Battle of Agincourt

Setting the scene

By 1415, the Hundred Years' War had resumed after a long truce. Henry V of England, a vigorous young king, claimed the French throne and invaded France in August 1415, capturing Harfleur after a siege. His army, reduced by disease to about 6,000-9,000 men (mostly longbowmen), marched toward Calais. A much larger French army, perhaps 12,000-36,000 (including 10,000 knights), blocked his path near Agincourt in northern France on October 25, St. Crispin's Day.

What happened

Henry deployed his men in a narrow defile between woods, with stakes protecting his archers. The French, overconfident, attacked across muddy ground churned by recent rain. French knights, weighed down by armor, struggled through mud and were slaughtered by English longbows at point-blank range. The French vanguard was crushed, and subsequent waves piled onto the dead, suffocating. Henry ordered the killing of French prisoners when he feared a renewed attack, a controversial decision. English losses were perhaps 400; French losses were 6,000-10,000, including many nobles.

Why it still matters

The Battle of Agincourt was a stunning English victory that made Henry V a legend and was immortalized by Shakespeare's 'we few, we happy few, we band of brothers' speech. It demonstrated again the longbow's dominance and the folly of French chivalric tactics. Agincourt led to the Treaty of Troyes (1420), making Henry heir to the French throne. However, Henry died in 1422, and his infant son Henry VI lost everything. Agincourt's mythic status in English history overshadows its limited strategic impact—it was a tactical masterpiece but did not win the war. The battle remains a symbol of English martial prowess and the power of the common archer over the aristocratic knight.

Background

The Battle of Agincourt was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected victory of the vastly outnumbered English troops over the French army boosted English morale, crippled France, and began a new period of English dominance in the war. This advantage lasted for 14 years, until England was defeated by France in 1429 during the Siege of Orléans. The battle is closely associated with longbow effectiveness.