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History, Page 5

A personal reminiscence of the battle

‘In 1415 I was at the battle of Ruisseauville where I was wounded in the knee and the head, and I lay with the dead. But when the bodies were searched through, I, wounded and helpless, was taken prisoner and kept under guard for a while. I was then led to a nearby house nearby with 10 or 12 other prisoners who were all wounded. There, when the duke of Brabant was making a new attack, a shout went up that everyone should kill his prisoners. Continue reading →

Armour and the royal household

In the medieval period when a king went to war he was accompanied by a large number of men from his household. These included the knights and esquires of his chamber who waited on him, as well as officials and servants who fulfilled the different functions necessary for the running of the royal household. We know that in 1415 many of these men served on the campaign. The men from the royal household who served as men-at-arms were generally expected to provide their own equipment. Continue reading →

The military retinue of John Mowbray, Earl Marshal, for the 1415 campaign

The army which Henry V took to France was paid. As a result we know a great deal about its size and composition. In order to avoid fraud, Exchequer officials checked that those who had promised troops had actually brought them. This was done by carrying out musters which listed all the names of the soldiers. You will find more details of these processes and documents on other pages of this website. Continue reading →

Armour and the men-at-arms

When Henry V’s army departed in August 1415, about a quarter of the soldiers were men-at-arms. Most of these were of the status of esquire – indeed that term was often used to describe them -  and were paid one shilling per day (twice the rate of pay of an archer) but some were of noble and knightly rank and received higher rates of pay based on their social status. A duke, for instance, was paid 13 s 4d per day. Continue reading →

Did the Welsh win the battle of Agincourt?

It is often said that Welsh archers were the reason why Henry V won the battle of Agincourt. But recent research by Dr Adam Chapman at the University of Southampton has looked more closely at the Welsh archers raised for the invasion of France in 1415. (Read his posting of 1 March 2013). He drew on financial records and muster lists in the National Archives at Kew (especially TNA E101/46/20). Continue reading →

Oranges are not the only fruit

And Agincourt is not the only interesting battle! You might be interested to know about the work of The Battlefields Trust. As the Trust points out, nearly everyone in the UK lives within half an hour’s drive of a battlefield. Battles have played their part in the way we live today and are a priceless historical resource to be enjoyed by all. The Trust has played a key role in the preservation and interpretation of battlefields. Continue reading →

12 Years a Slave on BBC History Extra

Dr Christer Petley, editor of the Slavery and Revolution website, answers questions on slavery and on the new movie, 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen and based on the narrative of Solomon Northup. Click here for the ’60-second guide’. Northup was a free man born in New York in 1808 who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841 before reclaiming his freedom in 1853. Read his story, the basis for the film, here: http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/northup/northup. Continue reading →

Christmas presents Lego and the Battle of Agincourt

We were delighted to find this clip on Youtube.  Amazing what you can do with Lego.  So if you are receiving any for Christmas, go for it! Sending all our readers seasons greetings.  We will be back in the New Year with the first of our lists of soldiers who served on the Agincourt campaign.  The archers from South Wales will be the first to be put on the site.  Watch this space. Continue reading →