered stopped. The Battle Aftermath Around 7-10,000 French lay dead on the battlefield, and were 1,500 prisoners returned to England for ransom, many of which could not afford to pay their ransoms and never returned. English losses were thought to be around 1-500 men including Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, a grandson of Edward III. The English army continued and arrived in Calais on the 29th October 1415.

Crecy Windmill Archers Salute at the site of the Battle of Crecy, the victory of Edward III against the French in 1346 The Archers Salute Legend has it that the French threatened to cut the first two fingers off of each hand of any archers that they captured to stop them pulling the longbow. To show that they had not been captured and to taunt the French, the English archers were said to wave these two fingers at the French. It is often said that Froissard makes reference of the English waving their fingers at the French, but there is no evidence for this in his works. In the second half of the XVth century, Jean de Wavrin or Jehan de Wavrin (also pronounced Waurin) (1400-1471), a noble knight from Artois who witnessed the battle of Agincourt and wrote 'Recueil des Croniques et Anchiennes Istories de la Grant Bretaigne, a present nommé Engleterre' or 'A collection of the chronicles and ancient histories of Great Britain, now called England'.

In it he gives the best evidence for a the reason of an archers salute, however it is based on 3 fingers: Based on the Translation of William Hardy and Edward Hardy, 1887 "These things being arranged, the King went along the ranks to see if nothing was wanting to the work of his army; and made fine speeches everywhere begging them to do well; saying that he had come into France to recover his rightful heritage, and that he had good and just cause for so doing; saying further that they should remember that they were born of the realm of England, where they had been brought up, and where their fathers, mothers, wives and children were living; wherefore it became them to exert themselves, that they might return with great joy and approval.

And he told them how the French were boasting that they would cut off three fingers of the right hand of all the archers that should be taken prisoner to the end that neither man nor horse should ever again be killed with their arrows." The earliest reference to the V sign in the 16th Century by François Rabelais in his comic epic, Gargantua And Pantagruel (1532), in which he described a duel of gestures between two characters, Panurge and Thaumast: "Then (Panurge) stretched out the forefinger and middle finger or medical of his right hand, holding them asunder as much as he could, and thrusting them towards Thaumast... Thaumast began then to wax somewhat pale, and to tremble..." The first photographic evidence for the V sign as an offensive gesture comes from a photograph of 1901. Another fallacy is that the two fingered salute originated from the 1970's, this probably dates from 1971, when Harvey Smith gave the two fingered salute to the judges at a show jumping competition, it was at this point that it was considered not too obscene to show be shown on television broadcasts.

Another unlikely reason put forward for the two fingered salute is that it represents the V of the arrow nock, whereby the English bowstrings were thinner and the French could not knock the arrows of the English and return any collected. The one fingered salute (or in the USA known as giving the bird), is not related to the archers of England and dates from at least the Roman times where it represent the penis. The term 'Plucking the Yew' as the basis of a swear word is also incorrect. Fact or myth it is an interesting story that reenactors like to recount. Practicing at the Archery butts, from the Luttrel Psalter 1325-1340 English Encampment outside Agincourt museum, Azincourt Agincourt: The King, the Campaign, the Battle: Amazon.co.uk: Juliet Barker: 9780316726481: Books Juliet Barker Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Apple To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.

or Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . Product details Publisher: Little, Brown; 1st edition (6 Oct. 2005) Language: English Product Dimensions: 15.9 x 4.4 x 24.1 cm Average Customer Review: Product Description Review ... a lively, stimulating account of this bloody day of battle. It is full of both serious research and entertaining gems. Barker makes the politics of the Hundred Years (War lucidly comprehensible.') Erica Wagner, The Times ('History writ fine, overflowing with extraordinary details...a milestone in Agincourt studies') Independent ('She brings vividly to life scenes such as the ceremonial surrender of Harfleur at the outset of the campaign, or the extraordinary pageant mounted by the city of London to celebrate the victorious king's return.') Richard Barber, Literary Review ('Juliet Barker tells this story beautifully. If you buy just one book of history this year, choose this one.

It will make a wonderful Christmas present for it is a handsome book, well illustrated, but above all, it is a great story and Juliet Barker has w) Book Description One of the most successful history hardbacks of 2005/6. A stunning chronicle of the Battle of Agincourt -- with Hastings, Waterloo and Trafalgar, one of the four great battles in Anglo-French history. By J. Chippindale TOP 1000 REVIEWER on 20 July 2006 Format: Paperback I found this book extremely readable and very entertaining. Not something you can say about a lot of historical tomes. The author gives a compelling account of the actual battle. So much so that the smell of the horses, the blood and gore and all the other noxious smells that are part and parcel of a battlefield seem to pervade the readers nostrils. However the book is not just about the battle itself but also about the participants particularly the English King, scheming churchmen and murderous Dukes. The knightly heroes, cowards, surgeons and spies. The book has them all. The author has made it possible for history to be enjoyed by a wider audience, rather than the academic.

