On a warm August morning, clear sky above
the coast of Normandy announced the start of a pleasant summer's day. Some 5,000 inhabitants
of the port town of Harfleur, located close to the mouth of the river Seine, started their
daily routines. By noon, French fishermen dotted the open
sea, casting their nets just off the coast, when a horrifying sight appeared on the horizon.
A vast array of ships, heading south across the Channel. The anticipated English invasion, had finally come. The great victories at Crecy and Poitiers had brought vast expanses of French territory
under the English crown. This apparently endless war that began in
1337, was fought over English claims to the French throne and various English possessions
within France. But in the years since, most of these lands
were lost through a lack of determined initiative and the distraction of dynastic squabbles
at home, as well as the dark legacy of the Black Death that disrupted the social fabric
of most of Europe. By the early 15th century, only a patchwork of French territories were
still under English control. And now, in 1413, the 26-year old prince Henry
V, became the new king of England. Having inherited the throne from his father,
who overthrew the prior king Richard II, Henry’s position as ruler was far from secure in the
early years of his reign, as sections of the nobility viewed him as the son of a usurper.
Conspiracies soon arose against him… …although uncovered and ruthlessly supressed,
the political discord and tension between the nobility and the royal house was laid
bare. Nevertheless, Henry saw an opportunity to
both further reassert his authority at home and realize his ambitious plans abroad, by
looking across the Channel . France faced its own political crisis.
King Charles VI’s insanity weakened the kingdom, leaving the affairs of the state
unattended, resulting in a power struggle among the nobility.
Thisss… was the perfect moment for Henry to press his claims.
He not only demanded Aquitaine and the lands ceded to the English at the Treaty of Bretigny,
but also laid claim to former Angevin holdings of Brittany, Normandy, Maine, Anjou, and Touraine,
as well as Flanders, which has never been in English hands.
In addition, the French were to pay the outstanding 1.6 million crowns from the ransom of John
II, captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, and Henry would get Princess Catherine’s
hand in marriage, King Charles’ young daughter, along with a dowry of 2 million crowns – for
some perspective, the price of a warhorse would’ve been around 80 crowns. So the total
amount of 3.6 million that Henry asked for could buy 45,000 warhorses, an amount close
to 550 million dollars in today’s money. In return, the English king would renounce
his claim to the French throne, inherited from his great-grandfather Edward III, who
was a maternal grandson of the former French king, Philip IV.
Unsurprisingly, the government of King Charles, dysfunctional as it was, would not concede
to such astronomical demands, instead offering a dowry of 600,000 crowns and an enlarged
Aquitaine. The English saw this counter-offer as an insult,
claiming that the French had mocked their claims and ridiculed the King himself. Henry
seemingly believed that his claims were just, and in his mind if he could not get justice,
he would take by force what rightfully belonged to him.
True to form, his preparations for war started long before negotiations with Charles broke
down in June 1415. The wily English King used the protracted talks to secure the support,
or at least the neutrality of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, which would deprive the
French coast of maritime protection. And… on August 11th, with fair wind the
English fleet set sail for France. The first objective was Harfleur. The fortified
port had long been a thorn in England’s side, serving as a base for frequent raids
along the south coast. Capturing it would thereby reduce the threat against English
ports, and would serve as a vital base of operations into France, along with Calais,
situated further up the coast. On the afternoon of August 14th, King Henry’s
army landed near the mouth of the river Seine… Upon landing in Normandy, the decision was
made to surround the town and cut off possible reinforcements and supplies.
Henry’s brother, Thomas, Duke of Clarence, was sent to block off the eastern approach,
while the King remained to deploy the main body of the army.
Siege weapons and 12 guns had to be brought closer to the walls to be effective against
Harfleur’s strong defences. The town, with its 5000 inhabitants, was protected by 4 ½
metre thick walls, water defences, and 24 towers, with a well defended port, and a garrison
of 250 men. In his message, Henry demanded surrender,
attempting to instil fear in the minds of the populace by citing a biblical law that
gave him the right to put the townsfolk to the sword if they refused to yield, due to
his right to the French throne. Meanwhile, as Thomas advanced to surround
the town on the landward side, a relief force appeared.
