Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction inspired by true events.
Part
II
The
Siege of Harfleur
On daybreak the army assembled and
prepared to board the ships. King Henry’s army was large and so many vessels
were needed. The process took hours, and the men grumbled as they piled into
the tight spaces of the smaller ships. Even with a significant number of ships,
it was difficult to load the needed supplies. Those men assigned to accompany
the horses and equipment were lucky, for these ships boasted more space than
the ones transporting the bulk of the force. Of course, Henry V and his favored
knights enjoyed the spacious interior of the king’s impressive vessel. One by
one the ships left harbor and as one might expect, this proved to be a long and
tedious process. As the fleet went out to the channel they spread out further apart.
It was a tense and nervous time before they all cleared the docks. While the
king’s ship made it out relatively easily, the bulk of the vessels struggled to
maneuver out into open waters.
The seasoned knights and king were not
fearful of the treacherous waters, or the unpredictable weather. However, the
men-at-arms below deck struggled to keep their feet, their heads, and their
breakfasts. Now the journey towards Harfleur’s coast began in earnest.
“Our goal is directly south, my lord,”
said Fastolf. “But, of course Harfleur is tucked into a river system that gives
the city an advantage over invaders. The garrison of Harfleur will not be
strong, but numbers will not be our concern. Our largest obstacle will be their
defensible position.”
“We must also be aware that there are hostile
towns all along the shore north of Harfleur,” said Thomas Lancaster. “It is
likely they will send word to Paris before we can disembark on their land.”
As they drew near to France the English nerves
became more and more unsettled. Some of the king’s fighting men had even
forgotten the waves tossing the ships about. Their focus now turned to battle.
For them, it was discomforting not knowing their superiors’ plans. Harfleur’s
estuary was close by late afternoon, but Henry desired to unload his army on
the cape of Chef-en-Caux, close to three or four kilometers west of his target
city. The native French there were unsettled with the English’s arrival. Some
were welcoming when seeing Henry V ride through with his richly decorated black
warhorse, hailing him as the rightful king of both England and France. Others
were more hostile and booed the monarch. The king’s guard seized and beat these
rebels for their disrespect. There were fewer protests against Henry after
this.
The royal retinue did not delay to
continue east, and their speedy horses took them far from the landing point
before the army had entirely unloaded. All except a few ships docked at
Chef-en-Caux, and under Sir Alistair, they sailed further ahead and set up a
blockade on the Seine River. The king’s path through the French countryside was
a quiet one and as nightfall came, so too did the English host.
“It is good that night covers the land
now,” said Sir Montacute. “Our enemies do not have a proper view of our
position or size.”
“But we must hope that no one has rode
ahead to warn of our coming,” said Sir James. “Someone has surely seen us as we
sailed south to the cape.”
“Let us work tonight to entrench our
position!” said Henry. “When daybreak comes, the defenders will awaken to
horror. It should not take long to exact surrender when my machines arrive, for
I have never known Harfleur to house a mighty garrison.”
English engineers worked all night as sentries
were posted for their protection. They dug closer and closer to the city, until
it was deemed unsafe to advance further. It was good for them that the moon’s
light was obscured by clouds.
“It is a pleasant night,” said James as he
sat atop a hill that overlooked the workers. “Surely the French know we have
been working for hours now. Their ears are not made of stone.”
“The sentries will warn of any intrusion,”
said Fastolf. “And then, when morning comes, our archers will rain fire down on
them. The first days of our attack may not require the men-at-arms, for our
archers are numerous enough to maintain a long and constant arrow storm.”
Now as dawn broke the next day King Henry
gave the order and the arrow barrage began. Harfleur’s defenders did not
retaliate and instead hid behind their walls, where they believed it was safe.
In this they were correct, for even the superb skill of the king’s longbowman
was not effective against Harfleurs’ stone walls. English sappers moved closer
to the walls, digging trenches under the cover of longbow fire. This continued
for several days before shots were finally exchanged and the deadly French
crossbowmen gave an answer to the longbows. King Henry and his captains,
including Sir James and Sir Fastolf watched from a safe distance one morning
before the attack continued. A rider came to the hill and he was promptly
stopped by the sentries.
