The Story of Agincourt Battle

There was a military engagement during the Hundred Years’ War known as The Battle of Agincourt (Agincourt Battle), fought in France on October 25, 1415, between an English army under King Henry V of England and a French one under Charles d’Albret (1415), constable of France. The Agincourt Battle took place in a narrow valley near the village of Agincourt (now Azincourt, in Pas-de-Calais Department), Henry, a claimant to the French throne, had invaded France and seized the port of Harfleur. At the time of the action (Agincourt Battle), Henry’s army, weakened by disease and hunger, was en route to Calais, from which Henry planned to embark for England.

In the course of the march to Calais the English force, which numbered about 6000 men, for the most part lightly equipped archers, was intercepted by d’Albret, whose army about 25,000 men consisted chiefly of armored cavalry and infantry contingents. The English king, fearful of annihilation, sought a truce with the French, but his terms were rejected.

In the battle (Agincourt Battle), which was preceded by heavy rains, the French troops were at a disadvantage because of their weighty armor, the narrowness of the battleground, the muddy terrain, and the faulty tactics of their superiors, notably in using massed formations against a mobile enemy (English army).

The French cavalry, which occupied frontal positions, quickly became mired in the mud, making easy targets for the English archers. After routing the enemy cavalry, the English troops, wielding hatchets, billhooks (a type of knife), and swords, launched successive assaults on the French foot soldiers were completely overwhelmed. D’Albret, several dukes and counts, and about 500 other members of the French nobility were killed; other French casualties totaled about 5000. English losses numbered fewer than 200 men.

French feudal military strategy, traditionally based on the employment of heavily armored troops and cavalry, was completely discredited by Henry’s victory. Although Henry returned to England after Agincourt, his triumph on the Agincourt Battle paved the way for English domination of most of France until the middle of the 15th century.

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