by: Chita Dela Cruz Heap
The Battle of Agincourt
In his book he makes statements such as ‘The ultimate target is the mind of the enemy’, and he goes on to explain that if the mind of the enemy becomes confused then one can gain time and secure an advantage. He also explains that in order to overcome an enemy more powerful than oneself one must seek to use the enemies own strength against it. An enemy that is stronger than you will often exhibit a tendency to become overconfident or complacent and herein lies its weakness.
A classic example of this was the Battle of Agincourt fought between the English and the French in the year 1415. The English army under the leadership of King Henry V numbered six thousand men in all, and comprised a thousand men at arms who were fully trained soldiers, together with five thousand archers who were simply laborers and tradesmen, blacksmiths, farmers, carpenters and millers.
It should perhaps be explained that the favoured weapon of the day in England was the English longbow which stood as tall as a man, and with which every Englishman was required to practice by law on each and every Sunday.
The English army had spent three months capturing the city of Harfleur in northern France. The English soldiers were tired and weary, and with their numbers depleted by the lack of proper food and the outbreak of disease, they decided to head north to the coast where they hoped that their ships would be waiting to carry them home. The ships were not there however, and so undaunted, they marched east along the coast. When they came to the River Rhine they found the waters too deep to cross, so they headed ten kilometers inland until they found a place where the river was shallow enough to cross.
By this time the French had gathered on the other side waiting to meet them. The French army numbered twenty six thousand in all, almost five times as many as the English, all fully trained and well fed, all professional soldiers, and all of them spoiling for a fight.
The night before the battle the English soldiers kept vigil around their campfires, each one making peace with his maker, knowing full well that the following day might well be his last. Each man scooped up a handful of soil and ate it to symbolize ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’
The French meanwhile spent the night playing dice and drinking, for in their minds the following day would simply be sport, with the outcome already decided.
On the day of the battle the two armies faced each other. During the night the English army had driven into the ground huge pointed stakes behind which their archers took cover. Since the battlefield was a narrow valley the French were not able to form their army in a line, so instead they put their knights on horseback, all of them clad in heavy armour, in the front line. Behind them they positioned their foot soldiers, whilst to the rear their crossbow men whom they supposed that they would not need.
The land on which the battle was to take place was farmland which had recently been ploughed. It had rained heavily the night before such that when the French knights charge their horses soon became bogged down in the mud. They were greeted by a hail of arrows set loose by the English archers which rained down on them penetrating their armour, and causing them to fall either dead or wounded onto the ground. So heavy was their armour that once they had fallen they could not get up, whilst their horses, now riderless and filled with terror, turned around and went charging back into the advancing ranks of French infantry who were also greeted by a hail of arrows.
The French army was beaten back, though not before the English had taken many prisoners. The French then made their biggest mistake by far by charging again. By the laws of chivalry a prisoner must not be harmed, and every knight was obliged to abide by this law. The English army however was not made up of the knights to whom this law applied, but of farmers and laborers. They knew that if they were to retain their prisoners they would not be able to fight, and so without hesitation they slit the throats of every prisoner they held. Once more they defeated the French and drove them back. The day was theirs.
After the battle they counted the dead. The French dead numbered six thousand, the English dead one hundred and twenty six.
What lessons can we learn from this about life? Firstly that complacency can be a fatal flaw. Secondly, that no matter how great the odds, and regardless of how outnumbered one might appear to be, we still have a chance. The next time that you are confronted by a situation that seems impossible or from which you can see no escape, it might serve you well to remember Agincourt and how the tables were turned that day. Because for those who have faith, and for those whose hearts are strong, nothing is impossible!/TE
The Battle of Agincourt
San Shui was a Chinese general who lived around 1500BC. His book ‘The Art of War’ was recently translated into English and has now been read by many people around the
world. In it he considers many aspects of warfare from logistics to the lay of the land and prevailing conditions. More importantly he also examines the psychology of war.