History has always been interesting. Books written like this one will make many more readers aware of that fact. 67 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again By JPS TOP 500 REVIEWER on 14 Jun. 2012 Format: Paperback This is simply a superb book or history as it should be written for a wide audience. Unsurprisingly, it has attracted many reviews and about 80% of them rate this book a well-deserved five stars. It has many qualities and I am quite sure that I am going to miss at least a few of them in the next few paragraphs. One is that it is not only about the battle itself. Rather, it replaces it in the much wider context of a whole campaign conducted by a recently drown king who needed a victory to establish his somewhat controversial claim to the throne of England.

Another is that it helps to explain what is one of the most crushing and well known of all victories won largely against the odds (at least on paper), whith the English army being outnumbered more than 2 to 1, cornered and force to fight for its survival - a somewhat similar scenario as that of the battle of Crécy in 1346 but with an even more devasting outcome perhaps (for the French, of course). A third is that this book is also in a way the introduction to the author's next book which tells the rest of the story - largely what happened after Azincourt - in her "English Kingdom of France" which is just as superb a read as this one. A fourth quality is that this book almost reads like a novel despite being a high quality and highly researched piece of scholarship. I bought this book some 6 years ago and could not put it down when reading it. I picked it up again quite recently to write a review on it and ended up rereading it from cover to cover and still unable to put it down before I had finished it once again. Read more › Comment 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again By J. Chippindale on 17 Mar. 2007 Format: Hardcover I found this book extremely readable and very entertaining. Not something you can say about a lot of historical tomes. The author gives a compelling account of the actual battle. So much so that the smell of the horses, the blood and gore and all the other noxious smells that are part and parcel of a battlefield seem to pervade the readers nostrils. However the book is not just about the battle itself but also about the participants particularly the English King, scheming churchmen and murderous Dukes. The knightly heroes, cowards, surgeons and spies. The book has them all. The author has made it possible for history to be enjoyed by a wider audience, rather than the academic. History has always been interesting. Books written like this one will make many more readers aware of that fact. Comment 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again By Mr. Andrew Dennis on 22 Feb.

2007 Format: Paperback One of the cover endorsements says something like: "If you read only one history book this year, make it this one". I'd totally agree. Everyone thinks they know something about Agincourt, but the more one reads the more one realises how little on knew. The anglo / french geopolotics leading to the battle are byzantine and fascinating. The author lucidly outlines the lead-up to the campaigne and contextualises in a way that is easy to understand without trivialisation. The narrative zooms in from the "big picture" to some of the real and personal experiences of players (noble and otherwise) on both sides. Can't wait to see what she tackles next. Comment 19 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again By Mr. N. P. House on 23 Dec. 2012 Format: Paperback I bought this book on a whim - I knew nothing of Agincourt beyond the name.

Now I know where the battle took place and when, why it took place and how it was fought who was involved (and who was not involved). However the book covers the battle itself in only a few pages towards the end of the book. Subtitled: The King, The Campaign, The Battle. This book tells you more than just the events of the famous battle of Agincourt. It introduces you to King Henry V and tells of the uncertainties of the time in his early battles against his renegade Dukes and constant watchfulness on the Scots. Most of the book is about the preparation and funding and includes some fascinating details on the following topics: Henry V was a great King, and a very religious man who believed he had God on his side and was fighting a Just War. War was made a national pass time with everyone training in the long bow and the nation always fighting the French, Scots or Welsh rebels. Chivalry. This enabled Henry to take someone prisoner and release them to find their ransom (if he chose) or to keep them prisoner without ransom if it better sought his purposes. The role of heralds of both sides on the battle fields as reporters of who did what.

The ordinances or rules of invasion by which Henry controlled the behaviour of his soldiers and for which the English were reknowned (morality of war). Despite covering fascinating topics in detail I found the book overlong and as another reviewer has pointed out - A good few paragraphs get bogged down with number crunching ... throughout the whole book. History buffs may well give if 5 stars for such meticulous detail, but this doesn't suit the casual reader like myself. Mind you those topics I found interesting I found very interesting and am likely to investigate further. Just remember this book is about more than the battle of Agincourt alone. Comment 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Question: Which King of England defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt?
Answer: Henry the Fifth