The Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt

15th-century miniature of the Battle of Agincourt

This battle between the French and English occurred on the 25th of October (Saint Crispin's Day), 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. King Henry V had claimed that France rightfully belonged to him, and after negotiations between the two countries broke down, an English army invaded France. After a relatively unsuccessful campaign, the English army under Henry V was in the process of retreating to the port of Calais. However, the French army lay in his path, outnumbering his own men anywhere from 2-1 to 6-1. Henry V, knowing that his men would die unless they reached Calais to get fresh supplies, put his famous longbow archers in range. The French nobles, not expecting an offensive, disorderly lined up to charge the English. Thanks to the bottleneck effect of the valley and the mud from heavy rains earlier, by the time the French lines reached the English, the French knights were exhausted and decimated by archer fire, ending in a massive English victory. English casualties ranged in the hundreds, while the French lost anywhere from seven to ten thousand men. This battle showed the significance of the longbow in a battle, a theme that would continue throughout the war.

The Stalker of My People

There are not many of us left now. We used to be a strong people, one of the mightiest in the land, but now we have been reduced by this demon to destruction. Our Lord’s people are also diminished, and cannot send aid to our hall. Hrothgar sits in his Hall of Heart and does nothing to end our plight while this fiend simply continues to kill (and, we presume, eat) our bravest warriors. Rumors that this is the Great Destroyer’s vengeance for our sin have swirled around the mead hall’s fire. Others (travelers mostly) have claimed to have seen a dragon flying around the hills recently. This folly has whipped the remaining survivors into a frenzy, only making matters worse. Most wish to leave for Hrothgar’s hall, to put ourselves under his direct protection. I feared we might not have been welcome until the summons came. A new king was rising in the east, and Our Lord was determined to put him in his place. This King of Helmings would not last long against the combined might of all the halls beneath Hrothgar’s banner. Still, the thought of abandoning the hall we had called home for generations was unnerving to say the least. However, the alternative – to stay and be picked off by this monstrous creature one at a time – was even more terrifying. With heavy hearts, we made ready and departed from our lands, taking the remaining livestock, setting off across Hrothgar’s dominion. We encountered no resistance, save for at night, when systematically one of our numbers would be abducted by our stalker. Our numbers dwindled further and further until, when there remained but a few of my people left. Hrothgar’s Hall was alive with the High King’s men preparing for a march. Nevertheless, Hrothgar himself came to see my estranged people. When he asked of the other members of our tribe, we told him what had plagued us these many weeks. A grim expression took hold his face, and he seemed to age before our very eyes. When he spoke, however, his voice was just as commanding and powerful as ever, assuring my people that we would be safe inside his walls. He also offered our slim few warriors a respite from the coming fight against the King of Helmings – a mere formality, as any warrior who did not participate would be laughed out of mead halls for the rest of his days. We prepared ourselves for another long journey, but I could not shake that feeling that by the time we returned, the rest of my people would be gone, this ghastly foe claiming them until we had been entirely wiped out. I wondered what I had brought to Hrothgar’s Hall.