On the morning of October 25, 1415, King Henry
V of England and his army prepared for battle on the fields of Agincourt. Though outnumbered by the French, the English
army was confident in their King's leadership and abilities. Henry ordered his men to prepare for battle,
and the English army took up their positions, readying their weapons. The English longbowmen remained focused and
composed as the French cavalry charged towards them. The tension in the air only grew stronger
as the sound of the horses' hooves grew louder. Finally, the longbowmen drew back their bows,
their eyes fixed on the approaching enemy... During the early 15th century, England was
embroiled in a turbulent period of conflict and political instability. The Hundred Years' War had been raging for
decades, with England and France locked in an unending cycle of warfare. In the midst of this chaos, the Lancastrian
faction seized the throne, only to be met with a series of rebellions that threatened
to tear the country apart. It took several brutal campaigns by Henry
IV and his son to quash these uprisings and maintain their grip on power. Finally, when Henry IV breathed his last on
March 20, 1413, the mantle of the English throne passed on to his successor, Henry V,
who was crowned on April 9, 1413, amidst a fierce snowstorm that raged through the day
of the coronation at Westminster Abbey. Despite the ominous weather, the common folk
were torn between seeing it as a favourable sign or a harbinger of ill fortune. .
As the son of a usurper, Henry's position as ruler was far from secure in the early
years of his reign, and many nobles viewed him with suspicion. Conspiracies soon arose against him, but he
proved himself to be a shrewd and capable leader determined to consolidate his power
and maintain stability in his realm. As a result, Henry surrounded himself with
loyal and trustworthy advisors and took a personal interest in ensuring that justice
was done and lawlessness was eradicated . Despite these challenges, Henry V was driven
by a burning desire to reclaim the territories and rights of the English royal family in
France. He knew the truce between England and France
was unlikely to hold for long, and he eagerly sought opportunities to advance his ambitious
plans across the Channel. Meanwhile, France was beset by its political
crisis, as King Charles VI's insanity left the kingdom vulnerable to power struggles
among the nobility. Henry saw his chance to press his claims in
this fraught and unstable environment. In the latter part of 1414, a grand diplomatic
mission was dispatched to Paris to discuss prospects for peace. However, the demands made by Henry V were
considered outrageous by most. He wanted the terms of the Treaty of Bretigny
of 1360 to be fully reinstated and for England to recover all the territories it had lost
in Aquitaine, Poitou and Ponthieu. as well as a series of other demands. It is possible that Henry was trying to regain
English lands lost to France, but such preposterous demands may have been designed to ensure rejection. The King of England was convinced that his
claims were valid and just, and he was prepared to use force to take what he believed was
rightfully his if negotiations failed. Indeed, the preparation for war began well
before discussions with King Charles broke down in June 1415. Orders were issued to raise the largest English
army since the Battle of Crecy. Other feudal lords were called upon to supply
troops from their fiefs, and Henry himself recruited warriors from his royal lands. The assembled force at Southampton was around
12,000 strong, including a large contingent of archers. Unsurprisingly, King Charles' government refused
to concede to such astronomical demands, making war all but inevitable. After dealing with a plot to overthrow him
and executing the ringleaders, Henry V and his invasion force set sail from England on
August 11, 1415, in approximately 700 ships. Their first objective was to capture Harfleur,
a fortified port that had long been a source of trouble for England due to its location. Taking it would reduce the threat to English
ports and provide a critical base of operations in France. On August 14, King Henry's army landed near
the mouth of the River Seine, ready to begin their campaign. Losing no time, Henry led his troops to lay
siege to the city after his initial surrender demand was met with defiance. Despite the garrison being small, the resistance
put up by the defenders proved surprisingly tenacious, and the siege dragged on for six
weeks. During this time, the English forces were
decimated by frequent outbreaks of dysentery, which ultimately claimed the lives of almost
a third of the troops while leaving many others incapacitated. Finally, on September 22, Henry and his men
successfully took the city, leaving them to ponder their next move. However, there was little time to rest, as
