On 25 October 1415, King Henry V’s English army defeated a larger French force near Agincourt in northern France. The victory became one of the best-known English successes of the Hundred Years’ War.

Henry had crossed the Channel in August to press his claims in France and capture the port of Harfleur. The siege lasted longer than expected, and illness reduced his army. Rather than return directly to England, he led the remaining troops towards English-held Calais. A French army intercepted them near Agincourt.

Henry’s force numbered several thousand men, mostly archers, and was substantially smaller than the French army. Estimates of both armies vary. The English occupied a narrow field between two wooded areas. Longbowmen stood on the flanks behind sharpened stakes intended to stop cavalry.

After a long standoff, Henry ordered an advance that brought the French within bowshot. French cavalry and men-at-arms attacked across ground softened by rain. The stakes disrupted the cavalry, while arrows wounded horses and broke formations. Dismounted French men-at-arms struggled through the mud under repeated volleys before reaching the English line. Confined by the woods and crowded by soldiers advancing behind them, the French front ranks had little room to manoeuvre. Many prominent French nobles were killed or captured, while English losses were much lower.

Henry also ordered the killing of many French prisoners when he feared another attack and received reports that the English baggage train had been raided. Contemporary accounts record the order, although the number killed remains disputed.

The victory allowed Henry to continue to Calais and return to England. It did not end the war, but it strengthened his authority and his claim in France. Henry invaded again in 1417 and conquered much of Normandy. Under the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, he was recognised as heir to the French king, Charles VI. Henry died in 1422, before he could inherit the French crown.