Page 66 - Phonebox Magazine October 2015

The Battle of Agincourt
The 25th Of October this year will be the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. The battle is one that we have recognised as
an important part of our history although it was one of many such battles fought during the 100 years war.
The 100 years war was fought mainly to see who was to be the King of France. Edward the Third was the king that first claimed the French throne (in 1337). His mother was the daughter of the French king and when all her brothers died without issue he claimed he was the next heir but the French proclaimed a distant cousin stating that the Salic Law prevailed. This law stated that women had no right to inherit either property or title. Other points of issue between the English and French were the lands of Aquitaine; part of the inheritance brought to England by Eleanor when she married Henry the Second.
Edward the Third won some great battles including Sluys and Crecy and his son, Edward, the Black Prince the battle of Poitiers in which he captured the French monarch, King John.
Henry began negotiating with the French soon after becoming King and would renounce his claims if Aquitaine was returned and the ransom for King John was paid as agreed 50 years before. He also wanted the hand of Princess Catherine, the French King’s daughter and a dowry of 2 million gold crowns. These negotiations soon broke down and Henry began his preparations to invade. In December 1414 the English Parliament granted him the taxes need to finance the war and in the following April the right to go to war.
Henry left Southampton in Mid-August with 12,000 men, landed in France and besieged the port of Harflour. The town surrendered on September 22nd with Henry’s army depleted by disease and casualties. (This is where Shakespeare has Henry calling for one more effort to take the town with his rallying call “Once more into the breech dear friends or fill the walls with our English dead”).
The campaigning season was nearly over but instead of leaving by the port he chose to head across Normandy to Calais. Henry was making a point to the French! “This is my land and I can go where I please!” It
was also a challenge to the Dauphin who refused to fight Henry in single combat when challenged at Harflour.
The French, up to now without cohesion finally found their courage and with a very large army set off to intercept the English. The French army was not led by its King, Charles Vl but the Constable of France and leading members of the Armagnac party. (The Armagnac party opposed the Burgundian party who supported the English but did not fight with them).
The English, with only three quarters of their original numbers, were forced south along the banks of the river Somme and away from Calais until they found a ford near the town of Peronne. (Close to the battle site of 1916!).
The French consolidated their numbers and by the 24th October were ahead of the English. They could have offered battle that day but wanted more of their numbers to arrive so declined. The next day (St Crispins Day) the French wanted to negotiate but only as a delaying tactic. Henry ended all talk and advanced his army, a tactic he hoped to avoid but as he had no other option. His
66 Phonebox Magazine