According to research, heres the true story: 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. - Rogers, Mortimer[117] and Sumption[41] all give more or less 10,000 men-at-arms for the French, using as a source the herald of the Duke of Berry, an eyewitness. Image source The number is supported by many other contemporary accounts. When Henry V acceded to the English throne in 1413, there had been a long hiatus in the fighting. Winston Churchhill can be seen using the V as a rallying call. Fighting commenced at 11:00 am, as the English brought their longbows within killing range and the first line of French knights advanced, led by cavalry. [93] Entire noble families were wiped out in the male line, and in some regions an entire generation of landed nobility was annihilated. Agincourt and the Middle Finger | First Floor Tarpley And I aint kidding yew. [101] The bailiffs of nine major northern towns were killed, often along with their sons, relatives and supporters. Osprey Publishing. A Dictionary of Superstitions. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. David Mikkelson Published Sep 29, 1999. [33], Early on the 25th, Henry deployed his army (approximately 1,500 men-at-arms and 7,000 longbowmen) across a 750-yard (690m) part of the defile. [44] There was a special, elite cavalry force whose purpose was to break the formation of the English archers and thus clear the way for the infantry to advance. "[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. After several decades of relative peace, the English had resumed the war in 1415 amid the failure of negotiations with the French. [88], Regardless of when the baggage assault happened, at some point after the initial English victory, Henry became alarmed that the French were regrouping for another attack. T he battle of Agincourt, whose 600th anniversary falls on St Crispin's Day, 25 October, is still tabloid gold, Gotcha! 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). Some historians trace its origins to ancient Rome. [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. 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. Henry would marry Catherine, Charles VI's young daughter, and receive a dowry of 2million crowns. (Even if archers whose middle fingers had been amputated could no longer effectively use their bows, they were still capable of wielding mallets, battleaxes, swords, lances, daggers, maces, and other weapons, as archers typically did when the opponents closed ranks with them and the fighting became hand-to-hand.). News of the contrivance circulated within Europe and was described in a book of tactics written in 1411 by. [76] Modern historians are divided on how effective the longbows would have been against plate armour of the time. I admit that I bring this story up when I talk about the Hundred Years War only to debunk it. 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). Fixed formatting. Plucking The Yew - Jerry Pournelle [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. [34][d] The French apparently had no clear plan for deploying the rest of the army. [133] Branagh's version gives a longer, more realist portrayal of the battle itself, drawing on both historical sources and images from the Vietnam and Falkland Wars.[134]. Thinking it was an attack from the rear, Henry had the French nobles he was holding prisoner killed. Modern test and contemporary accounts conclude that arrows could not penetrate the better quality steel armour, which became available to knights and men-at-arms of fairly modest means by the middle of the 14th century, but could penetrate the poorer quality wrought iron armour. [90] In his study of the battle John Keegan argued that the main aim was not to actually kill the French knights but rather to terrorise them into submission and quell any possibility they might resume the fight, which would probably have caused the uncommitted French reserve forces to join the fray, as well. [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. The Gesta Henrici places this after the English had overcome the onslaught of the French men-at-arms and the weary English troops were eyeing the French rearguard ("in incomparable number and still fresh"). The French monk of St. Denis says: "Their vanguard, composed of about 5,000 men, found itself at first so tightly packed that those who were in the third rank could scarcely use their swords,"[63] and the Burgundian sources have a similar passage. It was a disastrous attempt. 030223 - Musings From Leroy Two are from the epigrammatist Martial: Laugh loudly, Sextillus, when someone calls you a queen and put your middle finger out., (The verse continues: But you are no sodomite nor fornicator either, Sextillus, nor is Vetustinas hot mouth your fancy. Martial, and Roman poets in general, could be pretty out there, subject-matter-wise. 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. [107], Most primary sources which describe the battle have English outnumbered by several times. A list of English archers killed at Agincourt, as recorded in the village's museum, The story of the battle has been retold many times in English, from the 15th-century, Dates in the fifteenth century are difficult to reconcile with modern calendars: see, The first known use of angled stakes to thwart a mounted charge was at the Battle of Nicopolis, an engagement between European states and Turkish forces in 1396, twenty years before Agincourt. What's the origin of "the finger"? - The Straight Dope The main part of the speech begins "This day is called the feast of . 10+ True Battle Agincourt Facts That Will Make You Look Stupid Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the future. . The Battle of Agincourt (720p) Watch on Corrections? 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. The struggle began in 1337 when King Edward III of England claimed the title King of France over Philip VI and invaded Flanders. It was often reported to comprise 1,500 ships, but was probably far smaller. On February 1, 1328, King Charles IV of France died without an heir. But frankly, I suspect that the French would have done a lot worse to any captured English archers than chopping off their fingers. 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. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore [soldiers would] be incapable of fighting in the future. Although the French initially pushed the English back, they became so closely packed that they were described as having trouble using their weapons properly. Kill them outright and violate the medieval moral code of civilized warfare? In such a "press" of thousands of men, Rogers suggested that many could have suffocated in their armour, as was described by several sources, and which was also known to have happened in other battles. When that campaign took place, it was made easier by the damage done to the political and military structures of Normandy by the battle. [87] Whether this was part of a deliberate French plan or an act of local brigandage is unclear from the sources. Apparently Henry believed his fleeing army would perform better on the defensive, but had to halt the retreat and somehow engage the French Medieval Archers (Everything you Need to Know) - The Finer Times What it is supposed to represent I have no idea. Subject: Truth About the Finger In the film Titanic the character Rose is shown giving the finger to Jack, another character. [123] Other ballads followed, including "King Henry Fifth's Conquest of France", raising the popular prominence of particular events mentioned only in passing by the original chroniclers, such as the gift of tennis balls before the campaign. The deep, soft mud particularly favoured the English force because, once knocked to the ground, the heavily armoured French knights had a hard time getting back up to fight in the mle. [citation needed], Immediately after the battle, Henry summoned the heralds of the two armies who had watched the battle together with principal French herald Montjoie, and they settled on the name of the battle as Azincourt, after the nearest fortified place. 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. 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. 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). It seems clear, however, that the English were at a decided numerical disadvantage. With Toby Merrell, Ian Brooker, Philip Rosch, Brian Blessed. 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. The f-word itself is Germanic with early-medieval roots; the earliest attested use in English in an unambiguous sexual context is in a document from 1310. One Of The Oldest Insults: The Origin Of The Middle Finger - Storypick Then they had to walk a few hundred yards (metres) through thick mud and a press of comrades while wearing armour weighing 5060 pounds (2327kg), gathering sticky clay all the way. Many folkloric or etymological myths have sprung up about its origin, especially the widely quoted one about the interplay between the French and English soldiery at the battle of Agincourt 1415, where the French threatened to amputate the middle fingers of the English archers to prevent them from drawing their bows, which of course is absolute This material may not be reproduced without permission. The delay allowed a large French force, led by the constable Charles dAlbret and the marshal Jean II le Meingre (called Boucicaut), to intercept him near the village of Agincourt on October 24. [25] The siege took longer than expected. As John Keegan wrote in his history of warfare: "To meet a similarly equipped opponent was the occasion for which the armoured soldier trained perhaps every day of his life from the onset of manhood. Battle of Agincourt - English History (Its taking longer than we thought.) Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.