By Christopher Miskimon
The English invasion of France in 1415 seized the French port of Harfleur, but only after a long siege. Afterward the English Army, weakened by sickness, seemed incapable of further offensive action. Against the advice of his senior officers, Henry decided to march his army across Normandy to the port of Calais. The French assembled an army larger than the British force and shadowed them as they marched. Finally, the French blocked the English route and forced Henry to stand and fight. The resulting Battle of Agincourt ended in a decisive English victory, with the French suffering heavy casualties and forced to sue for peace.
The story of Agincourt is well known, but the author uses an existing copy of the original French battle plan to aid in a new interpretation of the battle. He also challenges the commonly accepted location of the action. The book attempts to provide a new understanding of Agincourt which will be of interest to students of the battle.
Agincourt: Battle of the Scarred King (Michael Livingston, Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2024, 320 pp., maps, photographs, notes, bibliography, index, $30, hardcover)
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