Guest Author - Erin Caslavka

Many moons ago, I stayed up late one night falling in love with Kenneth Branagh in Henry V. In the scene that steals the movie, Henry delivers a speech to his men-at-arms acknowledging that they are sorely outnumbered, and stating that if any man wishes to be set free of his obligations to stay and fight, he will let them leave without any fear of reprisals.

Not one man leaves him.

What was the Battle of Agincourt – that most unimaginable of scenarios when men who stand no chance of succeeding never-the-less do? What is the story behind the chain of events that led Britain’s 6,000 soldiers to do battle against France’s army of over 25,000?

On a recent trip to Louisville, (named for the French King Louis XVI), I visited the Frazier Historical Arms Museum, opened to the public in May, 2004. Displaying a stunning array of weaponry, the museum is associated with the Royal Armouries of Great Britain, and is in fact considered to be its “arm” in the United States. Many of the artifacts on display have never been seen outside of the United Kingdom, and on the third floor of the museum, exhibits extol and explain the use of arms and armor from the year 1066 to the dawn of the 19th century. Tucked into a corner of this area is a display dedicated to the Battle at Agincourt, with an accompanying video that explains how the battle was fought, and why the British emerged victorious.

For Henry, the road to Agincourt was already plagued with a variety of problems: There was a dysentery epidemic raging throughout the surrounding countryside, and food rations were running short. Then, the Somme River - which he had hoped to cross – was flooded. And the men were exhausted, having marched almost 300 miles in 2 ½ weeks.

Once Henry got to the other side of the Somme and came upon the well-fed and rested French army, he went about setting up camp. The field – gently rolling and freshly planted, with forests surrounding it on either side – was plastered with mud, as it had been raining continuously for days.

Many of the French soldiers were mounted knights, wearing suits of armor. Henry was aware of this, and ordered his men to each sharpen a pole to a point at both ends then drive one end into the ground - in essence forming a fence of pointed spikes. This would have the effect of dissuading the horses to ride in amongst them, as well as to halt the charge of mounted knights who'd want to protect their steeds.

At dawn on St. Crispin’s Day – October 25, 1415 – Henry laid out his forces in the traditional fashion with foot soldiers in the front, flanked by archers. But after standing and facing the French troops for four hours, still neither side made a move towards battle. So Henry forced the issue by advancing to within “extreme longbow range,” and with the first hailstorm of arrows, the battle had begun.

Squeezed into the narrow battlefield, the first attack was from the mounted French knights. But the barrage of English arrows hit their horses, knocking the riders off their mounts and into the mud-soaked field. Struggling to regain their footing, the knights were abandoned by their skittish horses, that had turned back towards the French army – trampling men and churning up the mud as they galloped away.

As the French foot soldiers pressed forward, they also struggled against the mud, which was at least ankle deep – or at times knee-high. (Apparently, firsthand accounts of the battle described the mud as being at times up to the bellies of the horses.) There was no way to attack the English from around the sides, as the heavily forested areas gave them no way to move around the perimeter; so engaging in head-to-head combat was the French army’s only option.

The French soldiers, though protected by their plate armor from piercing arrows, were weighted down by the sheer volume of mud and water, and they stumbled over the first line of fallen men. The barefoot and clothing-clad English army was much more agile in these conditions, and many times only had to knock down their enemies, where they might suffocate or drown.

After the collapse of the first and second wave of soldiers, many of the French were surrendering. But because they still outnumbered the English, their commanders ordered them to regroup for another attack. So Henry gave the order to kill the prisoners, thereby removing the risk of the French turning on their captors. But the third attack met with the same fate as the others, and Henry’s troops emerged from the battle victorious. In all, he had lost about 100 men; the French had lost 5,000.

Henry’s desire to unite France and England culminated with his marriage to Princess Catherine of Valois, who bore him a son – destined to become King of England. Henry V lived only two years beyond his marriage, struggling to the end to keep his country united.


“This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say, ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian.’
Then he will strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, ‘These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.’
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.”

-William Shakespeare, Henry V