Azincourt

The legendary battle of Agincourt, fought on October 25th 1415, on St Crispin's Day, is one of the best known battles in English history, in part through the brilliant depiction of it in Shakespeare's Henry V, in part because it was a brilliant and unexpected English victory. It was the first battle won by the use of the longbow - a weapon developed by the English which enabled them to dominate the European battlefields for the rest of the century. Bernard Cornwell's Azincourt is a vivid, breathtaking and meticulously well researched account of this momentous battle and its aftermath. From the varying viewpoints of nobles, peasants, archers, and horsemen, Azincourt skilfully brings to life the hours of relentless fighting, the desperation of an army crippled by disease and the exceptional bravery of the English ... 1415. Peace hangs in the balance for England and France. But when the young King Henry V leads an army to northern France, the bloody fighting must begin once more. For archer and outlaw Nicholas Hook, a position in the king's army means freedom and a chance to live among the men he most respects: the English archers. And on the morning of St Crispin's Day, outranked and outnumbered by the French, they must fight in the face of certain defeat. But the skill of the archers is unparalleled and, on a narrow strip of land near Azincourt, one of the greatest and bloodiest battles will be played out, and victorious history will be made.