How Raven Started the Battle of Agincourt
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| memorial of the Battle of Agincourt |
I am an unabashed history nerd. I have always been intrigued by Medieval History. I am also an avid archer, I manage an archery blog with over 370,000 viewers. As an archer, I have always been interested in the facts and myths surrounding the importance of Longbow during the Hundred Year War. One of the most famous battles was Agincourt, England's most celebrated victory and was one of the most important English triumphs in the Hundred Years' War, along with the Battle of Crecy (1346) and Battle of Poitiers (1356). The lopsidedness of this battle is a legend, The British had an estimated 6-9,000 exhausted men, and the French had over 30,000 -35,000 men, the cream of French society. At the end of the day 7,000 French were dead of captured, while the English had perhaps 400 dead. The outcome of this battle changed the balance of power in Europe, and it forms the centerpiece of the play Henry V by William Shakespeare.
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| French Knights about to start their ill fated charge |
The French, overconfident in their numbers and eager to slaughter the impudent English mounted a sloppy undisciplined cavalry charge. The English, aware of the sogginess of the ground, set a trap. They used 1500 unmounted armored knights as a decoy, while setting up 6000 archers and lightly armored knights on the flanks. The French became mired in the soaked ground and were easy prey for the nimble archers and knights. The vastly out numbered English were victorious and the French were decimated.
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| arrows and mud were the victorious weapon |
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| the simple English Longbow was a devastating weapon. |
The Battle of Agincourt happened on St.
Crispin's Day October 25th 1415 and Raven helped to get the battle started!
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| detail showing Hungry Raven before he started the Battle of Agincourt |
Raven had
been following a mob of English men and horses. He had been feasting on the
garbage and waste for miles. As he flew
he saw a vast host of 30,000 iron-clad Frenchmen and horses awaiting the 9,000
exhausted, filthy English. Raven flew to the ruin of an ancient castle to watch
the confrontation. But the two forces made camp and the next morning both
armies simply stared at each other, unwilling to make the first move. The
French-mounted knights were aligned in a vast line that could easily sweep the
English aside. Raven's stomach was empty, and he was impatient. He decided to move things along. He saw an armored
French horse with a gaudy black feather plume; it was the perfect hiding
place. A mounted charge was supposed to
be an ordered prodding advance that would bring death to English archers. He
landed atop the horse's head, hidden by the black plume. He leaned over and bit down on the unprotected ear of the horse so hard that the horse broke rank and charged. Other knights saw this and all wanted to be first to the slaughter and all raced
forward. Soon the entire force began a mad dash through thick mud and a hail of
arrows.
By the end
of the day, 7,000 Frenchmen and 400 Englishmen lay lifeless in a sodden field of
mud and blood.
England’s
King Henry V had a great victory and Raven’s stomach was full.
"St. Crispin's Day, October 25th, 1415",
etching, 5-inch x 7-inch 2012
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