After the victory, Henry continued his march to Calais and arrived back in England in November to an outpouring of nationalistic sentiment. Read more about the Battle of Agincourt in this article. Corrections? However, historian Ralph Griffiths suggests that it was in fact a close-run and far from decisive battle. On October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Yearsâ War (1337-1453) between England and France, Henry V (1386-1422), the young king of England, led his forces to ⦠When the French rejected Henry’s substantial territorial demands, he arrived in Normandy in August 1415 with a force of about 12,000 men and laid siege to the city of Harfleur. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. On the morning of October 25, the battle commenced. Commanded by Vice Admiral Nelson, the onslaught broke the allied line and exposed its center and rear to ...read more, One of the most renowned kings in English history, Henry V (1387-1422) led two successful invasions of France, cheering his outnumbered troops to victory at the 1415 Battle of Agincourt and eventually securing full control of the French throne. Agincourt (band), a 1960s English psychedelic folk band "Agincourt Carol", an English folk song; The Empress of Agincourt, an RSD-17 locomotive of the Canadian Pacific Railway Battle of Agincourt. Battle of Agincourt, (October 25, 1415), decisive battle in the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) that resulted in the victory of the English over the French. The city capitulated within six weeks, but the siege was costly. The battle at Crécy shocked European leaders because a small but disciplined English force fighting on foot had overwhelmed the finest cavalry in Europe. At least one scholar puts the French army at no more than 12,000, indicating that the English were outnumbered 2 to 1. It continued as a series of battles, sieges, and disputes throughout the 14th century, with both the French and the English variously taking advantage. Enter KING HENRY, BEDFORD, and GLOUCESTER KING HENRY V Gloucester, 'tis true that we are in great danger; The greater therefore should our courage be. The Battle of Agincourt was immortalized by William Shakespeare in his play Henry V. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Napoleon rose through the ranks of the French army during the French Revolution, seized control of the ...read more, On October 14, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings in England, King Harold II (c.1022-66) of England was defeated by the Norman forces of William the Conqueror (c.1028-87). By most contemporary accounts, the French army was also significantly larger than the English, though the exact degree of their numerical superiority is disputed. The English army, led by King Henry V, famously achieved victory in spite of the numerical superiority of its opponent. The battle repeated other English successes in the Hundred Years’ War, such as the Battle of Crécy (1346) and the Battle of Poitiers (1356), and made possible England’s subsequent conquest of Normandy and the Treaty of Troyes (1420), which named Henry V heir to the French crown. The battle probably lasted no longer than three hours and was perhaps as short as half an hour, according to some estimates. At this point, Henry ordered his lightly equipped archers to rush forward with swords and axes, and the unencumbered Englishmen massacred the French. This resounding triumph made Henry the diplomatic arbiter of Europe: it won him a visit (1416) from the Holy Roman emperor Sigismund, with whom he made a treaty of alliance at Canterbury (1416) and whose influence was used to detach Genoa…, Richemont fought at Agincourt in 1415, where he was wounded and captured by the English victors, who, allied with the Burgundians, sought to unite France and England under the English crown. By the end of the bloody, all-day battle, Harold was dead and his forces were destroyed. The Battle of Poitiers was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War.It was fought on 19 September 1356 in Nouaillé, near the city of Poitiers in Aquitaine, western France. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. After further conquests in France, Henry V was recognized in 1420 as heir to the French throne and the regent of France. Early in the morning on October 25 (the feast day of St. Crispin), 1415, Henry positioned his army for battle on a recently plowed field bounded by woods. The English camp at Agincourt. Battle of Crécy, (August 26, 1346), battle that resulted in victory for the English in the first decade of the Hundred Yearsâ War against the French. The struggle began in 1337 when King Edward III of England claimed the title “King of France” over Philip VI and invaded Flanders. When Henry V acceded to the English throne in 1413, there had been a long hiatus in the fighting. It lasted longer than Henry had anticipated, and his numbers were significantly diminished as a result of casualties, desertions, and disease. This was an innovative technique that the English had not used in the Battles of Crécy and Poitiers. Common estimates place the English army at about 6,000, while the French army probably consisted of 20,000 to 30,000 men. Blows away the Braveheart battle speech. 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. When the first French line reached the English front, the cavalry were unable to overwhelm the archers, who had driven sharpened stakes into the ground at an angle before themselves. The field that the French had to cross to meet their enemy was muddy after a week of rain and slowed their progress, during which time they endured casualties from English arrows. Kenneth Branagh's masterpiece film of the Shakespeare classic play. God Almighty! Agincourt came on the back of half a century of military failure and gave the English a success that repeated victories such as Crécy and Poitiers. England had been fraught with political discord since Henry IV of the house of Lancaster (father of Henry V) had usurped the throne from Richard II in 1399. He decided to march his army northeast to Calais, where he would meet the English fleet and return to England. The French were met by a furious bombardment of artillery from the English archers, who wielded innovative longbows with a range of 250 yards. The Battle of Agincourt served as the focal point of William Shakespeare’s play “Henry V.”