the French army was gathering in Rouen, posing a severe threat to the English. With the campaigning season closing, Henry
knew he had to act quickly but faced a difficult decision. He couldn't risk marching to Paris, as the
army was too depleted, and such a move could provoke the French factions to reunite. At the same time, he couldn't just sail back
to England without achieving any more. The solution was to head towards the coast,
and the King wasted no time leading his forces out of Harfleur to mount a swift march to
Calais. Contrary to the urges of his advisors, King
Henry wanted to demonstrate his strength by pillaging northern France, as he believed
the lands belonged to him. However, the Constable of France, Charles
d'Albret, quickly caught up with Henry and urged local nobles to mobilize their retinues
and contain the invaders west of the Somme, intending to trap and crush them. After a few days of marching, the English
reached the river, only to find the French blocking their path. Henry's plan for a swift campaign began to
unravel with the French army gathering and closing in. The King was forced to lead his troops southwards
to avoid being surrounded. However, the French had already placed their
forces strategically; Charles d'Albret advanced with the main body, ready to intercept the
English. But, in a surprising turn of events, Henry
moved away from the river, heading southeast, which bewildered the French army. Finally, after more than a week of marching,
scouts found an unguarded ford, which allowed the English to cross the Somme and move around
the French position. Instead of marching along the coast, Henry's
campaign turned into a gruelling trek across France, taking its toll on his exhausted troops
. Hoping to evade the enemy, the King was caught off guard when French heralds delivered
a letter from Charles, announcing his intention to engage in battle, thus blocking his way
to Calais. Ignoring the French threats, the English King
marched his army north-west towards Calais, only to be informed by his scouts that the
Constable of France had successfully overtaken them and was blocking their path near a place
called Agincourt. Henry was now cut off. Both armies settled in for the night, with
the English army exhausted, hungry, and sick, while the French were confident of their imminent
victory. As night fell, King Henry enforced strict
discipline among his exhausted and ill soldiers, commanding silence in the camp to ensure they
remained alert for any surprise French attack. The miserable weather conditions of heavy
rain and cold only added to the men's discomfort. Yet, the King continued to tour the camp,
offering encouragement and boosting morale for the impending battle. The following morning, as the first light
broke, the French army began to deploy. But, simultaneously, the English soldiers
have already positioned themselves on the field, signalling their willingness to give
battle to the enemy. King Henry formed a defensive line, positioning
his dismounted men-at-arms at the centre, with small groups of archers between each
division. On either side, two large formations of longbowmen
were placed in a concave shape. The archers fixed sharp stakes in front of
them, strategically placed to impede the French cavalry. In response, Charles and his army formed two
lines of several thousand infantrymen and dismounted men-at-arms, with archers and crossbowmen
interspersed between the divisions. Cavalry units were positioned on the flanks,
while the third line consisted mainly of mounted men-at-arms. The exact number of troops for each side is
still debated today. Accounting for losses from Harfleur, Henry
was left with roughly 6,000 soldiers for the campaign, including about 1,000 men-at-arms
and 5,000 archers. The English army faced a formidable challenge
as they stood on the opposite end of the battlefield, peering across at the vast sea of French soldiers
that seemed to stretch on endlessly before them. The sheer number of their adversaries was
impressive for the time, with some estimates putting the French troops at anywhere from
12,000 to 15,000 strong. The English were outnumbered nearly three
to one. The impasse stretched for many hours, with
D'Albret in no rush and Henry vastly outnumbered. Both sides refused to budge, but the English
suffered from a lack of supplies, while the French were well-fed and comfortable. Elderly nobles suggested waiting out the English
until they were too weak to fight. As the day wore on, Henry knew he had to take
action before his exhausted men succumbed to sickness and hunger . The army went silent
for a few minutes until the King shouted the long-awaited order, "Banners, Advance!" in the name of Jesus and St. George. The army knelt to pray and kiss the earth,
then rose and trudged across the sodden field. Drums pounded, and the battle cry of "St.
