''Azincourt'' is an historical novel written by
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...
, published in 2008. The book relates the events leading to the
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...
through its
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
Nicholas Hook. In the United States, it was published under the title ''Agincourt''.
Plot
Nicholas Hook, a
forester
A forester is a person who practises forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Foresters manage forests to ...
and
archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
, feuds with Tom and Robert Perrill and their biological father, the priest Father Martin. He is compelled to participate in the hanging and burning of a community of
Lollard
Lollardy, also known as Lollardism or the Lollard movement, was a proto-Protestant Christian religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century until the 16th-century English Reformation. It was initially led by John Wycliffe, a Catholic ...
heretics
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
. One of them, an archer himself, asks Hook to protect his granddaughter, Sarah, after his execution. However, Father Martin decides to take the girl for himself, and in an unsuccessful attempt to shield her, Hook attacks the priest. Hook is then held for trial and anticipates execution. Father Martin and Tom Perrill rape and murder the girl, and Hook's guilt at failing to save her haunts him throughout the story.
Hook escapes and joins an expedition to
Soissons
Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...
, in
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
, as a mercenary archer. Burgundy and France are in bitter conflict. When the French attack, they
win easily, sack the town, and torture and kill the English archers as well as the loyal French citizens, which shocks the rest of Europe. Hook manages to conceal himself in a house and save a local nun, Melisande, from rape. Hook believes he is guided in their escape by the voices of
Saints Crispin and Crispinian, the patron saints of Soissons. Melisande becomes Hook's companion and lover. Later, he discovers she is the
bastard
Bastard may refer to:
Parentage
* Illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents
** Bastard (law of England and Wales), illegitimacy in English law
People People with the name
* Bastard (surname), including a list of people with that na ...
child of the powerful French Lord Ghillebert, seigneur de Lanferelle (called the "Lord of Hell").
By returning alive from Soissons and reporting the treachery of the English knight Sir Roger Pallaire, who conspired with the French and sacrificed his own archers, Hook earns good stead with his new lord,
Sir John Cornewaille, and with
King Henry V
Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...
of England. Hook returns to France serving under Cornewaille with the royal army to win Henry the crown of France. The campaign starts horrendously with the
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
of the port of
Harfleur
Harfleur () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
It was the principal seaport in north-western France for six centuries, until Le Havre was built about five kilometres (three miles) downstream i ...
. The town's capture takes too many weeks, and disease decimates Henry's army. During a failed attack, Hook kills Robert Perrill by thrusting a
crossbow
A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...
bolt through the man's eye.
During the siege, Hook meets the seigneur de Lanferelle, who disapproves of Hook's relationship with his daughter Melisande and, claiming that he does indeed care for his illegitimate child, vows to kill Hook and return Melisande to the nunnery. Sometime later Hook and Melisande are formally married.
Henry, against the advice of his vassal lords, then decides to march his ragged army to
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
along the coast of France as a demonstration of his sovereignty (and as an insult to the French king). The Hook–Perrill feud reignites during the march as Tom Perrill frames Hook's brother Michael for stealing a religious
pyx
A pyx or pix ( la, pyxis, transliteration of Greek: ''πυξίς'', boxwood receptacle, from ''πύξος'', box tree) is a small round container used in the Catholic, Old Catholic and Anglican Churches to carry the consecrated host (Eucharist) ...
. Henry hangs Michael in public for the crime.
To reach Calais, the English army must cross the
River Somme
The Somme ( , , ) is a river in Picardy, northern France.
The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geological ...
, but the far larger French army blocks the
ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
s. The two opposing armies meet at
Azincourt
Azincourt (), historically known in English as Agincourt ( ), is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is situated north-west of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise on the D71 road between Hesdin and Fruges.
The Late Medieval ...
, on the day of Ss. Crispin and Crispinian. Torrential rain soaks the newly ploughed land, turning it into a treacherous morass, especially for the French knights in full
plate armour
Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, es ...
