battle of agincourt middle finger

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This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. [7] Barker, who believes the English were outnumbered by at least four to one,[120] says that the armed servants formed the rearguard in the battle. The Battle of Agincourt took place during the the Hundred Years' War, a conflict which, despite its name, was neither one single war nor did it last one hundred years. Originally representing the erect phallus, the gesture conveyssimultaneously a sexual threat to the person to whom it is directed andapotropaicmeans of warding off unwanted elements of the more-than-human. ( here ). Shakespeare's version of the battle of Agincourt has been turned into several minor and two major films. Materials characterization, 29(2), 111117. A truce had been formally declared in 1396 that was meant to last 28 years, sealed by the marriage of the French king Charles VIs daughter to King Richard II of England. Agincourt, Henry V's famous victory over the French on 25 October 1415, is a fascinating battle not just because of what happened but also because of how its myth has developed ever since. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Participating as judges were Justices Samuel Alito and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A complete coat of plate was considered such good protection that shields were generally not used,[75] although the Burgundian contemporary sources distinguish between Frenchmen who used shields and those who did not, and Rogers has suggested that the front elements of the French force used axes and shields. 030223 - Musings From Leroy [135] The battle also forms a central component of the 2019 Netflix film The King. People who killed their social betters from a distance werent very well liked, and would likely have paid with their lives as did all the French prisoners, archers or otherwise, whom Henry V had executed at Agincourt, in what some historians consider a war crime. Unable to cross the Somme River because of French defenses, he was forced to take a detour inland and cross farther upstream. While the precise number of casualties is unknown, it is estimated that English losses amounted to about 400 and French losses to about 6,000, many of whom were noblemen. Turning to our vast classical library, we quickly turn up three references. In the words of Juliet Barker, the battle "cut a great swath through the natural leaders of French society in Artois, Ponthieu, Normandy, Picardy. He contrasts the modern, English king and his army with the medieval, chivalric, older model of the French. Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French,anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Archers were not the "similarly equipped" opponents that armored soldiers triumphed in defeating -- if the two clashed in combat, the armored soldier would either kill an archer outright or leave him to bleed to death rather than go to the wasteful effort of taking him prisoner. The Burgundians seized on the opportunity and within 10 days of the battle had mustered their armies and marched on Paris. . This famous weapon was made of the . with chivalry. The longbow. Battle of Agincourt | Facts, Summary, & Significance | Britannica . The English numbered roughly 5,000 knights, men-at-arms, and archers. Some historians trace its origins to ancient Rome. [citation needed], Immediately after the battle, Henry summoned the heralds of the two armies who had watched the battle together with principal French herald Montjoie, and they settled on the name of the battle as Azincourt, after the nearest fortified place. Over the years some 'folk etymologies' have grown up around this symbolic gesture. Made just prior to the invasion of Normandy, Olivier's rendition gives the battle what Sarah Hatchuel has termed an "exhilarating and heroic" tone, with an artificial, cinematic look to the battle scenes. But frankly, I suspect that the French would have done a lot worse to any captured English archers than chopping off their fingers. The next line of French knights that poured in found themselves so tightly packed (the field narrowed at the English end) that they were unable to use their weapons effectively, and the tide of the battle began to turn toward the English. This moment of the battle is portrayed both as a break with the traditions of chivalry and as a key example of the paradox of kingship. It was a disastrous attempt. The military aspects of this account are similarly specious. [21] On 19 April 1415, Henry again asked the Great Council to sanction war with France, and this time they agreed. The king received an axe blow to the head, which knocked off a piece of the crown that formed part of his helmet. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the future. In the song Hotel California, what does colitas mean? The English account in the Gesta Henrici says: "For when some of them, killed when battle was first joined, fall at the front, so great was the undisciplined violence and pressure of the mass of men behind them that the living fell on top of the dead, and others falling on top of the living were killed as well."