Agincourt
Henry's muddy triumph
Agincourt is a village in northern France, site of a 1415 battle in which English forces under Henry V defeated a much larger French army.
The victory, achieved largely through English longbowmen, became a symbol of improbable triumph against overwhelming odds.
Shakespeare dramatized it in *Henry V*: We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
Medieval English-French succession struggle
- Henry VMedieval English king
- longbowTall wooden archery weapon
- archersPeople who shoot bows
- FranceWestern European republic
Calais · mud · cavalry · knights · crossbowmen · armored · siege · medieval warfare
Tall wooden archery weapon
- bodkinBlunt-tipped sewing tool
- arrowsShafted projectiles for bows
- yewToxic conifer, flexible timber
- fletchingArrow stabilizing feathers
volley · draw weight · stakes · armor-piercing · rate of fire · range · trajectory · penetration
Medieval English king
- band of brothersWarriors bound by loyalty
- ExeterDevon's capital city
- patriotismDevotion to one's homeland
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
once more unto the breach · Kenneth Branagh · kingship · soliloquy · disguise · Catherine · dramaturgy
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
- victoryDefeating an opponent
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- yeomanrySmall freeholding farmer class
courage · defiance · resilience · commemoration · heritage · myth · legend · rallying cry
Hundred Years' War
Medieval English-French succession struggle
France · Calais · mud · cavalry · knights · crossbowmen · armored · siege · medieval warfare · flanking
longbow
Tall wooden archery weapon
fletching · volley · draw weight · stakes · armor-piercing · rate of fire · range · trajectory · penetration · quiver
Henry V
Medieval English king
- band of brothersWarriors bound by loyalty
- ExeterDevon's capital city
- patriotismDevotion to one's homeland
once more unto the breach · Kenneth Branagh · rhetoric · kingship · soliloquy · disguise · Catherine · dramaturgy
against the odds
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
- victoryDefeating an opponent
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
yeomanry · courage · defiance · resilience · commemoration · heritage · myth · legend · rallying cry · morale
AgincourtHastings
English seaside town, historic
Yorktown · Dunkirk · Bannockburn · Singapore · Saratoga
AgincourtTrafalgar
1805 naval battle site
Spanish Armada · naval battle · Jutland · Salamis · Midway