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Agincourt
Forms part of a series of paperbacks reprinting classic texts on military history. In this book, Christopher Hibbert explores the background to the battle of Agincourt and analyzes the battle itself.
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
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About the author
Christopher Hibbert
144 books311 followersChristopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.
Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.
Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 13, 2020
I’m not a particular fan of military history, and only read this book in order to tick off one of the categories in a reading challenge I am doing this year. And I’m really glad I did. I knew almost nothing about the Battle of Agincourt or Henry V before this, and Christopher Hibbert enlightened me in a clear, concise and interesting way. Maybe I need to read the Shakespeare play now...
July 20, 2023
After reading The Yorkist Age, it was interesting to try this part of history as well.
December 2, 2025
A brief and approachable account of the events leading up to and proceeding the battle of Agincourt, with a compelling analysis of Henry V and the context of this most famous battle.
May 7, 2021
The single most concise, entertaining, and cleary written thing I've read about the middle ages. This was my first Hibbert. I'd heard he was a good writer, so I will be sure to check out some others.
In short, Hibbert tells you precisely what you need to know (and nothing more) about the major players and the context in order to understand this famous battle from the Hundred Years' War. There are no superfluous details clogging up the narrative which is told surprisingly gripplingly. Hibbert outlines daily troop movements on either side and follows strategies and engagements closely enough to bring the scenes very much to life; it was like reading a well-written account of an early 20th century battle rather than one from the early 15th century. I also appreciated Hibbert's unromantic and unsentimental tone: this isn't a story of English valour and prowess versus French villainy and incompetence. It is the story of a battle that was the outcome of readily understandable practical and political motives, and Hibbert's brisk narrative manages to take something of an unvarnished 'warts and all' approach.
The tiny paperback edition I read was from the British Battles Illustrated series put out by PAN way back when. I've since picked up Hibbert's 'Corruna' and AH Farrar-Hockley's 'Somme' from the same series solely on the basis of the quality of 'Agincourt'.
In short, Hibbert tells you precisely what you need to know (and nothing more) about the major players and the context in order to understand this famous battle from the Hundred Years' War. There are no superfluous details clogging up the narrative which is told surprisingly gripplingly. Hibbert outlines daily troop movements on either side and follows strategies and engagements closely enough to bring the scenes very much to life; it was like reading a well-written account of an early 20th century battle rather than one from the early 15th century. I also appreciated Hibbert's unromantic and unsentimental tone: this isn't a story of English valour and prowess versus French villainy and incompetence. It is the story of a battle that was the outcome of readily understandable practical and political motives, and Hibbert's brisk narrative manages to take something of an unvarnished 'warts and all' approach.
The tiny paperback edition I read was from the British Battles Illustrated series put out by PAN way back when. I've since picked up Hibbert's 'Corruna' and AH Farrar-Hockley's 'Somme' from the same series solely on the basis of the quality of 'Agincourt'.
November 2, 2024
Did not finish, because this book, while claiming to be for the everyman and a simple read, was dry, weighty, and went into incredible detail on minutiae. The book definitely assumes a European audience as monarchies, geography, and other important elements are glossed over with an assumption of common knowledge. This American would have benefitted from more maps, visual timelines, and family trees.
September 20, 2012
Too much war!
Ha ha, just kidding. But it's not the sort of novel I usually go for. Audible was having a sale so I figured I'd pick up a few interesting sounding book recordings.
The writing is crisp and you get a real sense of what things were like back in 1415. You also get a good rendering of the events leading up to this curious battle. The outcome of the battle was a surprise, to be sure, but the explanation goes a long way toward making it understandable.
Anyway, it was a quick "read" and I'm glad I experienced it. I gave it 4 stars mainly because I think it is probably a great representative of this genre, even though it's not the sort of thing I personally would seek out with frequency.
Ha ha, just kidding. But it's not the sort of novel I usually go for. Audible was having a sale so I figured I'd pick up a few interesting sounding book recordings.
The writing is crisp and you get a real sense of what things were like back in 1415. You also get a good rendering of the events leading up to this curious battle. The outcome of the battle was a surprise, to be sure, but the explanation goes a long way toward making it understandable.
