Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt, fought on October 25, 1415, stands as a pivotal conflict during the Hundred Years' War and is often viewed as a significant moment in the transition from traditional knightly warfare to more modern military tactics. Taking place in northern France, the battle saw the English army, led by King Henry V, confront a much larger French force of approximately 20,000 to 30,000 troops with about 5,500 archers and 800 to 1,000 men-at-arms. The English capitalized on the muddy terrain, which impeded the heavily armored French soldiers and negated their numerical advantage.
The battle unfolded with English archers utilizing their longbows to devastating effect, causing chaos among the French ranks and contributing to a high casualty rate among the French nobility. The English victory was attributed to several factors, including the tactical use of terrain, the effectiveness of long-range archery, and the French army's rigid command structure and adherence to traditional combat methods. Following Agincourt, the morale of the French forces declined, paving the way for further English advances in France, including the capture of Calais. The battle remains a symbol of military strategy and the shifting dynamics of warfare in the late Middle Ages.
Battle of Agincourt
Type of action: Ground battle in the Hundred Years’ War
Date: October 25, 1415
Location: Agincourt, northeastern France
Combatants: 6,300-6,500 English vs. 20,000-30,000 French
Principal commanders: English, King Henry V (1387–1422); French, various nobles
Result: Complete victory for the English over the French
The Battle of Agincourt was the most important military engagement in northern Europe during the late Middle Ages. In hindsight, it can be seen as the transition between the age of knighthood and the period after 1500, which was dominated by disciplined infantry using pikes and guns. Agincourt marks the beginning of a string of English victories (1415–1429) during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453).
King Henry V, who assumed the throne in 1413, was determined to capture all France. After capturing the port of Harfleur in Normandy on September 22, 1415, he intended to lead an overland march of 160 miles to Calais. A large army of Armagnacs—nobles loyal to King Charles VI and enemies of the Burgundians—followed the English and finally blocked their path near Agincourt. When Henry, whose forces numbered about 5,500 archers and 800 to 1,000 men-at-arms, saw the French army of 20,000 to 30,000 in the distance, flanked by heavy woods, he ordered his army to advance to within range of the bows (300 yards).
Fearing encirclement by the enemy cavalry, Henry tried to entice the French to attack. The French were positioned in three ranks, each five or six men deep. Men-at-arms were in the front rank, dismounted knights in the second (with wedges of crossbowmen in front), and cavalry in the third. The French flanks were protected by cavalry, but their advance was hampered by the woods on either side. It had been raining, and the grounds between the road and the woods were freshly plowed, soaked fields. The English forces formed a line less than three-quarters of a mile wide. Lacking reserves, Henry placed his men-at-arms between wedges of archers, who carried about fifty arrows each, with the flanks on the line extended forward. The archers pounded stakes in the ground in front of them to meet the charging cavalry horses, which were protected only in the head and chest.
They discharged their arrows, provoking the French flank-cavalry to charge. Subsequent volleys caused the horses to bolt and throw their riders, and the stakes impaled many horses. Meanwhile, the first French men-at-arms, burdened by more than sixty pounds of steel armor, had advanced into the English center. The shower of arrows made them form columns, which had to dodge the retreating cavalry. They reached the English front but were unable to use their sawed-off lances and swords because of the restricted space and deep mud.
When the melee started, the second French line moved up, blocking the retreat of the first line of men-at-arms. The archers, low on arrows, dropped their bows and charged the helpless nobles with their knives, stabbing them in the face, groin, and armpit. Using maces, swords, and axes, the unarmored archers hacked the nobles to death. French peasants attacked the English camp a mile behind the battle site but were driven off. Fearing another attack in the rear at the same time as a charge from the third (mounted) line, Henry ordered his prisoners to be killed. As the French prisoners were being butchered and stripped, English forces easily defeated the third line.
About 7,000 to 10,000 French nobles and about 500 English died. The French defeat at Agincourt was caused by the poor choice of battlefield, limited experience with English archery, lack of unified command structure, and the inability to adapt to different enemy tactics. The French way of war was rooted in a social class, with its code of honor and stylized methods of combat.
Significance
After his success at Agincourt, Henry continued to Calais, which fell to him. The demoralized French did little to prevent the English conquest of Normandy. At Troyes in 1420, Henry became the heir to the crown of France.
Resources
Burne, A. The Agincourt War. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1956.
Curry, Anne. The Hundred Years War. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993.
Hibbert, C. Agincourt. New York: Dorset Press, 1978.
Keegan, J. The Face of Battle. New York: Military Heritage Press, 1976.
Seward, D. The Hundred Years War. London: Constable, 1996.
Wright, Nicholas. Knights and Peasants: The Hundred Years War in the French Countryside. Warfare in History Series. Rochester, New York: Boydell Press, 1998.