“Let the man pass!” said Sir James. “Can
you not see he wears the king’s colors? Let him through!”
As the soldiers relaxed their grips on their
large pikes the rider approached the king, kneeled and held aloft a folded parchment.
Henry V took it and opened the crinkled paper.
“Ah, so our enemy’s garrison was made
stronger last night?” said the king. “Two French knights and several hundred
men-at-arms came to Harfleur under cover of night. This will complicate things
for us. I had hoped to breach the walls before any addition to our enemy’s
numbers came.”
“How could this happen without our
knowledge?” asked Fastolf.
“I am less concerned with how this came to
be as I am with the prospect of more troops coming,” said James. “With this
news we may be wise to begin encircling the walls. We must show the defenders
how large a force opposes them. Spreading our forces out will convince them of
our strength and discourage their hearts.”
“My designs have been threatened,” said
the king. “If these men have come then the main French army may not be far
behind. This will hinder our siege and relieve the defenders. We must attempt
to make Harfleur submit before they arrive.”
And so the English dug further around the
walls, giving the archers a safe place to hide and shoot from. Soon, most of
the city had been encircled by a ring of red and gold clad English troops and the
archers did not lessen their barrage of arrows. The defenders began to be
frustrated by the longbows’ deadly accuracy. While the siege continued the
commanders met with Henry in his tent.
“Look here, my lord,” Thomas Lancaster
pointed to an area on the map behind Harfleur. “There is a road going north and
then east. It leads back to Paris. I will take my men that way and cut off this
route. We must block the town from supplies and reinforcing troops.”
“That will help our purpose!” said the
king. “Judging by Harfleur’s location that road will be the most obvious from
which to expect relief. You will need to bring good fighting men in preparation
for this. We must be watchful of the roads leading to Paris.”
“My knights and I will join the duke!”
Benedict exclaimed, not hesitating to volunteer his services for this endeavor.
“Go now, ere the French receive
reinforcements!” ordered Henry. Though the king was young for a ruler, he commanded
great respect from his men and presented an intimidating presence while in
court and in the field.
When Thomas Lancaster arrived on the east
side of the city, he set up barricades on the road towards Paris and
continually sent riders to warn of any approaching Frenchmen.
Two days later, a French herald came forth
out of the gate, followed by a man holding their royal flag. Even the lowliest
of conscripts knew a herald was immune from being targeted. No one killed
heralds, not even during a great siege, and so the fighting stopped.
“I will go meet him, my lord,” said Sir
James. “We should not risk you by getting too close to the walls.”
“Nonsense, man!” replied the king. “I am
no coward, and this French messenger does not leave the safety of his walls to
make an attempt on my life. I will go, but you, James, you will come with me
while bearing my flag.”
Sir James took the king’s flag, with the
seal of Lancaster emblazoned upon it. On one half there were three golden
English lions set upon a field of red and on the other half the golden French
lilies before a background of blue. They rode forth to meet the French herald
and came to a halt with ten yards between them.
“Hail, king of England and lord of
Ireland,” began the herald with a heavy French intonation.
“Why have the French summoned his majesty,
king of England, lord of Ireland and heir to throne of France?” asked Sir
James.
The French conveyed offended expressions,
for they did not recognize this English king as the monarch of their country.
This was, in fact, why they fought that day. They wished to deny Henry V his
claim to the throne in Paris.
“My good king from England,” began the herald,
who was disgusted by his own display of respect. “As you now know a sizable
garrison has come to our aid. The knights, Sieur d’Estouteville and Sieur de
Gaucourt now command the town at the behest of our lord, Charles VI, ruler and
rightful king of France. These knights desire to give you opportunity to
withdraw this English rabble. For a grand army is marching this way even now
from Paris.”
“Why should I be blessed with such
knowledge of my enemy’s movements?” asked the king. He and James were growing
perplexed as well as suspicious.
“We are prepared to offer a deal,”
continued the herald. “We know the might of the French army is superior to your
own here, but we cannot hold out long against your own force. If our allies do
not arrive before the 23rd day of next month we will relinquish the
city to your control.”
