Week 6: Wednesday, February 22
A depiction of Agincourt from a contemporary 15th-century manuscript.
For today, you are only responsible for the chapter on the battle of Agincourt. As you read Keegan, make sure to keep track of the sequence of events that transpired at Agincourt. In class, we will refight the battle on a table to figure out what happened and why. THERE WILL BE A QUIZ.
1) What was Henry V's overall political objectives in the war? What did he seek to accomplish during his 1415 campaign in France? (These are two separate questions, so don't mix them up.)
2) What could the French have done differently that would have given them a better chance to destroy Henry V's army? If they could have bagged the English army without attacking, why did they attack?
3) In your own words, explain in as detailed a fashion as possible how the outnumbered English were able to destroy the French men-at-arms who attacked on foot. What sequence of events and what forces made this destruction possible?
4) Why did Henry V order the killing of French prisoners during the battle? Who actually killed the prisoners and what do the circumstances of the killing tell us about medieval warfare?
5) What inspired soldiers to fight at Agincourt? In other words, what gave them the "will to combat"?
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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle, 2006.