The Essays #7 Agincourt
Last Week’s Missed Post
I have stated in previous posts that I will be missing some of my Wednesday posts from time to time… but I still would like to apologize for that. I’m trying not to over-saturate you dear readers with posts about character creation and world-building, but those are the topics that I’m working through the most at the moment. But I fear repeating myself too often.
So let us instead turn to one of my other favorite subjects, which is History, and in this instance military history. I have a series of essays I wrote on many military topics. For this week I’d like to take you to the end of the 100 Years War and Agincourt.
Analyst: Agincourt
Agincourt. The battle that marked the turn toward the end of the 100 Years War. Where a small force stood against many and against all odds and predictions won the day. Henry V was leading the remnants of his army to Calais with the intent of returning to England, when he was cut off by a superior French army by the castle of Agincourt. With no choice but to stand and fight, the English ended up winning the day. A careful analyst of the events of Agincourt can reveal the turning point in which the Knight concedes his dominance of the field of battle.
Henry V had successfully sieged the city of Harfleur in Normandy, but disease and casualties had cut his army in half. As such he decided the better course was to march to Calais and cross the channel back to England. On the march back, his path was blocked by a massive French force.[1] Enguerrand de Monstrelet has left the world a first-hand account of the events that unfolded. The English marched as quickly as they could toward Calais, being harassed by smaller French sources while the main French army encamped by Agincourt. The French “were full one hundred and fifty thousand strong, with a prodigious number of wagon’s and carts, containing cannon and all other military stores, they had but little music to cheer their spirits.”[2] While the numbers of most sources do not match up, Enguerrand insists that the English were outnumbered at least six to one. Despite the force disparity, and the English could see the entire array of forces set against them, they settled into their camp in Maisoncelles, a small village a mere “three bow shots away from the French,” and they played their music and confessed their sins, for in the morning they were ready to die.[3] Already we can see the first element that would have changed the battle of Agincourt. The French had cannons in their baggage train, and yet they would not be used in the battle. At this point cannons were still considered more for knocking down castles and less for killing masses of troops. Had the French simply placed the cannons on the hill and unleashed on the English army this would be a very different paper.
As the next day dawned the French were happy to sit back and wait, they allowed the English to make a meager breakfast and then form up. Most of Henry’s army consisted of Archers, most without armor or even proper clothes. Many fought in bare feet. But all of these archers were also armed with swords, hatchets, and bills. And forming up behind them were armored men-at-arms. Enguerrand tells us that the English hid a bunch of their archers, that they sent several hundred back into smaller towns as reserves and surprises for any forces that came into the rear of the English.[4] Other sources state that the English lined up in massive blocks, the archers and men-at-arms forming wings with the mere 1000 cavalry of the English holding the center.[5] Either way both sources agree that the English were badly out numbered and they also mention that the archers built sharpened stakes that they planted in the fields before them. The English roused themselves with speeches and Sir Thomas Erpingham, an aged and well-respected knight went to the front of the archers, gave a speech and threw a truncheon into the air. He then dismounted and joined the troops as the king and several others had already done. The English roared a challenge and advanced on the French who were quite shaken to see so small a force challenge them.[6] The English were eager and had the morale, the men had made piece with death and were ready to die for their king, who as aforementioned was dismounted and among them. What followed should have been the sound defeat and crushing of the English army and possibly the start of the French seizing the English throne. As mentioned above the cannons where not employed against the English and seeing a mere thousand knights on the field the French only sent a partial force of cavalry in their first charge. The French had embraced newer technology but didn’t use it properly. They loaded their foot soldiers with crossbows, while crossbows were excellent for penetrating armor the English barely had any armor to begin with. But they did have at least 5-13000 archers, depending on source. The longbowmen out ranged and out shot the French. The crossbowmen that tried to get close enough to fire on the English knights where riddled with arrows. The English seeing the crossbowmen and other foot soldiers dropping in droves picked up their stake traps and moved even closer to the French line. Letting their arrows strike into the French knights. The French charged with part of their force, another error in a long list, instead of overwhelming the English with numbers they sent only a few. The longbowmen tore into the knights and horses, and somehow the French bungled the maneuvers, the horses panicking and wheeling. Trying to turn the horses to charge directly into the archers also proved a mistake, as the horses shied away from the stakes arrayed before the archers. As the knights and horses wheeled about in confusion the archers put down their bows and drew their weapons and advanced with the man-at-arms to slaughter the French. In these initial presses the English didn’t even try to take prisoners, they just killed anyone in front of them.[7]
The French had allowed the English to move to close, thus losing the room to maneuver their cavalry, negating the advantage they would have had. The sheer number of English arrows was taking a massive toll on French leadership as well, one knight broke and fled, thinking his men would follow but he died from an arrow before he could sound the retreat and his men ended up milling about, thus becoming easy pickings themselves.[8] The French still had the numbers and they had more troops still to arrive, but the English kept coming. As Henry started to win the field he began to take prisoners, momentum was purely on the English side at this point when the French reserves finally arrived. Robinet de Bournouville, Rifart de Clamasse, Ysambart d’Agincourt, and some other men-at-arms, with about six hundred peasants, had fallen upon the rear of the English, but instead of crushing the English army they sacked and looted Henry’s baggage train, robbing the English of a lot of money and seizing food and supplies. Henry knew this could affect the morale of his men and also knew that it would limit his resources, as such he ordered the immediate execution of all French prisoners, fearing that they would rise up.[9] The death toll was immediate and bloody, and French morale was crushed. The rest of the battle was butchery of the French.
While the bulk of the battle can be summed up with the errors made by the French, their inability to use their forces to full effect, the bungled charge maneuvers, the holding back of their knights, and their belief that archers couldn’t touch them. All these errors piled on top of one another could only lead to a French defeat, even if the numbers favored them. While at the time it wouldn’t be recognized as the end of the knight, looking back we can see that range superiority would be the new way of warfare. Aim and number of shots is often more important than the potency of the shot. It would take a while longer for that last bit to be learned. Studying this battle would lead to the gunpowder armies of later centuries, to the massive blocks and to tactics using rifle lines. Besides being the birth of the light infantry, which still dominates armies to this day, it was also the birth of irregulars. All of the archers on the field were armed with swords or axes, while archers usually carried a short sword for if they were over run they were not normally employed to fire arrows and then rush forward to kill with men-at-arms. Agincourt is also a case for morale and what a small army of dedicated men can achieve. The English were ready to face death and they went into battle trying to take as many of the French with them as possible.
Biblio
Manning, Scott. “Chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Battle of Agincourt, 1415.” De Re Militeri. Posted Feb 18, 2013. http://deremilitari.org/2013/02/battle-of-agincourt-1415/
Historia Civilis. Battle of Agincourt. Historicivilis.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDnKciXrmnc
“Battle
of Agincourt.” History.com. A+E
Publishing. 2010 https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-agincourt
[1] “Battle of Agincourt.” History.com
[2] Scott Manning. “Chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Battle of Agincourt, 1415.” De Re Militeri
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Agincourt. HistoriaCivillis.com
[6] Scott Manning. “Chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Battle of Agincourt, 1415.” De Re Militeri
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
