Dan Jones

It's late in the year 1415. It's too late to besiege any other cities. His men are very sick. There's a lot of dysentery and other diseases whipping around the camp. Lots of his friends have died of these diseases. They're running out of food. Everything says, you've won Arfleur. Secure it. Go home. Regroup. Come again. But Henry doesn't do that. He decides that he wants more.

He wants to show that he is the coming man and he should be the one to take the crown of France. So he sets off on what becomes an incredibly famous march. It's supposed to last a week. It ends up lasting several weeks. And it ends with him being hunted down by the French and forced to fight a battle.

He wants to show that he is the coming man and he should be the one to take the crown of France. So he sets off on what becomes an incredibly famous march. It's supposed to last a week. It ends up lasting several weeks. And it ends with him being hunted down by the French and forced to fight a battle.

He wants to show that he is the coming man and he should be the one to take the crown of France. So he sets off on what becomes an incredibly famous march. It's supposed to last a week. It ends up lasting several weeks. And it ends with him being hunted down by the French and forced to fight a battle.

25th of October, 1415, the Battle of Agincourt, at which he gambles effectively absolutely everything on the outcome of one afternoon's fighting.

25th of October, 1415, the Battle of Agincourt, at which he gambles effectively absolutely everything on the outcome of one afternoon's fighting.

25th of October, 1415, the Battle of Agincourt, at which he gambles effectively absolutely everything on the outcome of one afternoon's fighting.

Well, France is effectively teetering permanently at this point on the brink of civil war. Because you mentioned Charles VI, and rightly so. Charles VI, king of France in France, In the year 1392, so a long time before Henry comes to power himself, Charles VI has a very severe mental breakdown. and thereafter he is in and out of lucidity for the rest of his reign.

Well, France is effectively teetering permanently at this point on the brink of civil war. Because you mentioned Charles VI, and rightly so. Charles VI, king of France in France, In the year 1392, so a long time before Henry comes to power himself, Charles VI has a very severe mental breakdown. and thereafter he is in and out of lucidity for the rest of his reign.

Well, France is effectively teetering permanently at this point on the brink of civil war. Because you mentioned Charles VI, and rightly so. Charles VI, king of France in France, In the year 1392, so a long time before Henry comes to power himself, Charles VI has a very severe mental breakdown. and thereafter he is in and out of lucidity for the rest of his reign.

He's periodically completely insane, either catatonic or running around madly, thinking he's on fire, thinking he's made of glass, doesn't recognize anybody, running around his palace naked, smeared in his own feces. He's like, the guy's gone. Not great. But the trouble is he'll come in and out of these madnesses.

He's periodically completely insane, either catatonic or running around madly, thinking he's on fire, thinking he's made of glass, doesn't recognize anybody, running around his palace naked, smeared in his own feces. He's like, the guy's gone. Not great. But the trouble is he'll come in and out of these madnesses.

He's periodically completely insane, either catatonic or running around madly, thinking he's on fire, thinking he's made of glass, doesn't recognize anybody, running around his palace naked, smeared in his own feces. He's like, the guy's gone. Not great. But the trouble is he'll come in and out of these madnesses.

If the guy was just completely gone and never coming back, that's one thing you can sort of try and rule around it. But he comes in and out of madness. That's a big problem. It's a problem that England will much later suffer with Henry VI as well. I'm sure we can come to that. So Charles VI in France is teetering on the brink of insanity from 1392 onwards and factions emerge in the court

If the guy was just completely gone and never coming back, that's one thing you can sort of try and rule around it. But he comes in and out of madness. That's a big problem. It's a problem that England will much later suffer with Henry VI as well. I'm sure we can come to that. So Charles VI in France is teetering on the brink of insanity from 1392 onwards and factions emerge in the court

If the guy was just completely gone and never coming back, that's one thing you can sort of try and rule around it. But he comes in and out of madness. That's a big problem. It's a problem that England will much later suffer with Henry VI as well. I'm sure we can come to that. So Charles VI in France is teetering on the brink of insanity from 1392 onwards and factions emerge in the court

led by various of his relatives, the most important of whom is a guy called Jean Saint-Pierre, John the Fearless, Duke Burgundy, who is constantly a disruptive force in French politics, trying to pursue his own ends, trying to make himself the effective master of the French state, resisted heavily by another faction. They come to be known as the Armagnacs.

led by various of his relatives, the most important of whom is a guy called Jean Saint-Pierre, John the Fearless, Duke Burgundy, who is constantly a disruptive force in French politics, trying to pursue his own ends, trying to make himself the effective master of the French state, resisted heavily by another faction. They come to be known as the Armagnacs.

led by various of his relatives, the most important of whom is a guy called Jean Saint-Pierre, John the Fearless, Duke Burgundy, who is constantly a disruptive force in French politics, trying to pursue his own ends, trying to make himself the effective master of the French state, resisted heavily by another faction. They come to be known as the Armagnacs.

So you have this French civil war with the Burgundians, followers of John the Fearless on the one hand, and the Armagnacs on the other. And they're constantly at each other's throats. So this provides a perfect opportunity, if you like, for the English to try and insert themselves as a third party in the civil war for their own advantage.