![]() In Shakespeare’s Henry V, Henry’s siege of Harfleur is marked with both triumph and depravity. This speech comes in Act 3, Scene 1, of the play, set during this very siege of Harfleur in Normandy, carried out by the real historical King Henry V in 1415 as part of the Hundred Years War. ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more’ is the second most famous speech from Shakespeare’s Henry V, given at Harfleur, as Henry’s celebrated Crispin’s Day speech was given at Agincourt. The lack of clean water or food coupled with the emergence of dysentery led to the city’s surrender on September 22, 1415, thirty-six days after his siege began. The damage to the city and its inhabitants was considerable. He also prepared his ground troops for an attack the following morning. He then instructed his men to bombard the city with cannon fire all night to prevent the defenders from doing any repairs. On September 17, Henry succeeded in destroying one of the barbicans on the wall. These mining efforts did not give the English access to the city, but they did succeed in partially flooding the city and contaminating the French’s water supply. Eventually the French forces began to crumble under these assaults and Henry instructed his men to tunnel underneath the moat and wall. He began attacking with his cannons from the sea, but the sea level in the area prevented the English from getting close enough to make any sort of constant attack. When they declined his offer, Henry commenced his siege. The author Robin Neillands tells us that once Henry surrounded the city on August 18, 1415, he gave the French one chance to surrender. Harfleur was three miles around, surrounded by high stone walls and a deep moat. He aimed to topple France, and seize the crown. When the French rejected Henry’s substantial territorial demands, he arrived in Normandy in August 1415 with a force of about 12,000 men. Henry demanded that the French relinquish control of “the Duchies of Normandy & Aqaitayne, with the Counties of Anion and Muſne, and ye countrey of Gascoigne.” The French denied him these demands. ![]() In the book “A Great and Glorious Adventure”, we are told that once he took the throne, embassies were sent to France and French assemblies went to England to negotiate these claims. Henry sought to revive the English claim to the French throne long before he became king. By the time of his coronation, he was already a seasoned general. He also succeeded in transporting this force to France and achieving victory in one of the most celebrated battles in English history. Reference for research, publication, and institutions: Raab M13.078Įnglish King Henry V, while still under thirty years of age, twice raised the largest military force England had ever seen.
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