Azincourt (Agincourt) and the V Sign Remembered

The English Army’s Archery Expertise Brought Victory in 1415

Jun 28, 2009

The myth regarding the link between the marksmanship of King Henry V's archers and the two fingered salute is exposed.

Azincourt is the French name and Agincourt the English name of a small town not far from Calais, France. It is not to be confused with the larger French town of Agincourt not far from the Swiss border in the east of the country beyond Paris. It is a town where the army of King Henry V of England spectacularly defeated a French force more than twice its size.

In the autumn of 1415, King Henry was on his way back to the English stronghold of Calais after sacking the town of Harfleur with an army of about 6000 men, many of whom were battle weary and weakened by disease. By the time the military men reached Azincourt, Constable d’Albert, the French army commander and his troops numbering more than 20,000 caught up with them.

Henry V Prepares His Men for Battle

The French Commander had unwittingly placed himself and his men in a location that forced him to arrange his lines of men closely. On the morning of St Crispin’s Day, 25th October 1415, King Henry organised his troops. He placed 200 of his best archers in an ambush position to the side of the main French line. The archers were also armed with swords and battle axes for when their quivers became empty.

To get his men into fighting mood, the King told them tales of how the French badly treated their prisoners and promised that those who excelled would be elevated to gentleman status and be able to bear coat armour (i.e. a coat of arms which was quite a status symbol). The V sign myth says that one of those punishments described was the cutting off the two fingers the archers used to draw the bow.

The Battle of Azincourt

Henry ordered the first charge and the front line of English soldiers knelt, kissed the ground then stood up and fired a salvo of arrows to quite destructive effect on the opposition. The archers who were in the ambush position then came forward firing their arrows. They then resorted to fighting with their other weaponry and before long the first enemy line was gone – its men either killed or taken prisoner.

The second wave of French military might, headed by the Duke d’Alencon, then charged but was once again successfully fought off. The Duke was killed in the process. The third line of French soldiers didn’t even attempt to fight and quickly dispersed in the face of such strong opposition. At the end of the battle, the loss to the English was estimated 1,600 and the French between 6,000 and 10,000 men.

The V-sign Myth Exposed

This battle, reminiscent of the David and Goliath story, is remembered with fondness by the English and often, at sporting events against the French, the cry “remember Agincourt!” will be hurled at the opposition by English spectators. The taunt will usually be accompanied by the two fingered salute which is the inverse of the victory sign. The myth says that the victorious English waved their two fingers at the French to taunt them in 1415.

However, the longbow of Medieval times was large and required considerable strength to draw so that the arrows would reach their target often some distance away. This meant that three fingers needed to be used rather than two – the index, middle and third digits. And so the myth is exposed. But doubtless English people will disregard this fact and continue to taunt the French with the phrase and the insulting gesture.

The copyright of the article Azincourt (Agincourt) and the V Sign Remembered in British Dark & Middle Ages is owned by Elaine Findlay. Permission to republish Azincourt (Agincourt) and the V Sign Remembered in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.