Terrain and Weather Analysis: The Battle of Agincourt

1. (U) Introduction. On October 25, 1415, England’s meager army of 6,000 defeated a French force of 30,000 at the Battle of Agincourt. The Battle of Agincourt establishes a case study for the value of terrain and weather analysis. Henry V organized his troops to gain possession of local terrain features while the weather rendered French troops unable to inflict maximum damage.

2. (U) Historical Background. The Battle of Agincourt occurred during one of many English campaigns during the Hundred Years War, 1337-1453. Henry V invaded France on August 1415 at the city of Harfleur. Afterwards, Henry V split his army – half traveling on the campaign while the rest remained to guard the port – towards Calais (Rothero, 1981). His army included 6000

He placed his army at the exit of a funnel of clear terrain. His archers flanked out to use the wood line for concealment. This protected them from mass charge of the French cavalry and positioned Henry V’s army to effectively use the terrain for a defensive position (Barker, 2005). His positioning on the firmer ground forced the French to navigate through difficult terrain while Henry V ordered his archers to reign arrows down into the mix (Curry, Great Battles: Agincourt, 2015). The English took an avenue of approach which situated their front line at the end of a funnel. This enabled them to take advantage of the key terrain on the battlefield, while the French reciprocated by approaching through a lessening amount of open terrain through soft, muddy ground (Curry, 1415 Agincourt: A New History, 2005). However, some French men at arms circled around the back of the battlefield to attack the rearguard. A sufficient number of English protected the rear of the battle, but the French did cause damage to the supplies at the rear. This avenue of Approach enabled the French to ruin some supplies for the English. However, the numbers lost by the French versus the English showed a clear victory by the English army (Rothero,