“So you wish to be promised life in return
for your surrender?” asked Henry. “It is smart of you to accept this, even with
your knights’ added aid this town will fall if your army does not arrive in
time. This seems acceptable. However, I propose a challenge of single combat to
Harfleur’s dauphin. If I win, the city is mine. But if the dauphin should
triumph then my army will withdraw from France.”
The herald stood still for a while, silent
in thought. He looked at Harfleur’s walls, knowing they were strong but could
not withstand a siege for more than a month.
“We hold these terms reasonable,” he said
with some hesitance. “But I must disclose them to the knights for their
acceptance and relay your challenge to the dauphin.”
The Frenchman bowed and left, riding back
to the wall’s safety. There had been several archers hiding nearby with notched
arrows trained on the herald and his companion. Their orders were simple:
protect the king.
“Have my cannons arrived yet from the
landing area?” asked the king as he and Sir James returned to the hilltop.
“No, my lord,” said Sir James. “The war
machines are still a day off. But did you not say it was our intent to limit
the damage of the city walls, so that we may capture the place and fortify it?”
“I will pound them into submission
instead!” replied Henry with ferocity. “They must be made to yield before the
French army arrives. Continue the attack! Move the sappers closer!”
“What of the dauphin?” Sir James asked.
“What of him?” Henry turned to face the
city. “He will not accept my challenge. He is a coward, just as his king is. He
will bend his knees and quake behind stone, hoping that the French army comes
in time to his rescue. Even if he finds his head and comes to meet my
challenge, I will render him headless with ease.”
Little progress was made in the next day
through continued arrow attacks, and the English began to grow discouraged
themselves. But later on that day, the siege equipment, twelve guns and
numerous catapults, arrived. The French peeked over their walls and looked on
in horror, for now the accurate arrows of Englishmen were the least of their
concern. Henry did not wait until morning to begin moving the war machines into
position. However, where the catapults were more reliable than guns; they
lacked the immediate strength to threaten a wall. Twelve cannons were set
around the encircling army and spread out a great distance from each other.
Even the English troops feared their own weaponry and did not wish to come
close and gave the weapons wide berths. Some called these machines the “devil’s
mouth,” for stories in the English camp were abound of gun crews lost to
backfire and accidental explosions.
“If I die I’d wish it to be while fighting
something that can be killed,” the soldiers would often say when being posted
to guard the guns. The catapults had begun their bombardment, but it took time
to load the guns and aim them properly. An experienced gun grew might only
achieve a few well aimed shots each day. Preparations for the guns’ use continued
throughout the night.
When morning came, the bombardment still
went on. The catapults continued to hurl large rocks against Harfleur’s walls.
Initially, only minor damage was accomplished. Then, a deafening and thunderous
sound climbed above the warring shouts of the attackers and defenders. One of
the guns had been fired towards the city gates. It missed its target, but gave
significant damage to the city’s battlements. The men on both sides had all
stopped for a moment and braced, as if expecting another gun to go off. But no
other shots immediately followed, so the fighting continued. After some time another
cannon fired off, and a then a third. Each time the soldiers and archers
hesitated and flinched out of fear of the deafening noises. Eventually, as the
day went on, both sides grew used to the loud noises. Now the French were more
concerned with the damage their walls would endure. It was not much yet, as
these guns could not boast great accuracy.
The lack of initial success only served to
discourage the gun crews and they began to grow lazy. But the knights and
sergeants came and inspired them with threats of beatings. Even with these
threats loading these bulky weapons was a long process. Presently, as King
Henry, Sir James, and Sir Montacute watched from atop the hill, a messenger
from Thomas Lancaster came to give report.
“My lord,” he said while bowing. “Your
brother, the Duke of Clarence, and his men have successfully captured a convoy
headed for the city. We took many armaments, including guns, powder and
supplies for archers!”
“Ah yes!” said King Henry smiling. “It is
good that we have closed off that route. Be sure to make haste and distribute the
supplies for the benefit of my army.”
The messenger bowed then rode back to his
commander, Thomas Lancaster.
“I believe it is time we start preparing
for the initial assault,” said Henry. “Now that our war machines work to weaken
the wall, I desire to test their steel against ours!”
The following days saw the English
attempting to scale the walls of Harfleur. Some were successful in gaining a
foothold atop the ramparts; and many were skewered by French crossbow bolts.