George, St. George!" filled the air. The French divisions were caught off guard
by the English advance and scrambled to reorganize themselves. Just as it appeared that the two armies would
collide, Henry abruptly ordered his men to halt at the outer limit of the longbow range. The archers then began to swiftly reposition
the sharp wooden stakes in front of their line. After finishing, they retreated behind the
protective fence and unleashed a barrage of arrows into the massed ranks of the French. In response, D'Albret commanded his troops
to make their confessions, charge at the English and fight honourably. The French army dispatched mounted knights
on both flanks to ride ahead of the main line, intending to break through the English archers
and pave the way for the heavily armoured men-at-arms on foot. However, the muddy and ploughed field impeded
their progress, and they soon found themselves riding into a fierce barrage of arrows. The relentless arrows caused havoc among the
French knights, striking many down and causing their horses to panic and run back to the
safety of the French lines. The fleeing horses collided with the oncoming
infantry and broke their formation, scattering the men at arms and causing chaos. As a result of the failed cavalry charge,
the first French division was forced to slog through the mud under constant fire from the
English longbowmen. Some of the more inexperienced French nobles
believed that the sheer number of knights and men-at-arms would be enough to intimidate
the English soldiers, but they were mistaken. The French men-at-arms adhered to the code
of chivalry, insisting on facing their English counterparts in one-on-one combat, ignoring
the longbowmen on the flanks. By the time the French reached the English
line, they were exhausted, and many were wounded by arrows. Despite their weariness, the French were able
to push the English back with their sheer numbers, but the densely packed formation
made it difficult for them to wield their weapons effectively. Many could not lift their arms, and the visors
of their helmets limited their visibility, resulting in a flailing mass of armoured limbs
and weapons. The pressure from the rear of the first French
division forced those in the front off their feet, and many were trampled into the mud
by their comrades, unable to rise again. The dead and wounded piled up, creating a
gruesome obstacle that only made matters worse for the French. The arrival of the second French division
only added to the confusion, as their attempts to press forward from the back of the first
division only served to slow them down and create more chaos in the ranks. Despite their initial success, the French
could not capitalize on it, and the battle turned into a bloody and brutal struggle. As the English line grew weaker, the archers
abandoned their bows and charged forward into the brutal close combat, wielding their swords
and daggers. Their lighter armour gave them the agility
to move effortlessly through the mud, slicing through the French formation. With no reserves to spare, King Henry himself
fought alongside his troops, capturing many French soldiers to be held for ransom after
the battle. After two hours of intense fighting, the victory
was won. The surviving French soldiers retreated in
confusion towards the undecided third division. Meanwhile, a local French lord led a group
of knights and peasants towards the English camp, where they managed to capture the King's
extra crown. Fearing the possibility of being trapped between
two enemy forces, Henry ordered the prisoners to be executed to prevent any chance of a
third French attack. He then sent a messenger to the French third
division, demanding their withdrawal from the battlefield. The remaining French withdrew, leaving behind
a scene of carnage . Casualties on the English side were minimal, around 600, but on the
French side, the losses were catastrophic, exceeding 5000 men. Henry V's victory at Agincourt propelled him
to new heights of power as he expanded his territory and cemented his status as a significant
military leader. However, his crowning achievement came in
1420 when he negotiated the Treaty of Troyes, which recognized him as regent and heir apparent
to the French throne. Henry's reign was characterized by his military
prowess and attempts to bolster English culture and governance. He established a strong central government
and worked to promote the use of English in official documents and communication. Though his reign was cut short by his untimely
death at the young age of 36, Henry's legacy as a warrior king and defender of English
culture endures. The Battle of Agincourt remains a powerful
symbol of military strength and determination, a testament to the bravery and resilience
of the soldiers who fought in the battle, echoing through the centuries.
