The Battle of Agincourt

[Webb]

The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War.' The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France. Henry V's victory at Agincourt, against a numerically superior French army, crippled France and started a new period in the war during which Henry married the French king's daughter and then Henry's son, Henry VI, was made heir to the throne of France.

Henry V led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself as he suffered from severe, repeating illnesses and moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.

The battle is notable for the use of the English longbow, which Henry used in very large numbers, with English and Welsh archers forming most of his army. The battle is also the centrepiece of the play Henry V, by William Shakespeare.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother"

YouTube re-creation

A longbow bolt could kill from over 400 yards.

[SG-19]

Not long ago I saw an Archer using an English Long Bow, and he put several arrows through replica shields and armor of the period, and he was firing from 250 yards. Just to add a funny note. When the Eurostar trains were running from waterloo station some French groups demanded that we rename the station, the reason they gave was that they did not want to be reminded of Napoleons defeat at Waterloo. The opinion of my family friends and comrades at arms was OK, we'll rename it Agincourt.

[OldAirmail]

First, let me clearly state that I have absolutely no reason to believe this is a true story.

During a time of peace between the two great rivals, the French and the British, a French general and a British general were enjoying a fine meal together.

The French general asked the British general as to the origin of the bright red in the British uniform.

The British general replied that it would hide the blood if he were hit during a battle. His men would therefore have confidence and keep fighting.

Sometime later the French general excused himself for a few moments. When he was out of sight, he told his aid to order brown pants for all of his officers.

[Apex]

A most impressive video there.

Which brings some stories to mind:

Once when we wuz little kids, well, teenagers actually, we got Tom's bow and arrow set, the real thing now, and went out into the pine woods for a little game. Two of us would stand behind two separate pine trees, wide ones, mind you, and the third guy would shoot as close to the trees as possible. Well, those arrows would just whiz on by, and very close in, just the whizzing sound would up the hair on the back of your neck.

A very small taste of battle.

And then there's this: About ten years ago, when my neighbor to the north had a set of very thickly fronded palm trees on his side, one Sunday I come home about 5pm and see 5 arrows, the real thing, stuck in the grass near where I usually park.

I parked elsewhere, called the cops, sent them over. The cops later told me that the neighbors thought the trees would stop the arrows.

Had I driven up at the exact wrong moment, well, I could have been hit.

That would've been a bigger taste of battle.

[cardinalbrian]

Great post! To relive the moment I suggest renting 2 videos, the Laurence Olivier (1944) and the Kenneth Branagh (1989), Henry V and watch them back to back. Compare the bombastic wartime patriotism of the Olivier film, probably started in the dark days of WWII for the Brits and the slogging, workman like soldering of the Branagh one. And whistle the Te Deum on the way to the refrigerator as you refill your beer glass.

[FlexibleFlier]

Wonderful post and replies. It certainly reminds us of the fragility of the human ego.

Addendum: lest we forget, the Normans who invaded Britain in 1066 were French.

[cardinalbrian]

Actually Flexible Flyer, I don't think William considered himself French. If he was in fact French, then by conquering England it would have become part of France and belonged to the French Crown. Unless I'm mistaken, William claimed that he was an independent heir of a Norse claimed patch that had pledged loyalty (he paid taxes), but not accept the French Crown's Rule of Ownership over his possessions. Normandy (his fief) was a quasi-independent Duchy One result of this is: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom still claims the medieval French title of Duke of Normandy (Wikipedia).

[FlexibleFlier]

Absolutely correct, cardinabrian. My effort to be brief - even terse - left out too much information. The point I was trying to make is that the English have a long French Connection which, as you pointed out, lasts to this day. The good news? They are now more or less friends so an invasion, in either direction, is not immanent.

[H]

Vikings (Norsemen), the horde of Rollo, kept attacking along the Seine (not surprising that Vikings would do inseine things -- they often employed beserkers). To appease them, France gave them the area now known as Normandy. The ensuing generations quickly changed their speach from its old Scandinavian (much more akin to Anglo-Saxon than French) to Latinized French and continually tried to acquire more French land, even the throne, as well as elsewhere.
As you've indicated, William the Bastard continued the endeavor and became known as William the Conqueror, King of England, following 1066. This, then, escalated into the warfare between England and France from then on.

[logjam]

How can one be "absolutely" correct, when all we have to rely on are tapestries and ramblings of poets and playwrites? One thing is certain, those archers were bloody good, but I think they weren't encumbered with metal armor, preferring leather jerkins and methinks fleet of foot.

[cardinalbrian]

First, let me remark to the wonderfully elevated tenor of this discussion! Secondly, and for Logjam.... One of the elements that's notably missing from any of the tapestries is an image of a Frenchman wearing the crown of England. Not so of an Englishman (or self professed Welshman) wearing the Crown of France. No French King every held sway over a county or shire of Britain. But there was Aquitaine.. As for petty (but occasionally very bloody) contretemps among neighbors the English/French affairs can be compared to English/Scottish, English/Welsh, or English/Irish competitions. A pint to you all!

[Fozzer]

Even today, I fear for my life when crossing the Welsh Border from England on my Motor-bike on week-ends, for fear of encountering the wrath of Owen Glendower and his followers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Glynd%C5%B5r

Paul....Herefordshire to Powys...(and back!)... ...>>>> http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h ... CD8Q9QEwBg

King Offa of the Kingdom of Mercia had the right idea...>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa%27s_Dyke ..... ...!

[logjam]

I consider myself a great authority on this subject, as even though I bear a French name, my heritage is Welsh. By the way it’s OWAIN Glyndawr fach. If you also research Offa’s dyke, you’ll see it spread from sea to sea. That’s why the expression(when sunbathing) Sun Offa’s beach which is used in certain places even today.
O, BTW, did you know that it was a Welshman 1st discovered the North West Passage? The truth is, as you know, a ditch from sea to sea and filled with water, makes an Island. It seems that one Son Offa Beach, cruising for fish in his coracle, latched on to a monster Whale that towed him across the Atlantic, around the Northern tip of Canada and Alaska to what is now known as Haida Gwai, which in ancient language means “White Man.” The words actually used by the Welshman was Pida Dwide, (which sounds like Haida Gwai.) which the Welshman uttered as he lost the whale trying to land it. Pida Dwide is still used today (as every little welsh boy knows) when he can’t aim his bow and arrow properly and has to give up his French Fries (Chips). Also, this tale is used as an example to anyone trying to get a pint of beer in Wales on a Sunday as a warning not to tell long stories, unless their from Llanfairpwchgwyngychgolgerychwyndrobwrllantysiliogogogoch!

[H]

Llanfairpwchgwyngychgolgerychwyndrobwrllantysiliogogogoch!

As I finally realized pertaining to strange French spellings, France was populated by a much greater number of P Celtics (Gauls) respective to the germanic 'Frank' conquerors. Some Germans like to make one word out of a sentence -- and Celts threw in a string of letters -- assuming the correct ones must be in there somewhere.
As to the mention of no French king wearing an English crown, the Norman rulers were dukes (which they continued to put up in the face of other rulers/overlords in France), not kings, until William took the English crown.