battle of agincourt middle finger

First of all, the word pluck begins with the blend pl, which would logically become fl if the voiceless bilabial plosive p has actually transformed into the labiodentalfricative f, which is by no means certain. [56] Some 200 mounted men-at-arms would attack the English rear. Departing from Harfleur on October 8, Henry marched northward toward the English-held port of Calais, where he would disembark for England, with a force of 1,000 knights and men-at-arms and 5,000 archers. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Thinking it was an attack from the rear, Henry had the French nobles he was holding prisoner killed. The French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party. The Hundred Years' War. [60][61], Accounts of the battle describe the French engaging the English men-at-arms before being rushed from the sides by the longbowmen as the mle developed. 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. Poitiers 1356: The capture of a king (Vol. In his 2007 film adaptation, director Peter Babakitis uses digital effects to exaggerate realist features during the battle scenes, producing a more avant-garde interpretation of the fighting at Agincourt. (Its taking longer than we thought.) "[129], The play introduced the famous St Crispin's Day Speech, considered one of Shakespeare's most heroic speeches, which Henry delivers movingly to his soldiers just before the battle, urging his "band of brothers" to stand together in the forthcoming fight. On October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) between England and France, Henry V (1386-1422), the young king of England, led his forces to victory at the Battle of . At least one scholar puts the French army at no more than 12,000, indicating that the English were outnumbered 2 to 1. [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). Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured soldiers. With 4,800 men-at-arms in the vanguard, 3,000 in the main battle, and 1,200 in the infantry wings. King Charles VI of France did not command the French army as he suffered from psychotic illnesses and associated mental incapacity. [62] [108] While not necessarily agreeing with the exact numbers Curry uses, Bertrand Schnerb, a professor of medieval history at the University of Lille, states the French probably had 12,00015,000 troops. 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. 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. Opie, Iona and Moira Tatem. An account purporting to offer the historical origins of the obscene middle-finger extended hand gesture (varously known as "flipping the bird," "flipping someone off," or the "one-finger salute") is silly, and so obviously a joke that shouldn't need any debunking. Apparently Henry believed his fleeing army would perform better on the defensive, but had to halt the retreat and somehow engage the French The insulting gesture of extending one's middle finger (referred to as digitus impudicus in Latin) originated long before the Battle of Agincourt. The latter, each titled Henry V, star Laurence Olivier in 1944 and Kenneth Branagh in 1989. Rogers says each of the 10,000 men-at-arms would be accompanied by a gros valet (an armed, armoured and mounted military servant) and a noncombatant page, counts the former as fighting men, and concludes thus that the French in fact numbered 24,000. [53] A further 600 dismounted men-at-arms stood in each wing, with the left under the Count of Vendme and the right under the Count of Richemont. And I aint kidding yew. Contemporary chroniclers did not criticise him for it. [59], The field of battle was arguably the most significant factor in deciding the outcome. Humble English archers defeated the armoured elite of French chivalry, enshrining both the longbow and the battle in English national legend. [124], The most famous cultural depiction of the battle today is in Act IV of William Shakespeare's Henry V, written in 1599. So they were already overcome with fatigue even before they advanced against the enemy". [46] Many lords and gentlemen demanded and got places in the front lines, where they would have a higher chance to acquire glory and valuable ransoms; this resulted in the bulk of the men-at-arms being massed in the front lines and the other troops, for which there was no remaining space, to be placed behind. [113] Barker opined that "if the differential really was as low as three to four then this makes a nonsense of the course of the battle as described by eyewitnesses and contemporaries".[110]. [51] Albret, Boucicaut and almost all the leading noblemen were assigned stations in the vanguard. Although the French initially pushed the English back, they became so closely packed that they were described as having trouble using their weapons properly. By contrast, Anne Curry in her 2005 book Agincourt: A New History, argued, based on research into the surviving administrative records, that the French army was 12,000 strong, and the English army 9,000, proportions of four to three. Materials characterization, 29(2), 111117. It did not lead to further English conquests immediately as Henry's priority was to return to England, which he did on 16 November, to be received in triumph in London on the 23rd. Barker, following the Gesta Henrici, believed to have been written by an English chaplain who was actually in the baggage train, concluded that the attack happened at the start of the battle. