Leading from the Front

Thomas Elmham, chaplain to Henry V, left us his impressions of the King before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He describes how Henry, with the enemy watching, assured his English troops that he was prepared to die in his cause, and promised that God, not force of arms, would prove his right to the French crown.

Henry continued to rouse his troops, calling on St George and the Virgin Mary to aid them and to bless England’s cause. Then the King assumed his crown and, making the sign of the cross very publicly, ordered the banners forward. The clergy took up Henry’s appeals to heaven, and the battle began.

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