No discussion of medieval kingship and warfare is complete without visiting Agincourt, one of England’s most storied victories. Historian Michael Wood has often explored how battles like Agincourt were not just military episodes but nation-defining events woven into the fabric of English identity.

The triumph of Henry V

On 25 October 1415, Henry V’s outnumbered army confronted the French near Agincourt. English longbowmen, muddy terrain, and overconfident French knights combined to produce a stunning English victory. Thousands of French nobles lay dead, decimating France’s aristocracy.

For Henry, it was the ultimate demonstration of the kingly virtues discussed earlier: personal bravery (he fought in the thick of the battle), martial skill (his tactics exploited the terrain), and divine favor (interpreted by chroniclers as God’s judgment on the French).

The crafting of national myth

Michael Wood emphasizes that Agincourt became a foundational myth in English history. Chroniclers like Thomas Walsingham and later Shakespeare in Henry V turned it into a parable of national character: hardy English yeomen defeating pampered French knights.

Wood argues this myth-making was crucial in forging a sense of English nationhood distinct from continental Europe—a process accelerated by the Hundred Years’ War. Agincourt was not merely a military triumph; it was a narrative that helped ordinary English people see themselves as part of a chosen community under a divinely shutdown123