Anyway, it was a quick "read" and I'm glad I experienced it. I gave it 4 stars mainly because I think it is probably a great representative of this genre, even though it's not the sort of thing I personally would seek out with frequency.
March 6, 2014
Read By: Patrick Tull
blurbs - One of the great triumphs of British warfare, there can be few victories so complete, or achieved against such heavy odds, as that won by Henry V on 25 October 1415 on the fields of Agincourt. Christopher Hibbert's
compelling account of the utter defeat of Charles VI's army at Agincourt
combines historical accuracy with a lucid and forceful narrative style.
Not an important piece about the times.
blurbs - One of the great triumphs of British warfare, there can be few victories so complete, or achieved against such heavy odds, as that won by Henry V on 25 October 1415 on the fields of Agincourt. Christopher Hibbert's
compelling account of the utter defeat of Charles VI's army at Agincourt
combines historical accuracy with a lucid and forceful narrative style.
Not an important piece about the times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2010
Very intersting.
January 12, 2020
Small, very easy to read paperback of 180 pages including Appendices and Index. Concise and lucid with some graphic detail of what war was like in the early fifteenth century.
It tells the story of the campaign by Henry V leading up to the overwhelming victory over the French at Agincourt in 1415.
The English army suffered from dysentery and long marches each day as they headed for Calais after the successful siege at Harfleur on the south west coast of France. They were tracked by a huge French army before battle was joined near Agincourt.
As good as the heavily outnumbered English were, the French were a disunited rabble and suffered huge losses not only from the English archers but because they were weighted down with armour and could not move on muddy ground in a compressed space. Many died of suffocation and many others were cut down mercilessly with only valuable prisoners left alive for ransom purposes. These were literally the spoils of war.
The book is a lucid account with plenty of interesting detail culled from a surprisingly large number of contemporary English and French writers. On balance, Henry V emerges as a great leader and soldier convinced of the right of his cause. He died only seven years after Agincourt at the age of thirty four.
It tells the story of the campaign by Henry V leading up to the overwhelming victory over the French at Agincourt in 1415.
The English army suffered from dysentery and long marches each day as they headed for Calais after the successful siege at Harfleur on the south west coast of France. They were tracked by a huge French army before battle was joined near Agincourt.
As good as the heavily outnumbered English were, the French were a disunited rabble and suffered huge losses not only from the English archers but because they were weighted down with armour and could not move on muddy ground in a compressed space. Many died of suffocation and many others were cut down mercilessly with only valuable prisoners left alive for ransom purposes. These were literally the spoils of war.
The book is a lucid account with plenty of interesting detail culled from a surprisingly large number of contemporary English and French writers. On balance, Henry V emerges as a great leader and soldier convinced of the right of his cause. He died only seven years after Agincourt at the age of thirty four.
October 8, 2020
In the midst of essays and novels, I needed a little history fix! Picked up this gem a little bit ago at Unabridged, and the topic hits a lot of sweet spots: history, Shakespeare, my birthday... I've seen three productions of Henry V the play--the best one at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. The play is where the "Band of Brothers" speech come, which is my total WWII fanboy miniseries. And well, The battle of Agincourt took place on my birthday, 559 years before I was born. :-)
Overall, an easy to read narrative that gets to the heart of things: the reasons, the prep, the lead-up, the actual battle, etc. Plus context of the period and a little look ahead to what happened to Henry's legacy. I'm sure other books get into plenty more detail, but sometimes you don't want to be bogged down with all that. The appendices are cool, even if I skimmed over Henry's Ordinances of War, all written in the period English.
Bonus: While reading, I found these two framed cut-outs of a Medieval knight and lady. Pretty sure the knight is an exact replica of one of the illustrations in the book, and they both fall in line with another illustration of a couple. They're hanging in my apartment now. Love them!
Overall, an easy to read narrative that gets to the heart of things: the reasons, the prep, the lead-up, the actual battle, etc. Plus context of the period and a little look ahead to what happened to Henry's legacy. I'm sure other books get into plenty more detail, but sometimes you don't want to be bogged down with all that. The appendices are cool, even if I skimmed over Henry's Ordinances of War, all written in the period English.
