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We all know that at the Battle of Agincourt Henry V whupped the French and tore them a new arsehole in a situation that was both strategically disadvantageous and until Henry V changed the battleground, tactically as well. Henry V's army was strung out, low on logistics and resources, sick, and in horrible positioning. All the French had to do was wait and eventually Henry V would have capitulated on his own. Instead, Henry V had his army advance upon the French, which left them (the British) highly vulnerable for a while in the time it took them to move camps, replant the stakes, etc... but that put them within range of the Welsh longbow archers, who immediately started taking their toll on the French forces, goading the French army into attacking under terrain and tactical conditions that were highly unfavorable (many French knights were nowhere even near the main body of the French army, having decided to go for pleasure rides, knowing "for a fact" the British would never attack).
So here's the question: What would happen if the French had either decided to A) Keep waiting Henry V out or B) Attack while Henry V's army was advancing? A defeat here would echo down through the centuries. It would change the entire face of the Hundred Years War, possibly leading it to ending much earlier, and would also nix Henry V marrying a French princess and taking over the French throne. Further on, this strike to morale and defeat might have military repercussions which might even be felt all the way on to Napoleonic times, since the English loss here would lead to connected French strengthening. The monarchy might have been strong enough to prevent or withstand the French Revolution, and there might not have ever been a need for Napoleon to even grab the reins of power. As another aside, there might have been no reason for Joan of Arc to start hearing voices and strengthening to kick les Anglais out, they already would have been gone.
So what do you think? Is all the stuff I wrote here utter trite, or could a Henry V loss at Agincourt possibly lead to the existence of a modern French monarchy?
So here's the question: What would happen if the French had either decided to A) Keep waiting Henry V out or B) Attack while Henry V's army was advancing? A defeat here would echo down through the centuries. It would change the entire face of the Hundred Years War, possibly leading it to ending much earlier, and would also nix Henry V marrying a French princess and taking over the French throne. Further on, this strike to morale and defeat might have military repercussions which might even be felt all the way on to Napoleonic times, since the English loss here would lead to connected French strengthening. The monarchy might have been strong enough to prevent or withstand the French Revolution, and there might not have ever been a need for Napoleon to even grab the reins of power. As another aside, there might have been no reason for Joan of Arc to start hearing voices and strengthening to kick les Anglais out, they already would have been gone.
So what do you think? Is all the stuff I wrote here utter trite, or could a Henry V loss at Agincourt possibly lead to the existence of a modern French monarchy?
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