Battle of Agincourt

The French army, far more numerous, attempts to encircle exhausted English troops after their long march from Harfleur. On muddy ground, charges by French cavalry are disorganized and caught under constant fire from English archers protected by stakes. The slaughter is total.

Henry V invades Normandy, besieges Harfleur, then marches toward Calais. The French army intercepts him in a narrow corridor between two woods. The French nobility, impatient and poorly coordinated, refuses to wait for reinforcements. The military failure is also a political and strategic crisis.

English deployment in defensive position between two woods. Inverted V formation of archers, protected by stakes. Constant harassment, then attack by English men-at-arms on the wings. French cavalry bogs down and crushes its own ranks.

Moral and military collapse of France. Capture of many nobles. Henry V emerges strengthened and legitimizes his claim to the French throne. Agincourt becomes a national trauma comparable to Poitiers or Crécy.