Historic
Battlefield
Attracts
Just a Few
COLIN SIMPSON
Agincourt Battlefield
“And gentlemen in England now a-bed, shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here.”
THE “here” in these stirring lines from Shakespeare’s Henry V is, of course, Agincourt, the site in northern France of the battle of the same name. On October 25, 1415, an outnumbered English army led by King Henry V achieved a famous victory over the forces of France’s King Charles VI.
French cavalrymen – burdened by heavy armour, hampered by soft rain-sodden ground and hemmed in by trees – were massacred by English longbowmen stationed behind protective lines of sharp raised spikes.
The story of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt is told in the big-budget Netflix movie The King, which was released in a handful of cinemas this month and will be screened by the streaming giant from Nov. 1. The film is based on Shakespeare’s Henry V, with snippets taken from the Henry IV plays, though the Bard does not get an on-screen credit. Tomotheé Chalamet plays Henry, and early reviews have been positive.
The defeat was a disaster for France, which by some accounts lost 40 percent of her nobles, and a key moment in the 100 Years’ War.
Before the battle, Henry pumped up his men by delivering a rousing speech. Two centuries later, Shakespeare gave his take on the address, coining the phrase “band of brothers” in the famous line line beginning “We few, we happy few…”
The battlefield is 25 miles from the ferry port at Calais, the entry point for a modern-day invading army of tourists from England. Most hurry on south, not bothering to pause at the scene of one of their country’s most celebrated military successes.
Despite the resonance of the name, Agincourt has none of the pull of the First World War battlefields in adjoining parts of France. The site – a large, gently sloping field edged by trees – appears to have changed little in the past 600 years.
It was hard to believe, gazing across the green stretch of land, that such a tranquil rural setting could once have witnessed such bloody carnage. The sense of melancholy that you sometimes feel at battlegrounds was missing.
There is a simple stone monument with the French spelling, Azincourt, and the year of the battle, and another with a statue of Christ on the cross. When we went there cutout figures of longbowmen and battling knights were scattered around the site.
In the village of Agincourt there is a museum, the Medieval History Center, which has just reopened after a major revamp. It’s a timely update as the displays were looking a bit tired – figures with TV sets for heads, that sort of thing.
The new exhibition suggests that the English were not as outnumbered as was previously believed. The number of English soldiers is put at 8,500, down from an earlier estimate of 9,000, while the figure for the French army has been cut from 30,000 to 12,500. A case of “we happy fewer”, then.
Verdict: Such a famous name must be worth stopping off for at the start of your holiday in France if you’re travelling from England.
October 2019
MORE INFO
OFFICIAL BATTLE OF AGINCOURT tourism page, with information about guided tours, an interactive map and other resources. READ MORE
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LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH
Historic
Battlefield
Attracts
Just a Few
COLIN SIMPSON
Agincourt Battlefield
“And gentlemen in England now a-bed, shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here.”
THE “here” in these stirring lines from Shakespeare’s Henry V is, of course, Agincourt, the site in northern France of the battle of the same name. On October 25, 1415, an outnumbered English army led by King Henry V achieved a famous victory over the forces of France’s King Charles VI.
French cavalrymen – burdened by heavy armour, hampered by soft rain-sodden ground and hemmed in by trees – were massacred by English longbowmen stationed behind protective lines of sharp raised spikes.
The story of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt is told in the big-budget Netflix movie The King, which was released in a handful of cinemas this month and will be screened by the streaming giant from Nov. 1. The film is based on Shakespeare’s Henry V, with snippets taken from the Henry IV plays, though the Bard does not get an on-screen credit. Tomotheé Chalamet plays Henry, and early reviews have been positive.
The defeat was a disaster for France, which by some accounts lost 40 percent of her nobles, and a key moment in the 100 Years’ War.
Before the battle, Henry pumped up his men by delivering a rousing speech. Two centuries later, Shakespeare gave his take on the address, coining the phrase “band of brothers” in the famous line line beginning “We few, we happy few…”
The battlefield is 25 miles from the ferry port at Calais, the entry point for a modern-day invading army of tourists from England. Most hurry on south, not bothering to pause at the scene of one of their country’s most celebrated military successes.
Despite the resonance of the name, Agincourt has none of the pull of the First World War battlefields in adjoining parts of France. The site – a large, gently sloping field edged by trees – appears to have changed little in the past 600 years.
It was hard to believe, gazing across the green stretch of land, that such a tranquil rural setting could once have witnessed such bloody carnage. The sense of melancholy that you sometimes feel at battlegrounds was missing.
There is a simple stone monument with the French spelling, Azincourt, and the year of the battle, and another with a statue of Christ on the cross. When we went there cutout figures of longbowmen and battling knights were scattered around the site.
In the village of Agincourt there is a museum, the Medieval History Center, which has just reopened after a major revamp. It’s a timely update as the displays were looking a bit tired – figures with TV sets for heads, that sort of thing.
The new exhibition suggests that the English were not as outnumbered as was previously believed. The number of English soldiers is put at 8,500, down from an earlier estimate of 9,000, while the figure for the French army has been cut from 30,000 to 12,500. A case of “we happy fewer”, then.
Verdict: Such a famous name must be worth stopping off for at the start of your holiday in France if you’re travelling from England.