[62]. What's the origin of "the finger"? - The Straight Dope It was often reported to comprise 1,500 ships, but was probably far smaller. [110][111][112] Ian Mortimer endorsed Curry's methodology, though applied it more liberally, noting how she "minimises French numbers (by limiting her figures to those in the basic army and a few specific additional companies) and maximises English numbers (by assuming the numbers sent home from Harfleur were no greater than sick lists)", and concluded that "the most extreme imbalance which is credible" is 15,000 French against 8,0009,000 English. Clip from the 1944 movie "Henry V" (137 min). [43], The French were organized into two main groups (or battles), a vanguard up front and a main battle behind, both composed principally of men-at-arms fighting on foot and flanked by more of the same in each wing. The city capitulated within six weeks, but the siege was costly. As the story goes, the French were fighting with the English and had a diabolical (and greatly advertised) plan of cutting off the middle fingers of any captured English archers so they could never taunt the French with arrows plucked in their . Medieval warriors didn't take prisoners because by doing so they were observing a moral code that dictated opponents who had laid down their arms and ceased fighting must be treated humanely, but because they knew high-ranking captives were valuable property that could be ransomed for money. The Battle of Agincourt (Pt 1) - YouTube because when a spectator started to hiss, he called the attention of the whole audience to him with an obscene movement of his middle finger. Morris also claims that the mad emperor Caligula, as an insult, would extend his middle finger for supplicants to kiss. Keegan, John. Jean de Wavrin, a knight on the French side wrote that English fatalities were 1,600 men of all ranks. A Dictionary of Superstitions. Last, but certainly not least, wouldn't these insolent archers have been bragging about plucking a bow's string, and not the wood of the bow itself? These numbers are based on the Gesta Henrici Quinti and the chronicle of Jean Le Fvre, the only two eyewitness accounts on the English camp. [27], During the siege, the French had raised an army which assembled around Rouen. The 'middle finger salute' did not derive from the defiant gestures of English archers whose fingers had been severed at the Battle of Agincourt. The Battle of Agincourt was another famous battle where longbowmen had a particularly important . After a difficult siege, the English forces found themselves assaulted by a massive French force. Take on the burden and expense of caring for them? [citation needed], In any event, Henry ordered the slaughter of what were perhaps several thousand French prisoners, sparing only the highest ranked (presumably those most likely to fetch a large ransom under the chivalric system of warfare). Battle of Agincourt, (October 25, 1415), decisive battle in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) that resulted in the victory of the English over the French. [citation needed], The French responded with what they considered the generous terms of marriage with Catherine, a dowry of 600,000 crowns, and an enlarged Aquitaine. 33-35). [32] In 2019, the historian Michael Livingston also made the case for a site west of Azincourt, based on a review of sources and early maps. They shadowed Henry's army while calling a semonce des nobles,[30] calling on local nobles to join the army. [23] The army of about 12,000 men and up to 20,000 horses besieged the port of Harfleur. Humble English archers defeated the armoured elite of French chivalry, enshrining both the longbow and the battle in English national legend. The latter, each titled Henry V, star Laurence Olivier in 1944 and Kenneth Branagh in 1989. Poitiers 1356: The capture of a king (Vol. Keegan, John. This was an innovative technique that the English had not used in the Battles of Crcy and Poitiers. When Henry V acceded to the English throne in 1413, there had been a long hiatus in the fighting. This suggests that the French could have outnumbered the English 5 to 1. Im even more suspicious of the alleged transformation of p to f. There was no monetary reward to be obtained by capturing them, nor was there any glory to be won by defeating them in battle. [126], Shakespeare's depiction of the battle also plays on the theme of modernity. It may be in the narrow strip of open land formed between the woods of Tramecourt and Azincourt (close to the modern village of Azincourt). [97] According to the heralds, 3,069 knights and squires were killed,[e] while at least 2,600 more corpses were found without coats of arms to identify them. The Battle of Agincourt (720p) Watch on [34][d] The French apparently had no clear plan for deploying the rest of the army. Battle of Agincourt. The decorative use of the image of Priapusmatched the Roman use ofimages of male genitalia for warding off evil. [39] Curry, Rogers[118] and Mortimer[42] all agree the French had 4 to 5 thousand missile troops. How different cultures perceive emojis in workplace communication Although it could be intended as humorous, the image on social media is historically inaccurate. [92], The French had suffered a catastrophic defeat. They had been weakened by the siege at Harfleur and had marched over 200 miles (more than 320 km), and many among them were suffering from dysentery. It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the gesture is known as giving the bird. And yew all thought yew knew everything! They might also have deployed some archers in the centre of the line. [52] The dukes of Alenon and Bar led the main battle. Pluck yew - onlysky.media [73] The mounted charge and subsequent retreat churned up the already muddy terrain between the French and the English. Although an audience vote was "too close to call", Henry was unanimously found guilty by the court on the basis of "evolving standards of civil society".