Customer Reviews

Agincourt

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very engaging work that goes beyond the simple logistics and mechanics of the campaign and battle. It is brings the major players to life in a way that the reader comes to understand their motivations and allegiances with biographical sketches woven throughout the book. Henry V is the main figure and is smpathetically treated. His sense of the noble purpose of the campaign and belief in the righteousness of his cause comes through clearly. By contrast, Charles VI and the Dauphin are no more than shadow characters, as they were in the entire Agincourt story. The book is rich in details of chivalry. For example, the story of Raoul de Gaucourt is followed from his life before the siege of Harfleur and through his leadership of the defense of the city. The strong defense of the city slowed Henry down and cost him unexpected men and material. When Harfleur fell, de Gaucourt surrendered to the king's justice. He was paroled with the expectation that he would appear at Calais to see what fate awaited him. After Agincourt, de Gaucourt presented himself to Henry at Calais and remained an English prisoner for some time. The reader gains a good appreciation of early 15th century chivalry. Barker also addresses other elements, often surprising to the modern reader, about the difficulties of a medieval campaign. Henry landed without maps as we know them and relied on local information and scouting parties to plan his route. Her discussion of the challenges an invading army has in findings its direction is just one of many that broadens the perspective beyond the Agincourt campaign. If you have an interest in the Hundred Years War or medieval warfare you'll find this book worth your time.

I found this book extremely readable and very entertaining. Not something you can say about a lot of historical tomes.

The author gives a compelling account of the actual battle. So much so that the smell of the horses, the blood and gore and all the other noxious smells that are part and parcel of a battlefield seem to pervade the readers nostrils.

However the book is not just about the battle itself but also about the participants particularly the English King, scheming churchmen and murderous Dukes. The knightly heroes, cowards, surgeons and spies. The book has them all.

The author has made it possible for history to be enjoyed by a wider audience, rather than the academic. History has always been interesting. Books written like this one will make many more readers aware of that fact.

I selected this book because of an interest in Henry V. However, the book is so full with anecdotes, stories and interesting tidbits about what life was like in the 15th century that it reads like a novel. Its really hard to put down. Highly recommended!

As a minor history buff I was very thankful to find this book still available on line. It is an outstanding piece of work by an author who is obviously a leading expert in her field. When I ordered the book I was not sure how tedious the writing style would be. but one I started to read I could not put the book down.Agincourt: The King, the Campaign, the Battle

I found this to be a fascinating account of the battle. Although almost all written from the English side it does contain many characters from the French side. What I did really enjoyed about the book is that so many characters came alive.

What it does not have is enough maps and diagrams! You cannot explain a battle, without these. Yet today with the internet this did not prove to be a major problem as I could search on the net for the information I needed.

I bought this book after reading the glowing reviews, but am disappointed. While informative and interesting about the context of the fighting, the description of the battle itself can generously be described as a short summary. The actual battle is covered in one chapter of 23 pages (out of 382 pages total), and basically recounts what happened while completely failing to explain how the English actually managed to win. I learned nothing new about the battle, and I didn't get a feel of what it would have been like to experience. Certainly a good read but a big anticlimax at the end.