2. The Campaign Of 1415 Flashcards
(33 cards)
Estimated size of Henry’s army
10,500-12,000, transported in a fleet of ships
How did his troops begin the invasion and was it a success?
His troops began by surrounding
the port of Harfleur both by land and sea and placing it under siege. The French initially resisted
strongly, but surrendered on 22 September.
Although victorious, how did the English face losses after Harfleur? How did Henry deal with this?
an outbreak of dysentery among their troops. Henry arranged for
the English wounded and sick to be shipped home and he left a large English garrison in charge, defend the town against any further attack or resistance.
What did Henry do after Harfleur?
he led the remainder of his
army to Calais, where substantial English garrisons were based.
Why do some argue that the King’s tactics to March his troops to Calais were foolhardy?
his soldiers had to undertake the long journey when they were
exhausted. There was also the difficulty that the English would need to cross the River Somme
and the French had taken a number of precautions against this.
French had taken a number of precautions against Eng crossing river Somme, how did they force Henry’s troops to march upstream towards Amiens?
Firstly, the French organised a large
army, possibly as many as 6,000 men, to wait at the most obvious ford at Blanchetaque, forcing
Henry’s troops to march upstream towards Amiens.
What did the French do to bridges and crossing points to stop the English cross the River Somme?
All bridges and crossing points were
defended or blocked.
How did The French attempt to attack the English while they were wading through water?
Thirdly, the French army tracked their enemy’s progress upstream and mirrored it on the other side of the river, which meant that if the English did cross, they were likely to be
attacked while still wading through water.
Realising the problem the French had caused, what did Henry do?
Henry pushed his troops hard and
gained half a day’s march on the French, finding a causeway that had not been protected with stakes like the others, although it had been broken and so required the English
army to rebuild it using materials to hand, which was a risky enterprise.
Did Henry’s gamble pay off?
Yes- by 19 October 1415 the English army had crossed the Somme.
Why was crossing the Somme beneficial to the English?
by this stage the possible crossing points in the river had become more frequent, and so the French army had to divide into small groups to protect them all, which meant that they were
unable to quickly repel the English.
What assisted the English?
A combination of Henry’s determination and quick thinking,
together with good fortune.
When did the Battle of Agincourt take place?
the Battle of Agincourt took place on 25 October 1415?
Who took central fighting position?
Henry and members of his household
Who commanded troops to the right and left?
Edward, duke of York and Thomas, Baron Camoys
What was one of the significant features of the composition of the English army in 1415
the high proportion of archers, trained in the use of the longbow, compared to men-at-arms.
On leaving England, 80 percent of the army were archers and by the time it fought at Agincourt
in October, when the army had experienced significant losses because of injuries and disease, the
proportion of archers was even higher.
Where were the archers positioned in the Battle?
Some archers were stationed in front of the men-at-arms to
protect them, but most were placed on the sides and were protected by sharp stakes. In addition, a
group of highly skilled archers were sent secretly behind enemy lines to attack from the rear.
How did the French draw up their army?
French, a significantly larger force, drew up their army into three divisions, with the first two divisions
on foot and the third mounted.
What tactic by the French proved disastrous and why?
They decided to fight in close formation, a choice of tactic which
proved disastrous as the battlefield was relatively narrow, meaning that the French were grouped
too tightly and so had difficulty in fighting effectively. Wearing heavy armour on foot was also
problematic as the ground was muddy, making it difficult for them to move quickly.
As the battle commenced, the English shot arrows into the French line, provoking some small French
cavalry charges at the archers at the sides of the English formation, why did this not work?
these attacks were hampered
by the use of stakes protecting the English troops.
As the French carried out their main, frontal attack, why were there difficulties for the French?
the French got into difficulties both because of over-crowding in the line and the highly effective use of bowshot by the English, which killed and wounded many, throwing the enemy into confusion.
What also hindered French troops
The presence of the French cavalry at the back of their formation also hindered their own troops
who wished to fall back.
English archers, once they had run out of arrows, were ordered to engage in
hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Was this successful?
This proved highly successful because they were very lightly
armed compared to their adversaries, and so could move much faster.
Henry feared that the rear of his army was being attacked and that
French reinforcements were going to arrive. What did he do?
He ordered that all enemies taken prisoner during the batle should be immediately killed to prevent them giving any assistance to the enemy.
