The Battle of Agincourt: Sources and Interpretations - (Warfare in History) by Anne Curry (Paperback)

About the Book

A great teaching tool for every aspect of medieval history... a remarkable book. JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY

Book Synopsis

`Agincourt! Agincourt! Know ye not Agincourt?' So began a ballad of around 1600. Since the event itself [25 October 1415], the great military engagement has occupied a special place in both English and French consciousness, respectively as either one of the greatest military successes ever, or as the `accursed day'. Much ink has been spilt on the battle but do we really 'know' Agincourt? Not since Harris Nicolas's 'History of the Battle of Agincourt' [1827-33] has there been a full attempt to survey the sources until now: this book brings together, in translation and with commentary, English and French narrative accounts and literary works of the fifteenth century. It also traces the treatment of the battle in sixteenth-century English histories and in the literary representations of, amongst others, Shakespeare and Drayton. After examining how later historians interpreted the battle, it concludes with the first full assessment of the extremely rich administrative records which survive for the armies which fought 'upon Saint Crispin's day'. ANNE CURRY is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Southampton.

Review Quotes

Accessible collections of primary sources covering the Hundred Years War are still remarkably few and far between, and teachers of the subject will find Curry's volume a valuable addition to their bibliographies and teaching aids.-- "FRENCH HISTORY"

An outstanding addition to Boydell's valuable Warfare in History series.. Provides a masterclass in the handling of chronicles and government records.-- "WAR IN HISTORY"

Curry has performed a valuable service to scholars, teachers and general readers by compiling this comprehensive source-book for Henry 's Agincourt campaign.-- "ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW"

Outstanding. [...] All the texts are provided with ample and thoughtful introductions, so that students can approach them with some degree of sophistication. [...] This book would be an excellent one to use in a historical methodologies course at undergraduate or graduate level. I heartily recommend it for the collections of all college libraries.-- "DE RE MILITARI"

Will not only meet the needs of medieval warfare scholars but could be used as a great teaching tool for every aspect of medieval history... a remarkable book.-- "JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY"