As night fell in Picardy on Thursday 24 October 1415, Henry V and his English troops, worn down by their long march after the taking of Harfleur and diminished by the dysentery they had suffered there, can little have dreamt that the battle of the next day would provide them with one of the most complete victories ever won. Anne Curry's startling new history recreates the campaign and battle from the perspectives of the English and the French. Only now, through an in-depth investigation of the contemporary narrative sources as well as the administrative records, and through a new look at the terrain where the battle was fought, can we come to firmer conclusions on what exactly happened, and why. This book, based on years of painstaking research and reflection, makes clear the genius of Henry V as a military leader, and the strengths and capabilities of the English army which he commanded. There can be no doubt of the desire of the French to resist him and to protect their homeland from his invasion. The French fought bravely and to the death. So what went wrong for the French? This question, and many more, are answered in this lively new history.
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Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
As night fell in Picardy on Thursday 24 October 1415, Henry V and his English troops, worn down by their long march after the taking of Harfleur and diminished by the dysentery they had suffered there, can little have dreamt that the battle of the next day would provide them with one of the most complete victories ever won. Anne Curry's startling new history recreates the campaign and battle from the perspectives of the English and the French. Only now, through an in-depth investigation of the contemporary narrative sources as well as the administrative records, and through a new look at the terrain where the battle was fought, can we come to firmer conclusions on what exactly happened, and why. This book, based on years of painstaking research and reflection, makes clear the genius of Henry V as a military leader, and the strengths and capabilities of the English army which he commanded. There can be no doubt of the desire of the French to resist him and to protect their homeland from his invasion. The French fought bravely and to the death. So what went wrong for the French? This question, and many more, are answered in this lively new history.
About the Author
Anne Curry is Professor and Chair of History at the University of Southampton, editor of the Journal of Medieval History and the world's leading authority on the battle of Agincourt. She is the advisor to the battle of Agincourt battlefield centre in Normandy and was historical consultant for the recent Channel 5 documentary of the battle in the Battlefield Detectives series. Her other books include The Battle of Agincourt: Sources & Interpretations (as editor), Agincourt 1415 (as editor), and The Hundred Years War. Professor Curry is a member of the Societe de L'Histoire de France. She lives in Reading.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Splendid effort from Anne Curry, Agincourt explained,
By
This review is from: Agincourt: A New History (Hardcover)
This book is evidently the product of extensive and painstaking research over what must have been a very long time. I, like many others, know about Agincourt mainly from Henry V as portrayed by Shakespeare. Anne Curry has been to extraordinary lengths to get right into the detail of events and extrapolate from the available information quite a different story. Fascinating insight into the period. Sometimes a little heavy eyelidded to keep going through some of the details but on the whole an intriguing read and well worth the effort. If accurate history is what you are looking for, told with authority, then this is a 'must have' book. Anne Curry I salute you, the hours that went into this and the efforts you have gone to are obvious, well done. Loved it, thankyou.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Analytically Deficient with a Predetermined Thesis,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Agincourt: A New History (Paperback)
As noted by other reviewers, the book is a snore; however I soldiered through to the end. Again as another reviewer remarked, Juliet Barker's book is by contrast, a delightful read.
In fairness, I believe the size of Henry's army is accurate because it is based on pay records for the most part and these tend to be fairly accurate. The size of the French army is a very different story and while I don't believe the silly estimates of its size, I see nothing in the text to convince me of the accuracy of Ms. Curry's numbers. There aren't any hard and fast records of pay or remuneration for services rendered. It must also be remembered that, while the English lords signed terms of indenture, the French did no such thing. In fact, it could be argued that any fiscal records on the French side are meaningless because the Grandees of France substituted military service in lieu of taxation. Under such a system, it is impossible to ascertain the numbers engaged as the records are literary rather than fiscal. Having walked the ground,I believe the discussion of topography as it relates to a 600 year old battlefield is misleading. Especially in an area of such intense agricultural production as Agincourt. Any discussion of the ground must be limited to distance separating the opposing armies, the distance traveled by each side to the point of contact and lastly and most important, the condition of the soil especially after a night of rain.I believe the figure three bow shots or 450 to 500 meters to be empirically more defensible than that of 1000 meters separating the armies. The "killing of the prisoners" is, I believe at best an exaggeration and at worst a falsehood. Why didn't the Heralds object? They were after all,the "umpires" of the day. Why didn't the French exploit the propoganda value offered by this murdering in cold blood of the unarmed and defenseless. The thesis that the murders were accepted because they were deemed necessary at the time, simply does not ring true. Logistically, how long did it take and how many were killed? Were the prisoners as sheep to the slaughter? I am sure there were incidents of the killing of the unarmed, but I seriously question these actions as being pervasize throughout the English army. As to the 200 archer-murders, this number is ridiculously small when compared to the number of prisoners allegedly killed. A book which provides a terrific perspective of not only the longbow,but military history during the Hundred Years War is "The Great Warbow" by Matthew Strickland and Robert Hardy( a Master Archer)
8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A scholarly study - not for the casual reader,
By Greg Richard "Gregor" (Madison, Connecticut United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Agincourt: A New History (Hardcover)
Although the book could be praised for its excrutiatingly thorough detail, I was personally disappointed. The book is more suited to a "credit class" scholarly group than the casual reader, such as I, searching simply for an entertaining understanding of the event. Despite the fact that the author includes minute detail such as pay records, important illustrations such as maps relating to the campaign and battles are not included in the text at point of discussion and lack clarity when found in the Appendix. Adding to my personal confusion was the omission of a glossary defining a multitude of terms which would be familiar only to those with a background in medieval warfare.
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