An army marching from Harfleur
After capturing Harfleur, Henry V leads a depleted army towards Calais. The French assemble forces to block his route.
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Battle
Agincourt
25 October 1415
A narrow front turns French numerical superiority into a deadly bottleneck.
Military history
How can an outnumbered English army hold the field and then break the French attacks?
After the capture of Harfleur, Henry V’s army marches towards Calais, weakened by disease and casualties. A much larger French army blocks its route near Agincourt. The terrain narrows the approaches, archers protect the flanks, and the French attacks converge on an increasingly compressed space.
A corridor between the woods
The ground available between Tramecourt and Agincourt woods limits the usable front. Recent rain and mud impede movement, especially for large, heavily equipped bodies of men.
Dismounted men-at-arms
The English fight mainly on foot. Their archers stand on the wings and can protect their positions with stakes, while the men-at-arms form the core of the line.
Compressed numerical superiority
Estimates differ over exact strengths but agree on clear French numerical superiority. The narrow space reduces the number of men able to fight simultaneously against a prepared line.
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Chronological dossier
CrécyHow did a halted and prepared English army exploit slope, fire discipline and staggered French attacks?PoitiersHow did a hard-to-reach position, the failure of successive attacks and an Anglo-Gascon counterattack allow the Black Prince to defeat a superior army?PatayHow did French cavalry surprise the English archers before they could reproduce their customary defensive system?CastillonHow did an entrenched camp organised around artillery reverse the traditional relationship between English attack and French defence?
Military history
Sources
Primary sourceGesta Henrici Quinti, traduction de l'Université de Southampton
Traduction anglaise du récit latin contemporain ou quasi contemporain
Henry V’s march, terrain, deployment, attacks and immediate outcome.
View ↗Modern referenceR. Ambühl, Agincourt in context: war on land and sea. Introduction
Journal of Medieval History, 2017
Campaign context and debates over strengths, terrain and the significance of victory.
View ↗Institutional referenceThe Battle of Agincourt, College of Arms
Notice institutionnelle sur la bataille du 25 octobre 1415
Date, dynastic context and caution over the battle’s figures.
View ↗Departmental archives and contextual mapArchives du Pas-de-Calais, la bataille et le champ d’Azincourt
Dossier patrimonial sur la bataille du 25 octobre 1415
Situation map, villages, woods framing the corridor, and the route taken towards Calais.
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