October 2019
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MORE INFO
OFFICIAL BATTLE OF AGINCOURT tourism page, with information about guided tours, an interactive map and other resources. READ MORE
RELATED
LET THE GAMES BEGIN! Two thousand years ago, gladiators fought to the death at the Arena of Nîmes in southern France. Now, the Great Roman Games are recreated there each May… READ MORE, WATCH VIDEO
HEROINES WHO DEFIED NAZIS: One of the joys of travel is discovering a story you’d never heard of that leaves a lasting impression, such as this tale of two wartime heroines… READ MORE, WATCH VIDEO
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TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS: Many of the world’s most popular tourists sites are closed because of the coronavirus crisis, but you can still visit them virtually while you’re self-isolating. READ MORE
SHIMLA, QUEEN OF THE HILLS: Government officials once retreated to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas to escape India’s blazing hot summers. Now tourists make the same journey. READ MORE
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Disclosure: Afaranwide is an affiliate of leading travel operators such as Booking.com and Japan Rail Pass. If you purchase through our site we receive, at no additional cost to you, a small commission. We only work with companies we have used and recommend.
LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH
Historic Battlefield Attracts Just a Few
COLIN SIMPSON
Agincourt Battlefield, France
“And gentlemen in England now a-bed, shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here.”
THE “here” in these stirring lines from Shakespeare’s Henry V is, of course, Agincourt, the site in northern France of the battle of the same name. On October 25, 1415, an outnumbered English army led by King Henry V achieved a famous victory over the forces of France’s King Charles VI.
French cavalrymen – burdened by heavy armour, hampered by soft rain-sodden ground and hemmed in by trees – were massacred by English longbowmen stationed behind protective lines of sharp raised spikes.
The story of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt is told in the big-budget Netflix movie The King, which was released in a handful of cinemas this month and will be screened by the streaming giant from Nov. 1.
The film is based on Shakespeare’s Henry V, with snippets taken from the Henry IV plays, though the Bard does not get an on-screen credit. Tomotheé Chalamet plays Henry, and early reviews have been positive.
The defeat was a disaster for France, which by some accounts lost 40 percent of her nobles, and a key moment in the 100 Years’ War.
Before the battle, Henry pumped up his men by delivering a rousing speech. Two centuries later, Shakespeare gave his take on the address, coining the phrase “band of brothers” in the famous line line beginning “We few, we happy few…”
The battlefield is 25 miles from the ferry port at Calais, the entry point for a modern-day invading army of tourists from England. Most hurry on south, not bothering to pause at the scene of one of their country’s most celebrated military successes.
Despite the resonance of the name, Agincourt has none of the pull of the First World War battlefields in adjoining parts of France. The site – a large, gently sloping field edged by trees – appears to have changed little in the past 600 years.
It was hard to believe, gazing across the green stretch of land, that such a tranquil rural setting could once have witnessed such bloody carnage. The sense of melancholy that you sometimes feel at battlegrounds was missing.
There is a simple stone monument with the French spelling, Azincourt, and the year of the battle, and another with a statue of Christ on the cross. When we went there cutout figures of longbowmen and battling knights were scattered around the site.
In the village of Agincourt there is a museum, the Medieval History Center, which has just reopened after a major revamp. It’s a timely update as the displays were looking a bit tired – figures with TV sets for heads, that sort of thing.
The new exhibition suggests that the English were not as outnumbered as was previously believed. The number of English soldiers is put at 8,500, down from an earlier estimate of 9,000, while the figure for the French army has been cut from 30,000 to 12,500. A case of “we happy fewer”, then.
Verdict: Such a famous name must be worth stopping off for at the start of your holiday in France if you’re travelling from England.
October 2019
MORE INFO
OFFICIAL BATTLE OF AGINCOURT tourism page, with information about guided tours, an interactive map and other resources. READ MORE
RELATED
LET THE GAMES BEGIN! Two thousand years ago, gladiators fought to the death at the Arena of Nîmes in southern France. Now, the Great Roman Games are recreated there each May… READ MORE, WATCH VIDEO
HEROINES WHO DEFIED NAZIS: One of the joys of travel is discovering a story you’d never heard of that leaves a lasting impression, such as this tale of two wartime heroines… READ MORE, WATCH VIDEO
RECOMMENDED
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD! Afaranwide’s home page – this is where you can find out about our latest posts and other highlights. READ MORE
TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS: Many of the world’s most popular tourists sites are closed because of the coronavirus crisis, but you can still visit them virtually while you’re self-isolating. READ MORE
SHIMLA, QUEEN OF THE HILLS: Government officials once retreated to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas to escape India’s blazing hot summers. Now tourists make the same journey. READ MORE
TEN THINGS WE LEARNED: Our up-to-the-minute guide to creating a website, one step at a time. The costs, the mistakes – it’s what we wish we’d known when we started blogging. READ MORE
TROUBLED TIMES FOR EXPATS: Moving abroad can seem an idyllic prospect, but what happens when sudden upheavals or the inescapable realities of life intrude? READ MORE
Disclosure: Afaranwide is an affiliate of leading travel operators such as Booking.com and Japan Rail Pass. If you purchase through our site we receive, at no additional cost to you, a small commission. We only work with companies we have used and recommend.