[136][137][138]. News of the contrivance circulated within Europe and was described in a book of tactics written in 1411 by. After Henry V marched to the north, the French moved to block them along the River Somme. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1991 ISBN 0-471-53672-5 (pp. False claim: "Middle finger" gesture derives from English soldiers at [68], Henry's men were already very weary from hunger, illness and retreat. The English King Henry V and his troops were marching to Calais to embark for England when he was intercepted by forces which outnumbered his. The historian Suetonius, writing about Augustus Caesar, says the emperor expelled [the entertainer] Pylades . A Dictionary of Superstitions.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992 ISBN 0-19-282916-5 (p. 454). Thinking it was an attack from the rear, Henry had the French nobles he was holding prisoner killed. Agincourt and the Middle Finger | First Floor Tarpley [116] One particular cause of confusion may have been the number of servants on both sides, or whether they should at all be counted as combatants. [106] This lack of unity in France allowed Henry eighteen months to prepare militarily and politically for a renewed campaign. This famous English longbow was . What it is supposed to represent I have no idea. This famous weapon was made of the native English yew tree, and so the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking yew". The ransoming of prisoners was the only way for medieval soldiers to make a quick fortune, and so they seized every available opportunity to capture opponents who could be exchanged for handsome prices. [17] Two of the most frequently cited accounts come from Burgundian sources, one from Jean Le Fvre de Saint-Remy who was present at the battle, and the other from Enguerrand de Monstrelet. This is the answer submitted by a listener: Dear Click and Clack, Thank you for the Agincourt 'Puzzler', which clears up some profound questions of etymology, folklore and emotional symbolism. Singer Robbie Williams insults the viewer. Fighting ignorance since 1973. Henry V and the resumption of the Hundred Years War, That fought with us upon Saint Crispins day, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Agincourt, World History Encyclopedia - Battle of Agincourt, Warfare History Network - Miracle in the Mud: The Hundred Years' War's Battle of Agincourt, Battle of Agincourt - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). While numerous English sources give the English casualties in double figures,[8] record evidence identifies at least 112 Englishmen killed in the fighting,[103] while Monstrelet reported 600 English dead. The battle repeated other English successes in the Hundred Years War, such as the Battle of Crcy (1346) and the Battle of Poitiers (1356), and made possible Englands subsequent conquest of Normandy and the Treaty of Troyes (1420), which named Henry V heir to the French crown. Agincourt. [114][115] Curry and Mortimer questioned the reliability of the Gesta, as there have been doubts as to how much it was written as propaganda for Henry V. Both note that the Gesta vastly overestimates the number of French in the battle; its proportions of English archers to men-at-arms at the battle are also different from those of the English army before the siege of Harfleur. The struggle began in 1337 when King Edward III of England claimed the title King of France over Philip VI and invaded Flanders. Barker states that some knights, encumbered by their armour, actually drowned in their helmets.[64]. Without the middle finger, it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow; and therefore, they would be incapable of fighting in the future. There had even been a suggestion that the English would run away rather than give battle when they saw that they would be fighting so many French princes. The Battle of Agincourt forms a key part of Shakespeare's Henry V. Photo by Nick Ansell / POOL / AFP) Myth: During the Hundred Years War, the French cut off the first and second fingers of any. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992 ISBN 0-19-282916-5 (p. 454). [107], Most primary sources which describe the battle have English outnumbered by several times. PDF THE ENGLISH VS FRENCH - Carolina Traditional Archers A widely shared image on social media purportedly explains the historic origins of the middle finger, considered an offensive gesture in Western culture. Battle of Agincourt and the origin of Fu#K | Origin story of middle [23] Thomas Morstede, Henry V's royal surgeon,[24] had previously been contracted by the king to supply a team of surgeons and makers of surgical instruments to take part in the Agincourt campaign. [38], The French army had 10,000 men-at arms[39][40][41] plus some 4,0005,000 miscellaneous footmen (gens de trait) including archers, crossbowmen[42] (arbaltriers) and shield-bearers (pavisiers), totaling 14,00015,000 men. "[67] On top of this, the French were expecting thousands of men to join them if they waited. You would think that anything English predating 1607, such as the language, Protestantism, or the Common Law, would have been a part of Americas patrimony. Julia Martinez was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Its up there with heres something that they dont want you to know.. The French could not cope with the thousands of lightly armoured longbowmen assailants (who were much less hindered by the mud and weight of their armour) combined with the English men-at-arms. Moreover, with this outcome Henry V strengthened his position in his own kingdom; it legitimized his claim to the crown, which had been under threat after his accession. [85], The French men-at-arms were taken prisoner or killed in the thousands. Before the battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French proposed cutting the middle finger off of captured English soldiers rendering them incapable of shooting longbows. Juliet Barker quotes a contemporary account by a monk from St. Denis who reports how the wounded and panicking horses galloped through the advancing infantry, scattering them and trampling them down in their headlong flight from the battlefield. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 ( Saint Crispin's Day ), near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France. But lets not quibble. By most contemporary accounts, the French army was also significantly larger than the English, though the exact degree of their numerical superiority is disputed. [76] Modern historians are divided on how effective the longbows would have been against plate armour of the time. Rogers suggested that the French at the back of their deep formation would have been attempting to literally add their weight to the advance, without realising that they were hindering the ability of those at the front to manoeuvre and fight by pushing them into the English formation of lancepoints. It established the legitimacy of the Lancastrian monarchy and the future campaigns of Henry to pursue his "rights and privileges" in France. For three hours after sunrise there was no fighting. It lasted longer than Henry had anticipated, and his numbers were significantly diminished as a result of casualties, desertions, and disease. Battle of Agincourt - HISTORY Maybe it means five and was a symbol of support for Henry V? Do you return these prisoners to your opponents in exchange for nothing, thereby providing them with trained soldiers who can fight against you another day? The French knights were unable to outflank the longbowmen (because of the encroaching woodland) and unable to charge through the array of sharpened stakes that protected the archers. The earliest known photograph of "the finger," given by Charles "Old [31], The precise location of the battle is not known. The battle remains an important symbol in popular culture. Opie, Iona and Moira Tatem. The English army, led by King Henry V, famously achieved victory in spite of the numerical superiority of its opponent. [128] The original play does not, however, feature any scenes of the actual battle itself, leading critic Rose Zimbardo to characterise it as "full of warfare, yet empty of conflict. "[102], Estimates of the number of prisoners vary between 700 and 2,200, amongst them the dukes of Orlans and Bourbon, the counts of Eu, Vendme, Richemont (brother of the Duke of Brittany and stepbrother of Henry V) and Harcourt, and marshal Jean Le Maingre.[12]. Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. One of the most renowned. In March 2010, a mock trial of Henry V for the crimes associated with the slaughter of the prisoners was held in Washington, D.C., drawing from both the historical record and Shakespeare's play. Axtell, Roger E. Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World. .). With Toby Merrell, Ian Brooker, Philip Rosch, Brian Blessed. False. Barker, Sumption and Rogers all wrote that the English probably had 6,000 men, these being 5,000 archers and 9001,000 men-at-arms. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the future. Winston Churchhill can be seen using the V as a rallying call. Mortimer also considers that the Gesta vastly inflates the English casualties 5,000 at Harfleur, and that "despite the trials of the march, Henry had lost very few men to illness or death; and we have independent testimony that no more than 160 had been captured on the way". Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In the other reference Martial writes that a certain party points a finger, an indecent one, at some other people. The French, who were overwhelmingly favored to win the battle, Continue Reading 41 2 7 Alexander L And I aint kidding yew. The main part of the speech begins "This day is called the feast of . PLUCK YEW!". The "middle finger" gesture does not derive from the mutilation of English archers at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Updates? According to most chroniclers, Henry's fear was that the prisoners (who, in an unusual turn of events, actually outnumbered their captors) would realise their advantage in numbers, rearm themselves with the weapons strewn about the field and overwhelm the exhausted English forces.

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