The story of Agincourt, one of the most iconic battles in English history - how it was fought, how it has been remembered, and what it has come to mean

The overwhelming victory of Henry V's English army at Agincourt in October 1415 has passed into myth as one of the defining events of the Hundred Years War against France, as a feat of arms outshining the previous famous English victories at Crcy and Poitiers, and as a milestone in English medieval history. This epic story of how an exhausted, outnumbered army, commanded by an inspirational leader, crushed a huge French force on French soil has given rise to legends and misconceptions that make it difficult for us to reach a clear understanding of what really happened on the battlefield 600 years ago. But that is what Stephen Cooper attempts in this thoroughgoing, perceptive and fascinating reconstruction and reassessment of the battle and its history. In graphic detail he describes the battle itself and the military expedition that led to it. He examines the causes of the conflict and the controversies associated with it, and traces how the story of the battle has been told over the centuries, by eyewitnesses and chroniclers and by the historians of the present day.As featured in the Yorkshire Post, The Star (Sheffield) and Rotherham Advertiser.

Agincourt is one of the most famous battles in English history, a defining part of the national myth. This groundbreaking study by Mike Livingston, author of Never Greater Slaughter, presents a new interpretation of Henry V's great victory. 'It's quite a feat to write an account of England's most famous battle that makes the reader feel like they're experiencing history that is fresh, new and exhilarating.' Dan Snow King Henry V's victory over the French armies at Agincourt on 25 October 1415 is unquestionably one of the most famous battles in history. From Shakespeare's 'band of brothers' speech to its appearances in numerous films, Agincourt rightfully has a place among a handful of conflicts whose names are immediately recognized around the world. The English invasion of France in 1415 saw them take the French port of Harfleur after a long siege, following which Henry was left with a sick and weakened army, which he chose to march across Normandy to the port of Calais against the wishes of his senior commanders. The French had assembled a superior force and shadowed the English Army before finally blocking its route. The battle that followed was an overwhelming victory for the English, with the French suffering horrific casualties. Agincourt opened the door for Henry V's further conquests in France. Agincourt provides a new look at this famous battle. Mike Livingston goes back to the original sources, including the French battle plan that still survives today, to give a new interpretation, one that challenges the traditional site of the battlefield itself. It is a thrilling new history that not only rewrites the battle as we know it, but also provides fresh insights into the men who fought and died there.

The human story of Battle of Agincourt through the eyes of key participants.

First full investigation into the men of Agincourt - their service, backgrounds, lives and experiences.

'Agincourt! Agincourt! Know ye not Agincourt?' So began a ballad of around 1600. Since the event itself (25 October 1415), Agincourt has occupied a special place in both English and French consciousness. Some early French writers could not bring themselves to mention it by name, using instead descriptions such as 'the accursed day'. For the English, it was one of the greatest military successes ever, and thus was celebrated and commemorated in many forms over the centuries which followed. In the First World War, there were stories of angelic Agincourt bowmen giving support and inspiration to the British army. Much ink has been spilt on the battle but do we really know Agincourt? Many historical works have relied on one or two well known sources or even on Shakespeare. Not since Harris Nicolas's History of the Battle of Agincourt was published (1827-33) has there been a full attempt to survey the sources. This book brings together, in translation and with commentary, English and French narrative accounts and literary works of the fifteenth century. It also traces the treatment of the battle in sixteenth -century English histories and in the literary output of, amongst others, Shakespeare and Drayton. After examining how later historians interpreted the battle, it concludes with the first full assessment of the extremely rich administrative records which survive for the armies which fought 'upon Saint Crispin's day'.

This book investigates the Battle of Agincourt—which continues to be of immense national and international interest—as well as the wider conduct and organisation of war in the late Middle Ages. In England, Shakespeare’s Henry V ensured that the battle holds a place in the English national consciousness, and through the centuries that followed the story of Henry’s famous victory was used to galvanise English national spirit in times of war. In France, the immediate impact of the battle was that it helped to galvanise French national awareness in response to an external enemy. This book showcases new research into Agincourt and the wider issues of military recruitment, naval logistics, gunpowder and siege warfare, and the conduct of war. It also takes a wider European perspective on the events of 1415 by including research on Portuguese military organisation at the time of Agincourt. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Medieval History.

'Attempts to see the conflict from the perspectives of those who fought.' – History Today The Battle of Agincourt still rings down through the centuries as a quite incredible victory by the outnumbered, happy few of England, enfeebled by disease and exhaustion, against the might of French chivalry. For many commentators then and now, it was the English archers who won the day for Henry V. This history re-tells the story of the battle and Henry V's Normandy campaign from the perspective of the reputed commander of the English archers, Sir Thomas Erpingham. Sir Thomas, an experienced warrior from Norfolk with military experience dating back 40 years, is known for his brief but pivotal appearances in Shakespeare's Henry V, where he is correctly portrayed as an elderly, white-haired veteran. At 57 he was one of the oldest there and a close personal confident of the King. But what was his background? How did he command his archers to such a place in history? And what role did the longbow and battlefield tactics play in the final analysis of victory? Copiously illustrated with reproductions of original muster rolls and other material, Agincourt 1415: The Archers' Story steers the reader through the history of the most important battle of the Hundred Years War from an entirely fresh perspective.

Agincourt was an astonishing clash of arms, a pivotal moment in the Hundred Years War and the history of warfare in general. King Henry V’s exhausted troops were preparing for certain defeat as they faced a far larger French army. What was to take place in the following 24 hours, it seemed only the miraculous intervention of God could explain. Interlacing eyewitness accounts, background chronicle and documentary sources with a new interpretation of the battle’s onset, acclaimed military historian Michael Jones takes the reader into the heart of this extraordinary feat of arms.

Guy Aylmer, the son of an English knight, accompanies his lord to Villeroy, his castle in France, during the time of the struggle for supremacy between the houses of Orleans and Burgundy. When Orleanist forces attack Villeroy, Guy takes part in its defense, and when Burgundy, in the name of the mad King Louis, requests that Lady Margaret and the children come to Paris as hostages, Guy is sent with them as their protector. When the butchers of Paris attack their house, Guy successfully defends his charges, and afterwards conducts them to a safe hiding place. After many other adventures, Guy returns to France with King Henry, and fights in the battle of Agincourt, returning home at last to an estate awarded to him for his service to the king.