300 French men-at-arms rode with haste towards the gates, under the command of Raoul de Gaucourt.
Although a small retinue, the presence of these professional soldiers would stiffen
the resolve of the populace. Determined to resist the invading army, the
French closed the sluice gates to inundate the valley to the north.
Harfleur would not yield to Henry’s demands for surrender…
Soon after, the English siege train unleashed hell on the town.
Over the course of a few days, the bombardment inflicted significant damage to the walls
and towers, with some projectiles reaching buildings in the middle of the town. The threat
of death from above became a daily occurrence for the inhabitants.
But the townsfolk and soldiers responded, manning the guns, catapults and engines on
the walls and bulwarks. They harassed and inflicted heavy losses on
Henry’s irreplaceable teams of gunners and siege engine crews, who had to get close to
the walls to be effective, thereby placing themselves in a vulnerable position well within
reach of the French. At night, the resilient defenders made frantic
repairs to their damaged defences, much to the astonishment and frustration of the English
besiegers. And by early September, some 15 days into
the siege, the summer heat turned the water in the flooded valley to the north into a
stagnant and foul, disease infested swamp. As the siege dragged on with little progress,
dysentery began ravaging the English army. The dire situation forced Henry to adopt urgent
measures. He ordered mines to be dug under the walls,
intending to collapse the tunnels to undermine the town’s defences.
However, his mining crews were frustrated by counter-tunnels, dug by the French.
The stubborn townsfolk would tunnel their way to intercept and damage the English works
and attack their crews, sabotaging all attempts to undermine the town’s walls. Above ground, the English king ordered the wooden towers to be brought up against the wall
to launch an assault on the town. But, by this time the siege went on for a
month. Although not lengthy by medieval standards, it required more time and resources than Henry
anticipated. Unsanitary conditions, polluted water supplies
and, as suggested by a contemporary chronicler, “bad effects of unripe fruit, grapes and
shellfish”, sapped the English army. And having thousands of men, horses, and other
animals in close proximity, along with the waste they produced, created conditions that
were ripe for infections. The outbreak of dysentery caused the death of many, while
many more fell ill. Earls, knights, esquires, and archers alike were incapacitated, with
many granted permission to return by ship to England to recover, once the siege was
over. However, reports of dysentery in Harfleur
indicated that the siege began taking its toll on the town as well.
But… despite privations, bombardment and disease, the defenders rallied, launching
a sortie on the English siege works. Led by Gaucourt, the French men-at-arms set
fire to Henry’s siege bastion, before retreating to the safety of the defences.
The English now faced the prospect of a prolonged stay under the walls of Harfleur.
For Henry, it was now or never! The King launched a desperate assault on the
bulwarks outside the main gate, supported by a constant rain of arrows.
English bowmen managed to set fire to one of the towers using flammable arrows, which
gave the dismounted men-at-arms the upper hand.
Fierce fighting ensued, as the French attempted to drive the English back. But, led by John
Holland, Earl of Huntingdon, the invaders took control of the gate fortifications, forcing
the defenders to retreat into the town. On the following day, the King demanded surrender
for the second time. Again, he was rejected. Frustrated, Henry sounded the trumpets for the troops to prepare a full assault, ordering
the remaining guns to maintain a steady bombardment and not allow the defenders any sleep.
Frightened of the prospect of the town being taken by storm, with the biblical law permitting
the slaughter of the inhabitants if they refused to surrender, sections of the population wavered.
Although he was determined to take the town by storm, Henry was relieved when the defenders
agreed to open negotiations. Talks continued for two days until, on September 18th, town
officials agreed to yield Harfleur if no relief force came by September 23rd.
Raoul de Gaucourt sent messages out, but received word that the French army had not yet gathered
enough troops to give battle. No help would come.
With no other choice, the Lord of Gaucourt surrendered the town on September 22nd. After Harfleur had capitulated, leading members of the defending garrison were set free, on the condition that they gave themselves up as prisoners at Calais. English officials were placed in charge of the town, allowing the French inhabitants to remain if they swore an oath of fealty to Henry, while the rest were expelled. The invaders, meanwhile, incurred heavy losses. A third of the English army was either dead
or incapacitated. Henry now had roughly 7,100 troops left at his disposal. After resting the men for a few weeks, the King garrisoned the town with 300 men-at-arms and 900 archers, before marching out into the rolling countryside of Normandy,
with 900 men-at-arms and 5,000 archers…
