Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle that Made England - Juliet Barker [epub]

On October 25, 1415, English King Henry V stood facing a French army that outnumbered his six thousand men by as much as five to one. The campaign that would culminate on the field in northern France in proximity to a castle known as Agincourt had started with an English invasion of France and the capture six weeks earlier of Harfleur, the highly valued strategic port in Normandy. Henry was exercising what he deemed his god-given right to recapture the lands of northern France that were lawfully his by hereditary claim.

In Agincourt, author Juliet Baker has done yeoman's work in researching the historical record of French and English archives, and previous texts written by eyewitnesses and contemporaries of the time. The book is divided into three main parts detailing what circumstances lead the young English King to his expedition; what took place once the fleet had landed, including the siege of Harfleur; and the confrontation at Agincourt. Lastly Barker details the battle's aftermath and the serious impact the loss of an entire class of French nobility had on the French people and the English dominance of the region.

The account of the battle has been told many times, but with recent forensic studies and technologies available, the true impact of this disastrous loss by the French finally becomes known. Chivalry was at its height. This dictated that the initial waves of the French attack were composed primarily of nearly every noble Prince, Duke, Baron and Knights from northern France. As is well known, the use of the deadliest of medieval weapons--the English longbow--has been given as the main deciding factor for the wholesale slaughter which the French suffered in a few hours time on the battlefield.. Those that were not slain or mortally wounded were captured and taken to England until their ransoms could be raised. Many were eventually released, but in fact many never returned home.

Juliet Barker's compilation of the facts of the English victory at Agincourt will stand as one of the truly great resources for generations to come.