The reason why the book has gained such popularity is because the strategies that he outlines are considered to have particular relevance to current business practice, be it board room meetings, the management of staff, or in numerous other areas.
world. In it he considers many aspects of warfare from logistics to the lay of the land and prevailing conditions. More importantly he also examines the psychology of war.
The reason why the book has gained such popularity is because the strategies that he outlines are considered to have particular relevance to current business practice, be it board room meetings, the management of staff, or in numerous other areas.
In his book he makes statements such as ‘The ultimate target is the mind of the enemy’, and he goes on to explain that if the mind of the enemy becomes confused then one can gain time and secure an advantage. He also explains that in order to overcome an enemy more powerful than oneself one must seek to use the enemies own strength against it. An enemy that is stronger than you will often exhibit a tendency to become overconfident or complacent and herein lies its weakness.
A classic example of this was the Battle of Agincourt fought between the English and the French in the year 1415. The English army under the leadership of King Henry V numbered six thousand men in all, and comprised a thousand men at arms who were fully trained soldiers, together with five thousand archers who were simply laborers and tradesmen, blacksmiths, farmers, carpenters and millers.
It should perhaps be explained that the favoured weapon of the day in England was the English longbow which stood as tall as a man, and with which every Englishman was required to practice by law on each and every Sunday.
The English army had spent three months capturing the city of Harfleur in northern France. The English soldiers were tired and weary, and with their numbers depleted by the lack of proper food and the outbreak of disease, they decided to head north to the coast where they hoped that their ships would be waiting to carry them home. The ships were not there however, and so undaunted, they marched east along the coast. When they came to the River Rhine they found the waters too deep to cross, so they headed ten kilometers inland until they found a place where the river was shallow enough to cross.
By this time the French had gathered on the other side waiting to meet them. The French army numbered twenty six thousand in all, almost five times as many as the English, all fully trained and well fed, all professional soldiers, and all of them spoiling for a fight.
The night before the battle the English soldiers kept vigil around their campfires, each one making peace with his maker, knowing full well that the following day might well be his last. Each man scooped up a handful of soil and ate it to symbolize ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’
The French meanwhile spent the night playing dice and drinking, for in their minds the following day would simply be sport, with the outcome already decided.
On the day of the battle the two armies faced each other. During the night the English army had driven into the ground huge pointed stakes behind which their archers took cover. Since the battlefield was a narrow valley the French were not able to form their army in a line, so instead they put their knights on horseback, all of them clad in heavy armour, in the front line. Behind them they positioned their foot soldiers, whilst to the rear their crossbow men whom they supposed that they would not need.
The land on which the battle was to take place was farmland which had recently been ploughed. It had rained heavily the night before such that when the French knights charge their horses soon became bogged down in the mud. They were greeted by a hail of arrows set loose by the English archers which rained down on them penetrating their armour, and causing them to fall either dead or wounded onto the ground. So heavy was their armour that once they had fallen they could not get up, whilst their horses, now riderless and filled with terror, turned around and went charging back into the advancing ranks of French infantry who were also greeted by a hail of arrows.
The French army was beaten back, though not before the English had taken many prisoners. The French then made their biggest mistake by far by charging again. By the laws of chivalry a prisoner must not be harmed, and every knight was obliged to abide by this law. The English army however was not made up of the knights to whom this law applied, but of farmers and laborers. They knew that if they were to retain their prisoners they would not be able to fight, and so without hesitation they slit the throats of every prisoner they held. Once more they defeated the French and drove them back. The day was theirs.
After the battle they counted the dead. The French dead numbered six thousand, the English dead one hundred and twenty six.
What lessons can we learn from this about life? Firstly that complacency can be a fatal flaw. Secondly, that no matter how great the odds, and regardless of how outnumbered one might appear to be, we still have a chance. The next time that you are confronted by a situation that seems impossible or from which you can see no escape, it might serve you well to remember Agincourt and how the tables were turned that day. Because for those who have faith, and for those whose hearts are strong, nothing is impossible!/TE
No comments:
Post a Comment