The Battle of Agincourt, fought on 25 October 1415, is one of the most enduring symbols of English military achievement. It has been immortalised in literature, theatre, and film, including the 2019 Netflix drama The King. While the film draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s Henry V, it also takes significant liberties with historical fact. To understand how The King reinterprets the battle, we need to examine both the film’s portrayal and the actual events.
The Film’s Interpretation
In The King, Timothée Chalamet’s Henry V is a brooding, introspective monarch, reluctant to wage war but ultimately forced into it. The Battle of Agincourt is depicted as a gritty, muddy melee dominated by hand-to-hand combat. There is a strong focus on the claustrophobic horror of the battlefield, with soldiers struggling in thick mud and choking chaos. The film strips away the pageantry of traditional portrayals, aiming for realism in mood and aesthetic.
Notably, the film suggests that Henry was manipulated into war by political schemers and personal vendettas. The Dauphin of France, portrayed as arrogant and foolish, serves as a foil to Henry’s sombre stoicism. The battle itself is framed more as a brutal necessity than a patriotic triumph.
While visually effective, the depiction sidelines key tactical elements. There is no mention of the English use of longbowmen in formation, and very little on the logistics of the battle or the significance of terrain. It becomes a symbolic victory of underdog courage rather than a calculated military success.
The Historical Reality
Henry V’s campaign in France was part of the Hundred Years’ War, a dynastic conflict over claims to the French throne. Following the siege and capture of Harfleur, Henry marched his depleted army north towards Calais. The French intercepted him near the village of Agincourt.
The English army, estimated at around 6,000 men, faced a much larger French force that may have numbered over 20,000. Most English soldiers were longbowmen, with fewer men-at-arms. The French, largely composed of mounted knights and heavily armoured infantry, anticipated a swift victory.
What followed was a tactical disaster for the French. The battlefield was narrow, bordered by woodland, and had recently been soaked by rain. French knights advanced through churned mud, bottlenecked and unable to manoeuvre. English archers, stationed behind sharpened stakes, rained arrows down upon them. The fallen blocked those behind, creating a pile-up that allowed English infantry to move in and finish the fight.
Casualties on the French side were catastrophic, with many nobles captured or killed. The English losses were relatively light. Henry ordered the execution of prisoners after fearing a renewed French assault, a decision still debated by historians.
Key Differences
While The King captures the grim brutality of medieval warfare, it omits or distorts several important features:
- Archery and Strategy: The decisive role of longbowmen is underplayed. The film prefers a generalised mêlée to the disciplined formations that characterised the English side.
- Leadership and Intent: Henry in the film is reactive, almost passive. Historically, he was a deeply ambitious ruler with a clear agenda to assert English claims in France.
- The French Depiction: The film simplifies the French commanders into caricatures. In reality, the French were hampered by overconfidence and poor coordination rather than idiocy.
Legacy of Agincourt
The victory at Agincourt bolstered English morale and reinforced Henry V’s legitimacy. It entered legend thanks to Shakespeare’s portrayal, cementing the idea of noble resistance against overwhelming odds. While The King reinvents that legend for modern audiences, it does so at the cost of historical precision.
Agincourt was not simply a heroic charge into the mud. It was a masterclass in exploiting terrain, discipline, and technology. It was also a brutal, harrowing event that underscored the savagery of medieval warfare, something both film and history agree upon in different ways.
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