October 09, 2007
Science, history and Agincourt
Don't let "physics" in the title scare you off; "Physics of Medieval Archery" is an interesting explanation of how the English triumphed against the French at Agincourt.
And, no, they didn't win because they were facing the French.
It is sobering to combine these facts with some historical data.
[English King] Henry V had approximately 5,000 archers at Agincourt, and a stock of about 400,000 arrows. Each archer could shoot about ten arrows a minute, so the army only had enough ammunition for about eight minutes of shooting at maximum fire power. However, this fire power would have been devastating. Fifty thousand arrows a minute - over 800 a second - would have hissed down on the French cavalry, killing hundreds of men a minute and wounding many more.
The function of a company of medieval archers seems to have been equivalent to that of a machine-gunner, so in modern terms we can imagine Agincourt as a battle between old-fashioned cavalry, supported by a few snipers (crossbow-men) on the French side, against a much smaller army equipped with machine guns.
Perhaps from this point of view the most remarkable fact about the battle is that the French ignored the very great military advantages of the longbow.
It's impossible to ignore that this would not be the last time the French ignored significant innovations in equipment or tactics.
Read the whole thing.
And when you're done, you must listen to Kenneth Branagh deliver Shakespeare's rousing speech by Henry V to the troops before battle .
Posted by Mike Lief at October 9, 2007 08:08 AM
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Comments
Agincourt, Carcassonne, and Normandy. All of France I would care to visit.
Recently you have spoken of Antietam and now, Agincourt . . . two military confrontations that ring through history with the power of honour and sacrifice.
Jericho ... Three Hundred Champions ... Zama ... Tours ... Jacob's Ford ... the Neva ... Loudon Hill ... The Thirty ... Agincourt ... the Siege of Malta ... Arras ... the Plains of Abraham ... the Essex ... Antietam ... San Juan Hill ... Dogger Bank ... the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal ... Chosin Reservoir ... The Chinese Farm.
Real battles fought by real people with real leadership, yielding dramatic denouments and valuable lessons. They resonate for me. And where will our children learn of them?
Posted by: The Little Coach at October 9, 2007 11:17 AM