The Hundred Years War, Part II

1. Exit Plantagenets, Enter Lancasters 2. Henry V & the Battle of Agincourt

1. Exit Plantagenets, Enter Lancasters

• Edward, the Black Prince, was next in line to the English throne after his father, King Edward III

• However, in 1376, at the age of 45, he died one year before his father from an illness that historians still can’t agree upon

• Upon Edward III’s death in 1377, the Black Prince’s son became King Richard II

• Richard II was an extremely unpopular king because he abused his power

• In 1399, Richard was deposed by his cousin, who became King Henry IV

• Henry IV kept Richard prisoner and starved him to death

• Henry IV’s usurpation of the English throne marked the end of the rule by the House of Plantagenet and marked the beginning of the rule of the House of Lancaster

• In 1413, Henry IV died and his son became King Henry V at the age of only 26

• Henry V immediately renewed the conflict with France

• Henry V is one of the great heroes of English history

• His legend was strengthened thanks to Shakespeare’s play “Henry V”

2. Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt

• After a month long siege, Henry’s forces captured the town of Harfleur

• However, Henry’s army had been seriously reduced in strength from both the fighting at Harfleur and illness

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!”

• Remember...the English controlled Calais • Henry attempted to march to Calais to

regroup and allow his troops to recover • All the while, however, he was being

hemmed in by French forces

• By October 1415, Henry’s forces were surrounded and he had no choice but to stop his march and prepare for battle

• His army was in seriously bad shape by this time, again due to illness

• Henry’s army numbered around 5,000 and continued to suffer from illness as well as terribly low morale

• To make matters worse, cold autumn rains pounded the tattered army

• French forces numbered somewhere around 30,000 strong

“We lucky few, we band of brothers”

• The Battle of Agincourt took place on 25 October 1415, the Feast of St. Crispin

• Henry V won one of the more unlikely victories of the entire war by decisively defeating the French army

• Henry’s victory was due in large part to the English longbows (again) and...

• The heavy rains, which turned the field into a mud bog

• It is said that the French king, Charles VI, went mad after the defeat at Agincourt

• In 1420, Henry V and Charles VI signed the Treaty of Troyes, which proclaimed Henry the heir to the French throne upon Charles’ death

• Henry sealed the treaty by marrying Charles’ daughter, Catherine of Valois

• But would it be enough to earn him the French crown?...