. The English were not in an ideal condition to fight a battle. 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. Fighting commenced at 11:00 am, as the English brought their longbows within killing range and the first line of French knights advanced, led by cavalry. Updates? Moreover, with this outcome Henry V strengthened his position in his own kingdom; it legitimized his claim to the crown, which had been under threat after his accession. Battle of Agincourt. Thinking it was an attack from the rear, Henry had the French nobles he was holding prisoner killed. From July 10 through October 31, 1940, pilots and support crews on both sides took to the ...read more, The Battle of Saratoga occurred in September and October, 1777, during the second year of the American Revolution. https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/battle-of-agincourt. He argues that contemporaries exaggerated Henryâs achievements in France. However, at Agincourt a vast French army of some 20,000 men stood in his path, greatly outnumbering the exhausted English archers, knights and men-at-arms. The Agincourt Carol, dating from around this time and possibly written for Henry’s reception in London, is a rousing celebration of the might of the English. On August 26, 1346, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), the army of England’s King Edward III (1312-77) annihilated a French force under King Philip VI (1293-1350) at the Battle of Crecy in Normandy. Battle of Agincourt: Aftermath ; On October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Yearsâ War (1337-1453) between England and France, Henry V (1386-1422), the ⦠Unable to cross the Somme River because of French defenses, he was forced to take a detour inland and cross farther upstream. While the precise number of casualties is unknown, it is estimated that English losses amounted to about 400 and French losses to about 6,000, many of whom were noblemen. This would prevent maneuvers that might overwhelm the English ranks. There is some soul of goodness in things evil, Would men observingly distil it out. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Almost 6,000 Frenchmen lost their lives during the Battle of Agincourt, while English casualties stood around several hundred. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). His portrayal in three of ...read more, Dunkirk is a small town on the coast of France that was the scene of a massive military campaign during World War II. Done in High Definition. The situation in England, coupled with the fact that France was weakened by its own political crisis—the insanity of Charles VI had resulted in a fight for power among the nobility—made it an ideal moment for Henry to press his claims. Battle of Agincourt, October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Years' War. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Despite the odds against him, Henry had won one of the great victories in military history. A truce had been formally declared in 1396 that was meant to last 28 years, sealed by the marriage of the French king Charles VI’s daughter to King Richard II of England. He was the last ...read more, Part of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15), the Battle of Trafalgar featured a clash of Franco-Spanish and British fleets off the western mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar. The battle, which saw an early use of the deadly longbow by the English, ...read more, The Battle of Waterloo, which took place in Belgium on June 18, 1815, marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. The next line of French knights that poured in found themselves so tightly packed (the field narrowed at the English end) that they were unable to use their weapons effectively, and the tide of the battle began to turn toward the English. All Rights Reserved. Contemporary accounts describe the triumphal pageantry with which the king was received in London on November 23, with elaborate displays and choirs attending his passage to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Departing from Harfleur on October 8, Henry marched northward toward the English-held port of Calais, where he would disembark for England, with a force of 1,000 knights and men-at-arms and 5,000 archers. The Hundred Years’ War was a discontinuous conflict between England and France that spanned two centuries. Since then there had been tension between the nobility and the royal house, widespread lawlessness throughout the kingdom, and several attempts on Henry V’s life. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. It included two crucial battles, fought eighteen days apart, and was a decisive victory for the Continental Army and a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary ...read more, The Battle of Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, occurred on September 17, 1862, at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Generals at the Battle of Saratoga: Major General John Burgoyne commanded the British and German force.Major General Horatio Gates and Brigadier Benedict Arnold commanded the American army. The French nobility, weakened by the defeat and divided among themselves, were unable to meet new attacks with effective resistance. During the Battle of Dunkirk from May 26 to June 4, 1940, some 338,000 British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk to ...read more, The Battle of Britain in World War II was between Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Luftwaffe, Nazi Germany’s air force, and was the first battle in history fought solely in the air. Henry V ruled England from 1413 until his death in 1422 and is one of England's most popular kings. The third line of the French army, recoiling at the pile of corpses before them and unable to make an effective charge, was then massacred swiftly. The Battle of Agincourt (October 25, 1415), decisive battle in the Hundred Yearsâ War that resulted in the victory of the English over the French. In 1418 the Burgundian party recovered control of Paris, and…, …and the great victory of Agincourt (October 25, 1415). Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, Henry V and the resumption of the Hundred Years’ War, “That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day”, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Agincourt, The National Archives - The Battle of Agincourt, Eye Witness to History.com - The Battle of Agincourt, Battle of Agincourt - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Good morrow, brother Bedford. He was at the height of his powers but died just two years later of camp fever near Paris. Kublai Khan In Battle, 1287 A Medieval Murder, 1300 The Black Plague, 1348 The Flagellants Attempt to Repel the Black Death, 1349 The Battle of Agincourt, 1415 The Sack of Constantinople, 1453 Columbus Discovers America, 1492 The Death of Pope Alexander VI, 1503 Michelangelo Paints the Sistine Chapel The Death of Magellan, 1521 Henry V, painting by an unknown artist; in the National Portrait Gallery, London. On October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) between England and France, Henry V (1386-1422), the young king of England, led his forces to victory at the Battle of Agincourt in northern France. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. It pitted Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia against Union General George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac and was ...read more. Did you know? …Crécy, had the same result—at Agincourt the French suffered yet another major defeat, after which, characteristically, the English withdrew—but the civil war in France enabled Henry V to exploit his strength, as Edward III had not been able to do. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2019 with bachelor's degrees in English Language and Literature and Medieval Studies. Richemont remained a prisoner in England until 1420, when he was released on parole and threw his…. This suggests that the French could have outnumbered the English 5 to 1. The English army, led by King Henry V, achieved victory in spite of the numerical superiority of its opponent. Most importantly, the battle was a significant military blow to France and paved the way for further English conquests and successes. However, a need to reassert his authority at home (as well as his own ambition and a sense of justice) led Henry V to renew English claims in France. Famed for his victory over the French at the 1415 battle of Agincourt, during the Hundred Yearsâ War with France, the king is remembered for his military abilities. After further conquests in France, Henry V was recognized in 1420 as heir to the French throne and the regent of France. Henry managed to subjugate Normandy in 1419, a victory that was followed by the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, which betrothed Henry to King Charles VI’s daughter Catherine and named him heir to the French crown. The delay allowed a large French force, led by the constable Charles d’Albret and the marshal Jean II le Meingre (called Boucicaut), to intercept him near the village of Agincourt on October 24. It was scanned out of Sir Nicolas Nicholas Harris, History of the Battle of Agincourt and of the Expedition of Henry the Fifth into France in 1415 to which is added the Roll of the Men at Arms in the English Armory, 3rd edition (London: Johnston & co., 1833). Eventually the archers abandoned their longbows and began fighting hand-to-hand with swords and axes alongside the men-at-arms. Landing at Harfleur in northern France, they besieged the town. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle That Made England, a 2005 book by Juliet Barker; Agincourt, a 2008 book by Bernard Cornwell; Other uses. At issue was the question of the legitimate succession to the French crown as well as the ownership of several French territories. The terrain favoured Henry’s army and disadvantaged its opponent, as it reduced the numerical advantage of the French army by narrowing the front. The English stood their ground as French knights, weighed down by their heavy armor, began a slow advance across the muddy battlefield. Omissions? Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They had been weakened by the siege at Harfleur and had marched over 200 miles (more than 320 km), and many among them were suffering from dysentery. Agincourt has gone down in history as a legendary victory for England and for Henry. I haven't tracked down a copy of that book in order to check the author's sources. French cavalrymen tried and failed to overwhelm the English positions, but the archers were protected by a line of pointed stakes. The effect of the victory on national morale was powerful. After five weeks the town surrendered, but Henry lost half his men to disease and battle casualties. As the English were collecting prisoners, a band of French peasants led by local noblemen began plundering Henry’s baggage behind the lines. His men-at-arms were stationed in the centre, flanked by wedges of archers who carried longbows that had an effective range of 250 yards (229 metres). Julia Martinez was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopaedia Britannica. 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