Henry V's army, sick, hungry and marching for Calais, found its way blocked by a French army two or three times its size. On a narrow field of fresh-ploughed mud between two woods, Henry advanced to within long bowshot, replanted the stakes that sheltered his archers, and provoked the French to attack. Their mounted charge broke on the stakes and the arrows; their dismounted men-at-arms waded through the mud under an arrow storm, crowded into the English centre and were cut down, smothered or taken in heaps. Fearing a fresh attack, Henry ordered most of the prisoners killed. The flower of the French nobility died on the field, for the loss of a few hundred English.
Battle plan · Hundred Years' War
Battle of Agincourt
- 25 October 1415
- Azincourt, Artois
- Decisive English victory
The armies
English army of Henry V
Henry V · Edward · Duke of York · Thomas Camoys · Thomas Erpingham
| Unit | Arm | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Archers of the leftThomas Erpingham | Archers | 3,500 |
| Men-at-arms of the left (rearward)Thomas Camoys | Heavy infantry | 500 |
| Men-at-arms of the centre (main battle)Henry V | Heavy infantry | 500 |
| King Henry V | Commander | — |
| Men-at-arms of the right (vanguard)Edward, Duke of York | Heavy infantry | 500 |
| Archers of the right | Archers | 3,500 |
| Baggage guard and servants | Light infantry | 200 |
| In this plan | 8,700 |
French army
Charles d'Albret · Jean II Le Maingre (Boucicaut) · Duke of Alençon · Duke of Bar
| Unit | Arm | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Mounted men-at-arms of the leftClignet de Bréban | Heavy cavalry | 500 |
| Mounted men-at-arms of the rightLouis de Bosredon | Heavy cavalry | 500 |
| Dismounted men-at-arms of the left wingCount of Vendôme | Heavy infantry | 600 |
| Vanguard of dismounted men-at-armsCharles d'Albret and Boucicaut | Heavy infantry | 4,800 |
| Constable Charles d'Albret | Commander | — |
| Dismounted men-at-arms of the right wingCount of Richemont | Heavy infantry | 600 |
| Archers and crossbowmen | Archers | 4,500 |
| Main battle of dismounted men-at-armsDukes of Alençon and Bar | Heavy infantry | 3,000 |
| Rearguard of mounted servants | Cavalry | 6,000 |
| Ysembart d'Azincourt's raidersYsembart d'Azincourt | Light infantry | 600 |
| In this plan | 21,100 |
What the sources report
| English | French | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength, this plan | 8,700 (6,000–9,000)About 1,500 men-at-arms and 7,000 archers | 21,000 (12,000–25,000)10,000 men-at-arms, 4,000–5,000 archers and crossbowmen, and mounted servants |
| Losses, this plan | 450 (112–600)Up to 600 killed; 112 are identified by name | 8,000 (6,700–8,200)About 6,000 killed and 700–2,200 captured |
| Strength, Wikipedia | 6,000–8,100 men(modern estimates; see Numbers at Agincourt)• About archers• dismounted men-at-arms in heavy armour | 14,000–15,000 men or up to 25,000 if counting armed servants• 10,000 men-at-arms• 4,000–5,000 archers and crossbowmen• Up to 10,000 mounted and armed servants (gros valets) present |
| Casualties, Wikipedia | Up to 600 killed (112 identified) | • 6,000 killed (most of whom were of the French nobility)• 700–2,200 captured |
Infobox figures from “Battle of Agincourt” on Wikipedia (revision 1381442037), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plans and pictures
PlanMap AgincortArdadN · Public domainCommons ↗
PictureAGINCOURT.hto3Troyeseffigy · CC BY 3.0Commons ↗
PictureAgincourtcarolPublic domainCommons ↗_(14586237139).jpg)
PictureHistory of the Battle of Agincourt, and of the expedition of Henry the Fifth into France in 1415; to which is added the Roll of the men at arms in the English army (1833) (14586237139)Internet Archive Book Images · Public domainCommons ↗
PictureKing Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415John Gilbert (1817–97) · Public domainCommons ↗
PictureKing Henry V at the Battle of AgincourtHarry Payne · Public domainCommons ↗
PictureMorning of the Battle of Agincourt, 25th October 1415Sir John Gilbert (1817–1897) · Public domainCommons ↗Notes
On this reconstruction
The exact site is not known: the traditional field lies between the woods of Azincourt and Tramecourt, but some historians place the battle west of Azincourt. French strength is disputed (from about 12,000 to 25,000 if the armed servants are counted), and the moment of the raid on the English baggage varies between the sources. Distances follow the accounts: some 900 metres between the armies at dawn, then a long bowshot after the English advance. The three villages stand at their real coordinates; the edges of the woods are approximate. The hours are approximate, from the order of events in the accounts.
Sources
- An English chaplain with the army, Gesta Henrici Quinti · public domainEyewitness from the baggage train; source of the three heaps of slain.
- Enguerrand de Monstrelet, Chronicles · public domain
- Michel Pintoin (the monk of Saint-Denis), Chronique du Religieux de Saint-Denys · public domain
- ArdadN (Wikimedia Commons), Map of Agincourt · public domainThe deployment between the woods follows this plan.
- Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap contributors, Landmark positions · ODbL-1.0Coordinates of the farms, villages and hills the plan is laid out on.
- Wikipedia contributors, Battle of Agincourt · CC-BY-SA-4.0Deployment, distances and sequence as summarised in the article.
Facts gathered from Wikidata (CC0), Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikimedia Commons (licence per file); the plan and its text are timeastra’s own.