Happy St. Crispin’s Day! On 25 October 1415, the English army of King Henry V won the Battle of Agincourt, one of the most significant battles against the French in the One Hundred Years’ War. The battle is the subject of one of my favorite Bernard Cornwell novels, aptly titled Agincourt, which I reviewed here two years ago. This year, I’m honoring the anniversary with a bit of humor, thanks to the talented folks at Horrible Histories – Enjoy!
Incidentally, the victory at Agincourt crippled the French, and allowed king Henry to marry the French king’s daughter, Catherine of Valois. Their son, Henry VI, became the English monarch at the forefront of the War of the Roses, the setting for The White Queen, which just wrapped up on Starz and is based on Philippa Gregory’s novel of the same name. Funny how in history, one war always seems to lead to another . . .
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| The Morning of the Battle of Agincourt 25 October 1415 |
Bill
October 25, 2013 - 11:31 am ·In two years, the 200th anniversary of Waterloo and the 600th anniversary of Agincourt will occur within 4 months of each other. 100 years ago France and England (UK) were allies in WW1 and I doubt much was made of the anniversaries. Now they are close friends and commercial partners. I seem to recall that the Brits downplayed the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar in 2005 to avoid upsetting the French; I expect much the same sort of low key commemoration for the two land battles – both huge victories for the English.
Joseph Finley
October 25, 2013 - 12:24 pm ·Bill — great observation. I think you're right, those victories won't be hyped up by the British.
Bill
October 25, 2013 - 1:00 pm ·Of course one very significant difference is that Trafalgar was fought at sea and there is nothing to see there now and you need a boat to visit. Waterloo and Agincourt are both places one can visit. I would love to visit both of them, as well as HMS Victory at Portsmouth, where Nelson fell.
Bill
October 28, 2013 - 10:03 am ·I forgot another October 25th. In 1944 off the coast of Samar, 6 escort carriers (converted merchant ships) 3 destroyers, and 4 destroyer escorts not only took on the might of the Imperial Japanese battle fleet, but forced that fleet to run away. I can't do justice to their heroism, but you can learn about it at:
http://www.bosamar.com/pages/home