Read Henry V: The Background, Strategies, Tactics and Battlefield Experiences of the Greatest Commanders of History Paperback for Free Online

deathbed. On the 18th Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, died with
    his title going to his eldest son, also named Michael, who was serving in his
    father's retinue. By this stage the siege had also moved on to a new stage as,
    on the 15th, a French sally from the Leure Gate caught the defenders off
    guard, as the Gesta Vita Henrici relates:
    And on the same day there occurred another event which was sufficiently
    serious to cause the king disquiet; for our adversaries who were on guard at the
    strongest barbican made a sally against our guard facing them and, because
    The siege of Harfleur
    Set in the siege lines attacking the Leure Gate that lies in the background, the bastion
    in front of the gate is out of sight, hidden by the English palisade. At the centre is the
    entrance to an English earthwork, with a sapper struggling out with a barrow of earth
    and another making his way into the siege works. At left Sir John Holland discusses the
    progress of the siege with one of his engineer captains. Along with Sir John Cornwall
    and Sir William Porter, Sir John Holland was responsible for this sector of the English
    siege works and was surprised by a sudden attack on the fortifications on 15 September.
    This attack was revenged the following day when Sir John Holland launched an attack
    on the barbican in front of the Leure Garte, setting fire to it and forcing the French to
    retreat - an act that precipitated the final surrender of the town. To the right, two of
    the labourers appear to be suffering from the dysentery that was to cut a huge swathe
    through Henry's fighting forces.
    22

    of the inattention and indolence of our men, set fire to their defences.
    But eventually, by God's will, the fire was extinguished and the enemy put to
    flight without our men being seriously hurt. The enemy, however, taunted us
    with being only half-awake and lazy, in that when on watch we had not been
    able to keep a better look-out.
    This assault provoked an immediate response and, the following day, Sir
    John Holland, who was one of the commanders of the men facing the Leure
    Gate and whose command had been attacked the previous day, sought to
    make amends by launching an attack on the bastion or bulwark that
    protected the Leure Gate. This attack, unlike the many that preceded it,
    proved successful and the French defenders were burnt out of their position
    and driven back behind the main walls. Following up on this success, Henry
    entered negotiations with the French defenders once more, offering them
    terms for surrender. Raoul de Gaucourt refused once again and Henry
    planned an all-out assault on the town for the following day; by this stage
    the townspeople had had enough and sent a message to Thomas, Duke of
    Clarence, that they were wiling to come to terms. Realizing that their
    position was now untenable, de Gaucourt and d'Estouteville now accepted
    that should neither the King or the Dauphin come into sight by
    22 September with a relieving army then they would surrender Harfleur
    to Henry. A messenger was sent from Harfleur to Vernon, where a French
    army was being assembled, but was told that it was too soon for them to
    intervene, and so Harfleur was lost. The Gesta Vita Henrici describes the
    events of the surrender on Sunday 22 September:
    And when, neither at the appointed hour on the following Sunday nor before,
    the French king, the Dauphin, or anyone else had offered to raise the siege, our
    king straightaway ascended his royal throne, over which was spread cloth of
    gold and fine linen, in a pavilion at the top of the hill in front of the town, and
    he was attended by men of high rank, his magnates and nobles, in large number
    and wearing their richest apparel; and to his right, carried on a staff by Sir Gilbert
    Umfraville, was his triumphal helm bearing his crown. From the town there
    came into his presence the aforesaid [Raoul], Sire de Gaucourt, accompanied by
    those persons who had previously sworn to keep the