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the future. "[67] On top of this, the French were expecting thousands of men to join them if they waited. It is unclear whether the delay occurred because the French were hoping the English would launch a frontal assault (and were surprised when the English instead started shooting from their new defensive position), or whether the French mounted knights instead did not react quickly enough to the English advance. It goes on to state thatafter an unexpected victory, the English soldiersmocked thedefeatedFrenchtroopsbywavingtheir middle fingers( here ). The field that the French had to cross to meet their enemy was muddy after a week of rain and slowed their progress, during which time they endured casualties from English arrows. Turning to our vast classical library, we quickly turn up three references. This battle is notable for the use of the English longbow in very large numbers, with the English and Welsh archers comprising nearly 80 percent of Henry's army. [77][78][79][80] Rogers suggested that the longbow could penetrate a wrought iron breastplate at short range and penetrate the thinner armour on the limbs even at 220 yards (200m). Very quickly after the battle, the fragile truce between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions broke down. When the first French line reached the English front, the cavalry were unable to overwhelm the archers, who had driven sharpened stakes into the ground at an angle before themselves. By 1415, negotiations had ground to a halt, with the English claiming that the French had mocked their claims and ridiculed Henry himself. The next day the French initiated negotiations as a delaying tactic, but Henry ordered his army to advance and to start a battle that, given the state of his army, he would have preferred to avoid, or to fight defensively: that was how Crcy and the other famous longbow victories had been won. Certainly, d'Azincourt was a local knight but he might have been chosen to lead the attack because of his local knowledge and the lack of availability of a more senior soldier. The fact that Winston Churchill sometimes made his V-for-victory gesture rudely suggests that it is of much more recent vintage. [74], The plate armour of the French men-at-arms allowed them to close the 1,000 yards or so to the English lines while being under what the French monk of Saint Denis described as "a terrifying hail of arrow shot". This suggests that the French could have outnumbered the English 5 to 1. 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. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. Although the victory had been militarily decisive, its impact was complex. The fighting lasted about three hours, but eventually the leaders of the second line were killed or captured, as those of the first line had been. Bowman were not valuable prisoners, though: they stood outside the chivalric system and were considered the social inferiors of men-at-arms. The English numbered roughly 5,000 knights, men-at-arms, and archers. 78-116). Since then there had been tension between the nobility and the royal house, widespread lawlessness throughout the kingdom, and several attempts on Henry Vs life. Moreover, if archers could be ransomed, then cutting off their middle fingers would be a senseless move. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2019 with bachelor's degrees in English Language and Literature and Medieval Studies. 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! After several decades of relative peace, the English had resumed the war in 1415 amid the failure of negotiations with the French. A widely shared image on social media purportedly explains the historic origins of the middle finger, considered an offensive gesture in Western culture. The Battle of Agincourt was immortalized by William Shakespeare in his play Henry V. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Legend says that the British archers were so formidable that the ones captured by the French had their index and middle fingers cut off so that they . On 25 October 1415, an army of English raiders under Henry V faced the French outside an obscure village on the road to Calais. 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? This battle concluded with King Harold of England dying at the hands of the Norman King William, which marked the beginning of a new era in England. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. The Battle of Agincourt was another famous battle where longbowmen had a particularly important . The point is, the middle-finger/phallus equation goes back way before the Titanic, the Battle of Agincourt, or probably even that time Sextillus cut off Pylades with his chariot. The Battle of Agincourt is one of England's most celebrated victories and was one of the most important English triumphs in the Hundred Years' War, along with the Battle of Crcy (1346) and Battle of Poitiers (1356). Maybe it means five and was a symbol of support for Henry V? [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. [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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird". However, the lack of archaeological evidence at this traditional site has led to suggestions it was fought to the west of Azincourt. [39] Curry, Rogers[118] and Mortimer[42] all agree the French had 4 to 5 thousand missile troops. Julia Martinez was an Editorial Intern at Encyclopaedia Britannica. Soon after the battle started, it had thousands of English and French soldiers and horses running through it. