Agincourt is indeed one of the true a**-whippings in history, one of several battles of the Hundred Years War that nearly eliminated France as a nation. Not only were Henry V’s men outnumbered at least 6-1, by most accounts, but they had virtually no cavalry and were greatly weakened by sickness and exhaustion. They’d been campaigning in northern France for several months, including the long and costly siege at Harfleur (this is where we get the line: “Once more unto the breach, dear friends!” – at least in Shakespeare’s version).

Yet the English won, and very, very badly. People like to argue about actual casualties in medieval battles, data isn’t nearly as concrete as we see in WW2 battles and the like. Suffice it to say that Shakespeare’s wildly-imbalanced “accounting” is nowhere close. But the fact remains that the French monarchy was humiliated (the crown prince was actually there, I think), their top general mortally wounded (?? the “High Constable,” please correct me if I’m wrong), and their nobility gutted with hundreds, if not thousands, of knights and men-at-arms slaughtered.

Warren is right, the outcome of this battle led to the marriage of Henry V to the daughter of the French King. Other factors included the English victory at Harfleur and the ongoing occupation of French channel ports like Calais, English-occupied since the time of Edward III, things never turn on the outcome of ONE battle no matter what the movies say).

But this didn’t stop the fighting in any respect. This series of wars had been going on through the reins of Edward III (won the Battle of Crecy, another ruinous French defeat), his son Edward the Black Prince (win the battle of Poitiers, ANOTHER ruinous French defeat), Henry IV, and then Henry V (Agincourt), and finally Henry VI. It wasn’t until 15 years later with the arrival of Joan of Arc that the French finally start turning this thing around, but of course she’s burned at the stake just over a year later.

Anyway, history has combined this run of wars, from the mid 1300s to the mid 1400s, into a generalized “Hundred Years War” between England and France. Never has France been so close to being completely blinked out of existence, with parts permanently “swallowed” by England and others lost to civil strife (Burgundians). It wouldn’t be until the time of Louis XIII (during the time described in The Three Musketeers) that France really retook its place as a world power.

I’m sure others know far more about this period of history. Again, very glad to see historical content again on the “front page” of Beasts of War!