Good morning and welcome to Today In History. Your daily dose of history and nostalgia.

Read time ~ 5 min

• A Turning Point in the Hundred Years’ War

• Culture

• Shaping The World

• Just For Fun

• Birthdays & Deaths

The Battle of Agincourt (1415)

Setting The Scene

We’re traveling way back to 1415 today. Columbus has yet to discover the Americas and indigenous civilizations have not yet made contact with Europeans. The Aztec and Inca empires reign supreme. Most of Europe is in the final stretch of the Middle Ages, meaning feudalism is the primary system and the Catholic church has tremendous power and influence.

The scene is northern France, near the current border of Belgium for the Battle of Agincourt between England and France. The warring countries are 78 years into the Hundred Years’ War. After tensions boiled over in the late 1330’s, war broke out over territorial disputes, claims to the French throne, and feudal relationships.

What Happened?

King of England Henry V had been negotiating with France over his rights to the French throne. After a lackluster counteroffer, King Henry V got approval from the Great Council to go to war with France. Henry’s army of 12,000 arrives in Normandy in August of 1415, only to fight for two months, whittling the army down to roughly 6,000 men. As Henry’s men move north along the top of France, the French army shadows and moves to block them along the River Somme.

The two sides meet on October 25, 1415 at approximately 11 a.m. Henry divides his men into 3 units, long-range archers, knights, and men-at-arms. His army is face to face with 15,000-20,0000 French soldiers, a nearly 3 to 1 advantage for the French. Unwilling to move forward due to exhaustion and illness, the English entice the French to attack, leading the French army across a massive, muddy field.

Without a true battle plan, the French, in heavy armor, labor across the wet, thick mud. A horrible mistake as archers pick off the French one by one. The surviving French knights reach the English line and push them back, but after walking in 60-pound armor with restricted breathing in helmets, the French can barely lift their weapons. After 3 hours of battle, the English army kill thousands of French soldiers, eventually slaying thousands of prisoners too. This marks a giant victory for England and a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War.

Impact

King Henry V proved the value of tactics, winning the battle despite his army being at a vast disadvantage. This win allowed the English to secure northern parts of France, ultimately leading to the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. Henry would be recognized as the heir to the French throne and marry French princess Catherine of Valois.

What else happened?

Culture

• Pyotr Tchaikovsky performs his legendary Piano Concerto No. 1 for the first time in Boston, Massachusetts. (1875)

• Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis is released. (1978)

• Microsoft launches Windows XP. (2001)

Shaping The World

• Roman Emperor Charles V bans wooden buildings in Amsterdam, mandating new buildings be built with stone. (1521)

• John Hancock is elected as the first Governor of Massachusetts, receiving over 90% of the vote. (1780)

• President Ronald Reagan invades Grenada to protect American citizens, known as Operation Urgent Fury. (1983)

Just For Fun

• Eastern State Penitentiary opens in Philadelphia, the world’s first solitary confinement prison. (1829)

• First artwork produced by AI, “Edmond de Belamy” sells for $432,500 (2018)

• Elon Musk makes a record $25 billion in one day to make him the richest person ever at a net worth of $255.2 billion.(2021)

Birthdays

• Pablo Picasso (1881)

•  Katy Perry (1984)

Deaths

• Geoffrey Saucer (1400)

• Henry Knox (1806)