Siege of Harfleur
date | August 18, 1415 to September 22, 1415 |
---|---|
place | Harfleur |
output | English victory |
Parties to the conflict | |
---|---|
Commander | |
Troop strength | |
8000 | 400 |
losses | |
unknown |
unknown |
Chevauchées of the 1340s: Saint-Omer - Auberoche
Edward III. Campaign (1346/47): Caen - Blanchetaque - Crécy - Calais
War of the Breton Succession (1341–1364) : Champtoceaux - Brest - Morlaix - Saint-Pol-de-Léon - La Roche-Derrien - Tournament of Thirty - Mauron - Auray
France's allies : Neville's Cross - Les Espagnols sur Mer - Brignais
Chevauchées of the 1350s: Poitiers
Castilian Civil War & War of the Two Peter (1351–1375): Barcelona - Araviana - Nájera - Montiel
French counter-offensive: La Rochelle - Gravesend
Wars between Portugal and Castile (1369– 1385): Lisbon - Saltés - Lisbon - Aljubarrota
Battle of Northern France: Rouen - Baugé - Meaux - Cravant - La Brossinière - Verneuil
Jeanne d'Arc and the turn of the war: Orléans - Battle of the herring - Jargeau - Meung-sur-Loire - Beaugency - Patay - Compiegne - Gerberoy
The siege of Harfleur began on August 18th and ended on September 22nd, 1415 when the city surrendered to the English. The siege of Harfleur marked the beginning of the campaign of King Henry V of England through northern France in 1415 and was part of the Hundred Years War .
Invasion and preparations
On Tuesday, August 13, 1415, Henry V landed at Chef-de-Caux at the mouth of the Seine . He immediately attacked Harfleur with 2000 armed men and 6000 archers . The French garrison at Harfleur, consisting of 100 men , had previously been reinforced with two experienced knights , Jean d'Estouteville and Raoul de Gaucourt , who had arrived with a further 300 armed men.
siege
On August 18, Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, had part of the army set up another camp on the east side of the city. The city was completely sealed off. Shortly thereafter, a French supply convoy with gunpowder and weapons, bows and crossbows was intercepted.
Little is known about the siege itself, but it appears to have followed the usual pattern of a medieval siege. After the city walls were badly damaged by fire from the twelve English cannons and various other siege weapons that were carried along , Henry had an assault attack prepared. This was to take place exactly one month after the city was enclosed. The two French city commanders , however, requested a negotiation with the English beforehand. It was agreed that the city should be handed over to the English if a French relief army did not arrive by 23 September . When this did not happen, the city finally surrendered to the English on the evening of September 22nd. The two knights were released on their word of honor in order to raise a ransom for their release. The townspeople had to swear allegiance to Henry and were also allowed to stay there. The remaining and non-resident men of the French garrison were forced to withdraw.
consequences
During the siege, the English army had been badly hit by the dysentery , which later continued to rage in the army. Henry left a small garrison in the city and left Harfleur with the rest of the army on October 8th, 1415. His goal was the city of Calais , which he hoped to be able to reach by crossing the Somme quickly and unobserved . This failed, and so Henry finally had to face a superior force of the French army at Azincourt .
literature
- Juliet Barker : Agincourt. The King, the Campaign, the Battle. Little, Brown, London 2005, ISBN 0-316-72648-6 .