Even King Henry, accompanied by Sir James, rode forward to the wall and gave
his troops encouragement and hope. The king rode all around the wall holding
his shield over his crowned head as his men climbed. While not a coward, King
Henry did not climb the ladders but his presence gave hope to the men. Sir
James led the English over the walls. When English and French steel met the
archers below ceased their barrages. But the defenders were too strong and held
a significant advantage now with a lack of English arrows assaulting them. The
two French knights also proved formidable foes, but Sir James, Sir Montacute,
and Fastolf never found the chance to confront them. Henry’s army withdrew that
night and the captains gathered in the king’s tent for a council.
“Their position is too great, my lord,”
said Sir James. “Perhaps we should allow the guns to breach the walls before
assaulting again? We cannot expend too many men so early in our campaign."
“I agree, sire,” said Fastolf. “We cannot
worry now over preserving the town. We will be here for months before they
starve. And our men have begun to catch sickness. Dysentery has infected some
of our men.”
“So the city will have to be destroyed?”
said Henry with disappointment.
“We do not need to destroy everything,
only make them kneel submission after displaying military supremacy!” said
Fastolf.
“Then command the guns and catapults to
attack day and night! I do not care what has to be done; just get me inside
that wall!”
“But sire!” said Sir Montacute. “The guns
cannot be fired continually. They will overheat and this will make them
vulnerable to backfire. We all know this means death for the gun crew.”
“Then do what is needed!” ordered the king.
“As I see it, my guns strike fear in the hearts of both English and French. Do
not stop using them, only use them more!”
This command was carried out with
hesitation and the gun crews wondered if their king had lost his mind, just as
the French king had. Those who operated the catapults were very grateful to be
working with safer equipment. King Henry V had not gone insane; he only desired
to speed the siege along. Word of a possible arrival of the main French army
had spread, starting with the captains and sergeants and going down to the
men-at-arms. They began to understand why Henry pushed the gun crews harder. So
the guns battered and pounded the walls for several days. No cannon exploded
but one was derailed from its carriage and became entrapped in the mud,
rendering it useless. Harfleur’s walls began to weaken and soon the 22nd
day of September came, the day before which the French army was expected to
arrive and rescue the city.
English scouts had been scouring the
countryside in search of this host, but no evidence of such a force was found.
Before King Henry, leading his army now at the front, could assault the city’s
frail walls, the two French knights and a herald came forth from the walls.
Sieur d’Estouteville and Sieur de Gaucourt rode with pride. Where the English
found dignity in their longbows, the French were boastful of their mounted
fighting men. King Henry, with his knights, met the French before a smoldering
city on the verge of defeat. The English attempt to make their enemies submit
had seemingly worked. Both knights came off their horses to meet the
dismounting Henry. They drew their swords and offered the weapons as tribute to
their conqueror.
“Harfleur and all her territories are
yours, Henry of England,” said one knight. “We intend to honor the agreement to
you made through our herald. Spare us in this place and do not ravage the city.
The townsfolk are prepared to submit to English authority in exchange for their
lives and peace. For we make this offer to protect the lives within the walls.
No army from Paris rides to save us.”
King Henry was taller and appeared the
more imposing figure than even these strong knights. He walked up to them and
accepted their offered blades.
“I will leave a garrison here in
Harfleur,” said Henry. “I declare this place English ground and its entire
people under the protection of my laws. I will allow any peasant or serf to
leave if they choose, and no one who remains will be harmed or put to death. I
shall take you worthy knights into my custody and care. Your release will come
when a sufficient sacrifice from the French treasury has been made to satisfy a
ransom.”
Many Frenchmen remained in Harfleur. A
small English garrison took the city, but not so little that thoughts of
rebellion might enter into the French minds. A week had passed after the siege
ended and the English army was encamped still outside the city. Many had
suffered wounds and injuries, still more endured sickness and death from the
bloody flux. But Henry’s host was yet strong, and the fit men were renewed
through victory. Now word came of the French army’s movement; it seemed as
though they camped on the northwest side of Paris in hopes of discouraging the
English from advancing on the capitol. And so King Henry moved north with his
army and searched for a secret way to cross the Somme River.