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. Your opponent is not going to pay you (or pay you much) for the return of mutilated soldiers, so now what do you do with them? 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. He claimed the title of King of France through his great-grandfather Edward III of England, although in practice the English kings were generally prepared to renounce this claim if the French would acknowledge the English claim on Aquitaine and other French lands (the terms of the Treaty of Brtigny). On the morning of 25 October, the French were still waiting for additional troops to arrive. This famous weapon was made of the native English yew tree, and so the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking yew". 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". 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). Several heralds, both French and English, were present at the battle of Agincourt, and not one of them (or any later chroniclers of Agincourt) mentioned anything about the French having cut off the fingers of captured English bowman. The longbow. Giving the Finger - 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. PLUCK YEW!". Historians disagree less about the French numbers. [125] Shakespeare illustrates these tensions by depicting Henry's decision to kill some of the French prisoners, whilst attempting to justify it and distance himself from the event. It seems it was purely a decision of Henry, since the English knights found it contrary to chivalry, and contrary to their interests, to kill valuable hostages for whom it was commonplace to ask ransom. giving someone the middle finger query that we are duty bound to provide a bit of historical and linguistic information demonstrating why this anecdote couldn't possibly be accurate: The 'Car Talk' show (on NPR) with Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers have a feature called the 'Puzzler', and their most recent 'Puzzler' was about the Battle of Agincourt. Updates? The English were not in an ideal condition to fight a battle. Singer Robbie Williams insults the viewer. Corrections? The number is supported by many other contemporary accounts. As the English were collecting prisoners, a band of French peasants led by local noblemen began plundering Henrys baggage behind the lines. [37], Henry made a speech emphasising the justness of his cause, and reminding his army of previous great defeats the kings of England had inflicted on the French. The French, who were overwhelmingly favored to win the battle, Continue Reading 41 2 7 Alexander L 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. Since pluck yew is rather difficult to say, like pheasant mother plucker, which is who you had to go to for the feathers used on the arrows for the longbow, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative f, and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger salute are mistakenly thought to have something to do with an intimate encounter. The main part of the speech begins "This day is called the feast of . T he battle of Agincourt, whose 600th anniversary falls on St Crispin's Day, 25 October, is still tabloid gold, Gotcha! Winston Churchhill can be seen using the V as a rallying call. 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. The battle remains an important symbol in popular culture. [135] The battle also forms a central component of the 2019 Netflix film The King. The puzzler was: What was this body part? The English had very little food, had marched 260 miles (420km) in two and a half weeks, were suffering from sickness such as dysentery, and were greatly outnumbered by well-equipped French men-at-arms. After the battle, the English taunted the survivors by showing off what wasn't cut off. [107], Most primary sources which describe the battle have English outnumbered by several times. [104] Henry returned a conquering hero, seen as blessed by God in the eyes of his subjects and European powers outside France. The Battle of Agincourt (/dnkr(t)/ AJ-in-kor(t);[a] French: Azincourt [azku]) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. French chroniclers agree that when the mounted charge did come, it did not contain as many men as it should have; Gilles le Bouvier states that some had wandered off to warm themselves and others were walking or feeding their horses. And for a variety of reasons, it made no military sense whatsoever for the French to capture English archers, then mutilate them by cutting off their fingers. It established the legitimacy of the Lancastrian monarchy and the future campaigns of Henry to pursue his "rights and privileges" in France. Recent heavy rain made the battle field very muddy, proving very tiring to walk through in full plate armour. 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. Whether this was true is open to question and continues to be debated to this day; however, it seems likely that death was the normal fate of any soldier who could not be ransomed. [93] Entire noble families were wiped out in the male line, and in some regions an entire generation of landed nobility was annihilated. . For three hours after sunrise there was no fighting. The English eyewitness account comes from the anonymous author of the Gesta Henrici Quinti, believed to have been written by a chaplain in the King's household who would have been in the baggage train at the battle. Over the years some 'folk etymologies' have grown up around this symbolic gesture. One final observation: any time some appeal begins with heres something that intelligent people will find edifying you should be suspicious. 