The History of the Battle of Agincourt

By Duchess Bridget Lucia Mackenzie* (10/07)

 

 

Each year Altavia hosts an Agincourt Archery & Thrown Weapons Tournament.
There will be Archery of course, Thrown Weapons, the Fretted Fork cooking contest, and more!
Please Join Us this year!

As we prepare to celebrate the Battle of Agincourt* at our Altavian Archery Champion Tournament. I am minded to recall the historical details of this battle and recommend some reading from Wikipedia*

The Battle of Agincourt was fought on 25 October1415 (Saint Crispin’s Day)*, in northern France* as part of  the Hundred Years’ War *.

The armies involved were those of the English King Henry V and Charles VI of France*. Charles did not  command his army himself, as he was incapacitated. The French were commanded by the Constable Charles d’Albret* and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party*.

The battle is notable for the use of the English longbow*, which the English used in very large numbers, with longbowmen forming the vast majority of their army. The battle was also immortalized by William Shakespeare* as the centerpiece of his playHenry V*.

Additional Info: The Physics of Medieval Archery*

“It is generally believed that the main factor responsible for the English victory at the battle the Agincourt in 1415 was the longbow. Gareth Rees describes from a physicist’s point of view why we believe this simple weapon was so devastatingly effective.”

Photo Credit: All photos on this page taken by Lady Maile Fergusson, used with permission