The Agincourt Campaign of 1415: The Retinues of the Dukes of Clarence and Gloucester

This book is the first full investigation into the men of Agincourt, exploring their service, backgrounds, lives, and experiences. It reconstructs the personnel of the two largest retinues, consisting of 960 and 800 men, and examines their origins, military careers, and personal connections. It also considers wider historiographical issues related to recruitment, military professionalism, careerism, and the size and willingness to engage in martial activity of the English military community in the early fifteenth century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2021
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

Here is the rephrased text:

First comprehensive examination of the men of Agincourt - their service, backgrounds, lives, and experiences. King Henry V's brothers, Thomas, Duke of Clarence, and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, assembled the two largest retinues of the renowned army of 1415, whose service culminated in victory at Agincourt. At the core of this book are case studies of these two retinues, the personnel of which have never been the subject of close scrutiny before. These retinues comprised, respectively, 960 and 800 men, most of whose names are known from their complete surviving muster rolls. Using this crucial information, and by employing information from a wide range of sources, from official Chancery and Exchequer records to manorial accounts and personal documents, the lives of many of these men can be reconstructed. One central theme of this book is concerned with the men themselves, and considers issues such as their origins in 1415, their previous military careers and personal experiences, and whether they had pre-existing ties with their ducal commander, sub-retinue captain, or comrades. It charts the experience of the retinues from before the campaign (the mustering of the army), during the campaign (the siege of Harfleur and the Battle of Agincourt), and after the campaign (the future careers of some men and the influence the campaign had on the ducal affinities). It also considers broader affinities. wider historiographical issues relating to the dynamics of recruitment, military professionalism, careerism, the changing socio-economic standing of those undertaking military service in the early fifteenth century, and the size and willingness to engage in martial activity of the English military community.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783276363