Henry V
Date: 25-10-1415
Henry V was an English king during the Hundred Year War. The English and the French fought each other for almost a hundred years. The main reason for the this was the English claim to the French throne.
During this war, the English frequently used the longbow. A mighty and huge bow made out of yew. A trained archer could shoot between 10-12 arrows a minute and the English army usually had thousands of archers attached to their army. That is why the English longbow is considered the "machine-gun" of the Middle Ages.
Henry V was an English king during the Hundred Year War. The English and the French fought each other for almost a hundred years. The main reason for the this was the English claim to the French throne.
During this war, the English frequently used the longbow. A mighty and huge bow made out of yew. A trained archer could shoot between 10-12 arrows a minute and the English army usually had thousands of archers attached to their army. That is why the English longbow is considered the "machine-gun" of the Middle Ages.
|
At one point in history on October 25th, 1415 the English army led by Henry V met the French army at Azincourt, France. The English army was severely weakened by a long march and an outbreak of dysentery and were heavily outnumbered. The numbers vary but think it was somewhere around 6.000-8.000 English soldiers against 15.000 French soldiers.
But the English had their secret weapon, the longbow. Around 80% of what was left of the army were archers. It was a muddy and rainy day and the French cavalry and knights were troubled by the mud and had to move slowly. This meant they were "easy pickings" for the English. After the battle the French army was completely decimated. Around 8.000 French were killed or captured, among them hundreds of French nobility. The English lost only around 600 men. The battle of Agincourt would go down in history as one of the most influential battles of the millennium. |
A map of the battle of Agincourt
|
Did you know?
The longbow was considered to be a "farmers weapon" because it was cheap and easy to make. By law, all over England boys from a very young age were taught to shoot the weapon so they would be fine archers when the king called upon them.
The longbow was considered to be a "farmers weapon" because it was cheap and easy to make. By law, all over England boys from a very young age were taught to shoot the weapon so they would be fine archers when the king called upon them.
Location:
Azincourt is located in France.
Azincourt is located in France.
