Agincourt: The Story of a Battle

by Rosemary Hawley Jarman

The story of the battle of Agincourt. A small English expeditionary force in Northern France battling to reach the coast before being cut off by an enemy superior in numbers and equipment; a victory plucked from the jaws of certain-seeming defeat - this story is familiar in the twentieth century. It is also the story of Agincourt in the fifteenth. The distinguished historical novelist Rosemary Hawley Jarman here recreates the whole of the brief, foolhardy expedition mounted by a 28-year-old English king determined to regain the realm across the Channel he believed was his by right. The siege of Harfleur, the ravages of disease, the gradual encirclement, the decision to break out and march through hostile territory to Calais, all lead up to the rainy dawn of 25 October 1415 - St Crispin's Day - when the ragged, hungry English came face to face with a mighty and magnificently accoutred French army and won one of the most overwhelming victories in the chronicles of war.

The Kindle edition includes 70 illustrations

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, 15th Century

158 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Rosemary Hawley Jarman is an English novelist and writer of short stories. She was born in Worcester April 27, 1935. She was educated first at Saint Mary's Convent and then at The Alice Ottley School, leaving at eighteen to study singing in London for the next three years, having developed a fine soprano voice.

Family circumstances prevented her from continuing in this direction and she worked for a time in local government. She was married to David Jarman in 1958 and divorced amicably in 1970. She lived most of her time in Worcestershire at Callow End, between Worcester and Upton on Severn. She began to write for pleasure, and followed a very real and valid obsession with the character of King Richard III (1452-1485 - reigned 1483-85).

With no thought of publication she completed a 228,000 word novel showing the King in his true colours, away from Tudor and Shakespearian propaganda. The book was taken up almost accidentally by an agent, and within six weeks a contract for publication and four other novels was signed with William Collins Publishers, (now Harper Collins).

The author has had short stories published in many magazines in the UK and France and has been a member of the Society of Authors since 1970. She has been dubbed "A Daughter of Mark Twain" by the Samuel Clemens Society in the U.S.A. for her services to literature.

She lived with the prize-winning author R. T. Plumb for eighteen years in a West Wales cottage. They married in September 2002, but the marriage was cut short after Roy died of cancer in October 2003. Jarman (now Mrs. Plumb) is herself recovering from lung cancer, and is writing in the Fantasy genre.

Reviews

[Annette]

Source: I was given a free pdf copy from Amberley Books, later I bought an e-book Kindle copy.
Summary:
The battlefield of Agincourt is located near modern day Azincourt, France. Azincourt is in far northern France. Agincourt is one of the battles in the Hundred Year's War, 1337-1453. It was an English victory.
October 25, 1415, Henry V and his army engaged in battle with a large French army. Henry V's English army had been joined by a battled hardened group of Welshmen, and a group of intimidating Irishmen. The English victory came on St. Crispin's Day. Henry did not take credit for the victory, but gave glory to God.
My Thoughts:
When I began reading Agincourt, I knew it had been an important battle in English history, but I did not know anything else beyond this detail. Rosemary Hawley Jarman has written a splendid concise study of Agincourt.
My reasons for a 5 star review:

Dating back to the period of Edward III in order to lay the groundwork and reasons for the battle.
The history of the mad French king and the tumultuous French region.
Lengthy list of the men who fought in the battle. This includes important historical notes of interest of each person.
From the landing of Henry V and his army, to the battle at Agincourt is examined.
A list of everyone who was involved, from knights to archers, from carpenters to friars, from tent-makers to the king's household.
The prolific sickness that came from eating mussels in a sewage drain.
A descriptive recreation of the battle.
The armor and weaponry is examined.
The aftermath and legacy.

[Mercedes Rochelle]

If this book was written as a novel, I would have given it a higher rating. The author has a wonderful writing style, and her imagery is very colorful. However, written as a non-fiction history book, it is absolutely full of errors. At first, I suspected that her early mistakes in Richard II and Henry IV’s period were because she wasn’t as well versed in the earlier reigns as she would be in Henry V. But no, the errors continue and they are totally avoidable. For instance, she has the Duke of Clarence (Henry V’s brother) fall sick early on during Harfleur and get shipped home. Absolutely not! He is the captain the citizens of Harfleur approached to surrender rather than Henry because they thought they’d get a better hearing. Then after the siege, Clarence and Henry argued about whether they should go back to England or march to Calais, and Henry sent him home (rather than put up with his constant squabbling, I suspect). Even then Clarence didn’t go to England; he went to Calais. That’s not a minor error! On page 63, she referred to Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk as the man who had "suffered during the last days of King Richard...imprisoned until he had paid a monstrous fine. Now he was ready to set sail under Bolingbroke's son..." No, Michael de la Pole died in exile; it was his son who served under Henry V. On the same page, one of the pictures she used was labeled Thomas Beaufort when it was actually Cardinal Henry Beaufort, his brother. On page 91, a picture of the Duke de Berry was captioned with the statement that he fought at Agincourt. But no, de Berry was an old man by then and he stayed at Rouen with the king. There were just too many mistakes to mention them all. Too bad! So take this book with a very large grain of salt; the major events were in place, but it read like it was written by someone who needed to do more research.

[zed]

A fine beginners guide.

[Andrew Kramer]

Want a good read on a medieval campaign without getting too deep in academics or instead being too whimsical? Then Jarman's book fills your need. The former fiction author turns her wares to a non-fiction account of the latter part of the 100 Years War, namely the protracted attempt by Henry V to seize sovereignty over France. Although the book's title is "Agincourt: The Story of a Battle", Jarman describes the whole panoply of events: Pre-Invasion, the siege of Harfleur, march through France under atrocious conditions, the battle, and the aftermath.

Jarman's book turned out to be a page-turner. She knows how to weave a good story, and it shows. My only complaint is that she gets too concerned with naming everyone involved in a particular event. Sometimes this can go on and on.

If one wants to read one book on Agincourt, the preceding events, and the resultant celebration, this is that book.

[Ryan Ricks]

Pretty good book, but perhaps a bit melodramatic in some cases. Also annoyingly used terms like "plate mail" and "fire" when referring to archery. Also referring to French canon and cross bows as antiquated was pretty silly. Otherwise a solid book.

[Ava Camille]

I really enjoyed this one! Very engaging prose and cool pictures.

[Joseph]

I thought the book was a bit too pro-English, and could have been improved by using a more dispassionate manner of narration. Several stories also seem hard to credit.

[Jonny Andres]

A completely engrossing book, which unfortunately ended too soon. I thoroughly enjoyed it.