. Natural obstacles on both sides of the battlefield narrow down towards the English. As at
Crécy, the battlefield slopes downward to the English position. Before the battle, Henry, under the guise of "John Swan", speaks with his men. Hook realises that it is indeed the king after noticing his distinctive scar and tells "John Swan" that the king claims to be a religious man but is a sinner for killing an innocent man, Michael. "John Swan" seems deeply affected by this and tells Hook the king will pray for Michael everyday, which comforts Hook.
The French foolishly allow the English to advance within range of the English
longbow
A longbow (known as warbow in its time, in contrast to a hunting bow) is a type of tall bow that makes a fairly long draw possible. A longbow is not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow and are circular or D-shaped in cross ...
s. The English are ordered by Henry to hammer sharpened stakes into the ground, forming an impenetrable wall to repel the French cavalry. Hook and Tom Perrill agree to end their feud until the battle is over, believing they will both be killed by the French anyway. The archers launch volleys as the French begin a difficult advance toward the English. The first attack is driven back by the English as they retreat behind the stakes, so that the French horses either bolt in terror or are impaled upon the deadly spikes.
During the mayhem, Father Martin attempts to rape Melisande. Melisande kills Martin using her crossbow. The battle is also portrayed from the opposite side via the seigneur de Lanferelle, who hopes to capture valuable prisoners including his rival and Hook's lord Cornewaille. The English repel the second attack through a combination of their remaining arrows and the surprising skill of the
archers
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
in hand-to-hand combat. The French decline to launch a third attack and retire, leaving thousands of French dead and many French lords in captivity. Hook takes Lanferelle prisoner, and Lanferelle kills Tom Perrill as Hook had vowed to his friend and mentor Father Christopher that he would not kill Perrill. The English claim a famous victory, and Hook returns to England with Melisande and his prisoner the seigneur de Lanferelle, who now accepts and approves of Hook.
Hook becomes a wealthy man from the ransom of his prisoner and is promoted to command Cornewaille's archers. He pays a priest to say prayers for the girl he could not save.
Publication
*The book was released on 1 October 2008 in the United Kingdom.
*The worldwide publication was in January 2009.
Film adaptation
In 2009, screenwriter
Michael Hirst was said to be writing a screenplay based on the novel, with filming scheduled to begin in 2010. As of 2010, it was revealed that
Michael Mann
Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...
will direct the film adaptation, with filming for Mann's passion project pushed back due to script revisions by
Benjamin Ross
Benjamin Ross is a writer and film director, born in 1964, based in the United Kingdom. His most noted works are '' The Young Poisoner’s Handbook'', based on a real-life poisoning case, ''Poppy Shakespeare,'' and The Frankenstein Chronicles, ...
and
Stuart Hazeldine
Stuart Hazeldine (born 10 June 1971 in Surrey, England) is a British screenwriter, film producer and director. He is best known for his 2009 psychological thriller ''Exam'', for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Deb ...
.
Sources
In his Historical Note, Cornwell writes that, although he researched many sources when writing the novel, the three on which he relied most were:
*Sir
John Keegan
Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan (15 May 1934 – 2 August 2012) was an English military historian, lecturer, author and journalist. He wrote many published works on the nature of combat between prehistory and the 21st century, covering land, ...
's ''
The Face of Battle
''The Face of Battle'' is a 1976 non-fiction book on military history by the English military historian John Keegan. It deals first with the structure of historical writing about battles, the strengths and weaknesses of the "battle piece," and th ...
'';
*
Anne Curry
Anne Elizabeth Curry (who publishes as Anne Curry and A. E. Curry) (born 27 May 1954) is an English historian and Officer of Arms.
Career
She is professor of Medieval history at the University of Southampton and dean of the Faculty of Hum ...
's ''Agincourt: A New History''; and
*
Juliet Barker
Juliet R. V. Barker FRSL (born 1958) is an English historian, specialising in the Middle Ages and literary biography. She is the author of a number of well-regarded works on the Brontës, William Wordsworth, and medieval tournaments. From 198 ...
's ''Agincourt''.
Cornwell also cites
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
's ''Longbow: A Social and Military History''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azincourt (Novel)
2008 British novels
Novels by Bernard Cornwell
Novels set in the Middle Ages
Novels set in France
HarperCollins books
Hundred Years' War literature
Novels set in the 14th century
Novels about rape