At the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, Henry V commanded the victorious English army.
The battle took place on 25 October 1415, during the Hundred Years’ War. Henry had invaded northern France and was retreating toward Calais when a much larger French force blocked his route. English and Welsh longbowmen played a major role, while the muddy, narrowed battlefield hindered repeated French cavalry and infantry attacks.
Agincourt became one of Henry V’s most celebrated victories and was later dramatized in William Shakespeare’s play Henry V. The English victory strengthened Henry’s position in France and contributed to the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, which recognized him as heir to the French throne, although he died before becoming king of France.
Agincourt is sometimes confused with Crécy or Poitiers, two other major English victories in the Hundred Years’ War. Those battles occurred earlier, in 1346 and 1356.