A'ZINCOURT, or AGINCOURT, a village in the department of Pas-de-Calais, France, celebrated for a bloody battle between the English and French, Oct. 25, 1415. The internal distractions of France under the imbecile Charles VI. (q.v.) had encouraged England to attempt to make good her aucient claim on France. Henry V. of England had landed at Harfleur, had taken that fortress, and wished to march through Picardie to Calais, in order to get into winter-quarters. The dauphin advanced against him with a powerful force. A great number of the nobility accompanied him; and so great was their confidence, that the offered aid of the duke of Burgundy and of the city of Paris was rejected. Henry hastened to the Somme, but wits followed by the French, who opposed his passage; he at last managed to cross with his army at St. Quentin. Greatly weakened in numbers, and suffering extremely from want of provisions, Henry offered to purchase peace by reparation of injuries. But the French would not hear of a treaty; as they entertained the hope of completely annihilating the English army. They had, in fact, intercepted the English march to Calais, by of the high road behind the little river Ternoise, near the villages of A. and'Framecourt. The invading army, therefore, still (according to French accounts) 14,000 strong, of whom 2000 were men-at-arms--though no English writer makes it more than 10,000—prepared for an engagement by posting themselves between two woods, in a single line of battle, with the archers on the wings. The French, to the number of 60,000, under the command of the constable D'Alhert, were drawn up in two lines, the men-at-arms, of whom only 2000 were mounted, being in the first. The English were the first to begin the onset.
The French cavalry rushed forward to meet them, but were received with such a storm of arrows that they took to flight, threw themselves upon the first line and put it in disorder. On this, the light-armed English archers took to their billhooks and hatchets, broke into the ranks of the men-at-arms that fought on foot, whose heavy armor and close array rendered them almost incapable of resistance, and made the greatest havoc them. This being followed by a charge of the English horsemen, the first line took to !light, the second was unable to arrest the victors, and the whole French army was soon completely dispersed. The victory was decided. For a moment, Henry believed that the masses were going to renew the fight; and hearing also that a troop of armed peasants were plundering his baggage, he gave orders to slay all the prisoners taken. The order was already executed when he discovered the groundlessness of his alarm. As many as 10,000 Frenchmen were slain, among whom were the constable and six dukes and princes, the duke of Brabant, the count of Nevers, the duke of Alen the duke of Bar and his two brothers. Five princes, among them the dukes of Orleans and Bourbon, were taken prisoners.. The English lost 1600 killed, including the duke of York, the king's great-uncle, whom' the duke of Alencon slew. Alencou had even struck the crown from king Henry's head, when he was surrounded by all present, and fell with many wounds. Henry, however, was too weak to pursue his advantage, and therefore continued his march to Calais, where he embarked for England.