Bonus: While reading, I found these two framed cut-outs of a Medieval knight and lady. Pretty sure the knight is an exact replica of one of the illustrations in the book, and they both fall in line with another illustration of a couple. They're hanging in my apartment now. Love them!
June 19, 2023
3 Stars/
69%
A great little tour through the events around the Battle of Agincourt, it does what it says on the tin - you learn a lot in a rather small space of time. I learned a lot.
It did fall to some of the more irritating history book traps (in my opinion) though; translations were not translated (original French was quoted and then left at that) which always suggests a kind of author superiority over the reader, in my humble opinion. To me it suggests the author is saying 'if you can't read this large stretch of French, what on Earth are you doing reading my book'. It doesn't take two moments to translate something today, and seeing both English and French would have been great. But maybe I'm being picky. Also the balance of where detail was applied and where it wasn't did strike me as odd on a few occasions but overall the detail was great for something so short.
All in all, an education.
69%
A great little tour through the events around the Battle of Agincourt, it does what it says on the tin - you learn a lot in a rather small space of time. I learned a lot.
It did fall to some of the more irritating history book traps (in my opinion) though; translations were not translated (original French was quoted and then left at that) which always suggests a kind of author superiority over the reader, in my humble opinion. To me it suggests the author is saying 'if you can't read this large stretch of French, what on Earth are you doing reading my book'. It doesn't take two moments to translate something today, and seeing both English and French would have been great. But maybe I'm being picky. Also the balance of where detail was applied and where it wasn't did strike me as odd on a few occasions but overall the detail was great for something so short.
All in all, an education.
January 28, 2019
After reading Shakespeare fiction. I could not get my mind to forget Saint Crispin's Day Speech. We have all heard it or paraphrase of it.
Its one of my favorite pieces and one that I love to see kids recite.
So I had to read a little more about the Agincourt Campaign.
Hubert does a great job even putting in the book a Contract between the King and a Banner Knight. War was really complicated in medieval times.
Henry as I knew was always the true hero and the truest of Medieval knight.
Its one of my favorite pieces and one that I love to see kids recite.
So I had to read a little more about the Agincourt Campaign.
Hubert does a great job even putting in the book a Contract between the King and a Banner Knight. War was really complicated in medieval times.
Henry as I knew was always the true hero and the truest of Medieval knight.
February 20, 2023
A concise brief chronological narrative though Henry's V campaign of 1415 into France to 'take' back what was 'rightfully' or 'wrongfully' held in French hands, back into the crown's.
Easy to grasp and understand the tactics and choices leading up to the battle of Agincourt. The battle itself was a cursory visit try Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt for a fleshed out battle. Well worth a read into an interesting but often brutal English history lesson.
Easy to grasp and understand the tactics and choices leading up to the battle of Agincourt. The battle itself was a cursory visit try Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt for a fleshed out battle. Well worth a read into an interesting but often brutal English history lesson.
Read
May 10, 2020Does what it says on the cover: a very concise no frills history covering the main events of the campaign.
The book is written with pretty basic terminology so is accessible enough for I'd say ages 11+ which is unusual for a history text nearly 60 years old.
The text concentrates on the English with little mention of the French side of the campaign. More specifically it focuses on Henry V with just scant mention of the likes of York, Hungerford, Holland, Erpimgham and I think no mention of Beaufort.
With just 180 pages including apendices it's easy to read in a day even for a slow reader like me. If you are already familiar with Agincort then you won't likely learn much new here as it covers well trodden ground, it is however ideal for those with a passing interest or as a refresher/reference material. There are better Agincort books (Anne Curry for a start) but this one covers most of that, faster.
The book is written with pretty basic terminology so is accessible enough for I'd say ages 11+ which is unusual for a history text nearly 60 years old.
The text concentrates on the English with little mention of the French side of the campaign. More specifically it focuses on Henry V with just scant mention of the likes of York, Hungerford, Holland, Erpimgham and I think no mention of Beaufort.
With just 180 pages including apendices it's easy to read in a day even for a slow reader like me. If you are already familiar with Agincort then you won't likely learn much new here as it covers well trodden ground, it is however ideal for those with a passing interest or as a refresher/reference material. There are better Agincort books (Anne Curry for a start) but this one covers most of that, faster.
