Azincourt - Bernard Cornwell

INTRODUCTION Despite my love of historical fiction, It was only relatively recently that I discovered the brilliant writing of Bernard Cornwell. Astonishing as it may seem, I was practically oblivious to the existence of this master of the genre until I started watching the Sharpe historical drama series on ITV. Even then, it took me a while to realise that the films were based on his novels, and then longer still until I finally picked up one of his books (“The Gallows Thief”). I was left shaking my head in disbelief at this almost unforgivable oversight (I suppose it's a bit like loving ... more

The Battle of Agincourt (or Azincourt, to give it its technically correct name) is one that is well known amongst those who remember their history lessons from school. Shakespeare fans may also have experienced his Henry V as he prepared to take the English army across the Channel to France and attempt to defeat the French hordes who numbered nearly 6 times that of the English. It is an incredibly well documented slice of history. Conversely, my only experience of the author Bernard Cornwell is in watching the TV adaptations of his Sharp books. As a result, when my father in law offered me ... more

After recently reading a Bernard Cornwell book for the first time, I picked up “Azincourt” the next time I was in the library. The first thing that struck me was the strange spelling of Agincourt -“Azincourt”, however, is merely the French spelling. This book is of course about the legendary battle of Agincourt, where a small English army, depleted by illness and lack of supplies, won an extraordinary victory over the French army many times their size. The English were led by Henry V and the victory was mainly ascribed to the use of the English longbow, as bowmen made up much of the army ... more

I hadn't read any Bernard Cornwell before I picked this up, but it was only £3 from Tesco, and struck a chord after I'd recently looked into the life and times of Henry V - the last proper monarch we've had (i.e. one who wanders around picking fights with anyone who looks at him a bit funny). I was also quite keen to learn why Cornwell had conspired to misspell the title (it turns out his is the French spelling, as opposed to the English 'Agincourt'). Azincourt focuses primarily on the famous battle and events leading up to it as seen through the eyes of one William Hook, an outlaw turned ... more