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. 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. Upon hearing that his youngest brother Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester had been wounded in the groin, Henry took his household guard and stood over his brother, in the front rank of the fighting, until Humphrey could be dragged to safety. They might also have deployed some archers in the centre of the line. In the Battle of Agincourt, the French threatened the English Soldiers that they would cut off their fingers and when they failed the Englishmen mocked them by showing their fingers. Although it could be intended as humorous, the image on social media is historically inaccurate. ", "Miracle in the Mud: The Hundred Years' War's Battle of Agincourt", The Agincourt Battlefield Archaeology Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Agincourt&oldid=1137126379, 6,000 killed (most of whom were of the French nobility), Hansen, Mogens Herman (Copenhagen Polis Centre), This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 23:13. before a defensive battle was possible. Osprey Publishing. The trial ranged widely over whether there was just cause for war and not simply the prisoner issue. 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]. They were blocking Henry's retreat, and were perfectly happy to wait for as long as it took. They shadowed Henry's army while calling a semonce des nobles,[30] calling on local nobles to join the army. [21] On 19 April 1415, Henry again asked the Great Council to sanction war with France, and this time they agreed. The effect of the victory on national morale was powerful. 33-35). Opie, Iona and Moira Tatem. According to contemporary English accounts, Henry fought hand to hand. [31], The precise location of the battle is not known. The Agincourt Carol, dating from around this time and possibly written for Henrys reception in London, is a rousing celebration of the might of the English. ), And even if killing prisoners of war did not violate the moral code of the times, what would be the purpose of taking archers captive, cutting off their fingers, and then executing them? The English army, led by King Henry V, famously achieved victory in spite of the numerical superiority of its opponent. Participating as judges were Justices Samuel Alito and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Thepostalleges that the Frenchhad planned to cut offthe middle fingers ofall captured English soldiers,to inhibit them fromdrawingtheir longbowsin futurebattles. Wikipedia. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. The campaign season was coming to an end, and the English army had suffered many casualties through disease. Some historians trace its origins to ancient Rome. Barker states that some knights, encumbered by their armour, actually drowned in their helmets.[64]. Image source Update [June 20, 2022]: Updated SEO/social. The French nobility, weakened by the defeat and divided among themselves, were unable to meet new attacks with effective resistance. Supposedly, both originated at the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, . In the ensuing negotiations Henry said that he would give up his claim to the French throne if the French would pay the 1.6million crowns outstanding from the ransom of John II (who had been captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356), and concede English ownership of the lands of Anjou, Brittany, Flanders, Normandy, and Touraine, as well as Aquitaine. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Adam Koford, Salt Lake City, Utah, Now for the facts. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the battle ended in an overwhelming victory for the English. The key word for describing the battle of Agincourt is mud . And where does the distinction between one and two fingers come from? 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. The impact of thousands of arrows, combined with the slog in heavy armour through the mud, the heat and difficulty breathing in plate armour with the visor down,[83] and the crush of their numbers, meant the French men-at-arms could "scarcely lift their weapons" when they finally engaged the English line. [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. 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. During this battle, the medieval archers started ahead of the army and commenced the action. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1991 ISBN 0-471-53672-5 (pp. [52] The dukes of Alenon and Bar led the main battle. Take on the burden and expense of caring for them? The . [76] Modern historians are divided on how effective the longbows would have been against plate armour of the time. However, a need to reassert his authority at home (as well as his own ambition and a sense of justice) led Henry V to renew English claims in France. [19], Henry V invaded France following the failure of negotiations with the French.

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