September 21, 2024
A fast read, but very dated. Also, having studied French at school, I was largely able to understand the French accounts that the author dropped into the narrative, untranslated and without footnotes, but they added little to the story and simply seemed pretentious. I also have his book about the Great Mutiny in India - I won't necessarily hurry to read it.
January 4, 2021
A succinct summary on the preparation, siege of Harfleur and battle of Agincourt.
Nothing too groundbreaking, however I did learn that you can still see Henry V’s helmet he wore in the battle at Westminster Abbey today.
Nothing too groundbreaking, however I did learn that you can still see Henry V’s helmet he wore in the battle at Westminster Abbey today.
November 5, 2021
A concise, unfussy account of the battle and it’s background. As my previous knowledge was limited to Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’, my O level text, this was an interesting read. Not too many academic references but clearly written with authority.
September 17, 2025
Brief and clear indeed. Gets confusing for those like myself, unfamiliar with Medieval history; figures of nobility and geography. but alleviates as the book progresses with the aid of illustrations. 3.5/5
August 17, 2018
Henry was of the same period as Joan of Arc and the same fire fuelled both of their victories.
August 25, 2019
An incredible battle truly against all odds. I listened to this book while driving and it kept me riveted.
July 26, 2022
Concise and capable.
February 7, 2023
This gets down to the nitty-gritty details and logistics. Good history book for those who already know the wider context.
January 23, 2025
A very good analysis of the battle and the politics behind it.
July 29, 2019
I felt much of the early part of the book could’ve been whittled down or cut. I found the preamble overdone. I wanted to read about Agincourt, yet despite the book’s shortness, it still took a long time to reach the main topic.
Somehow, I couldn’t get into this, though I did engage with it in parts. Perhaps the narrative is too bland for my tastes.
Somehow, I couldn’t get into this, though I did engage with it in parts. Perhaps the narrative is too bland for my tastes.
November 10, 2012
I read this for a paper for my Medieval England university class. Don't be deceived by the recent publication date on this book; a closer look reveals this book was originally published in the 1960s. Hibbert is yet another English historian writing from a predominately English perspective about the Hundred Years War - in this case, about the Agincourt campaign including the siege of Harfleur. These campaign-specific books of about 150 pages seem to have a certain popularity for the American Civil War in the last few decades; this is the first like this I've read on another war.
It's a decent book. Hibbert does think very highly of Henry V, including calling him "the greatest Englishman of his time." More recent scholarship seems to paint a less rosy picture of him.
It's a decent book. Hibbert does think very highly of Henry V, including calling him "the greatest Englishman of his time." More recent scholarship seems to paint a less rosy picture of him.
October 26, 2015
Christopher Hibbert was an excellent writer of popular history and this is a fine account of the Agincourt campaign. More recent scholarship has amended our understanding of some of the particulars so it is worth reading this book in conjunction with Matthew Bennett's, but the story has never been told more colourfully.
September 2, 2017
This was the best, most concise history that I have read of Agincourt. It does not go into great detail, but if you want to understand what happened, and why, this is the book. It gives you a picture of the knights in their heavy armor, falling over one another in the battle, and how long the "lining up" of the formations must have taken. The author also does a great job of pointing out that fighting is what men did then, as a way of showing their abilities, everything else was just waiting until the next battle.
February 26, 2010
How could an author go wrong? Use a lot of primary source documents, toss in a bit of Shakespeare and you get a very informative, creative read.
Hibbert interwove official dispatches with chroniclers' accounts to present a clear picture of what happened at Agincourt.
Certainly enjoyed this fast read.
Hibbert interwove official dispatches with chroniclers' accounts to present a clear picture of what happened at Agincourt.
Certainly enjoyed this fast read.
July 31, 2015
I found this book a clear and concise treatment of the battle of Agincourt. It seemed to me to be straight-forward and well-researched. It didn't move into the realm of speculation, but used original sources to come to its conclusions. A good overview of the battle that changed the early 14th century.
December 26, 2016
My review is solely for the audiobook presentation as narrated by Patrick Tull which (I must point out) rhymes with "dull". Is it decent text by a boring narrator or a boring text narrated by a decent narrator? No clue, but I was completely unriveted. I can neither recommend nor discourage any written text versions of this book, but I do not recommend the audiobook.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews