An Agincourt Carol

Owre Kynge went forth to Normandy

With grace and myght of chyvalry

Ther God for hym wrought mervelusly;

Wherefore Englonde may call and cry

Deo gratias! Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

He sette sege, forsothe to say,

To Harflu towne with ryal aray;

That toune he wan and made afray

That Fraunce shal rewe tyl domesday.

Deo gratias! Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

Then went hym forth, owre king comely,

In Agincourt feld he faught manly;

Throw grace of God most marvelsuly,

He had both feld and victory.

Deo gratias! Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

Ther lordys, erles and barone

Were slayne and taken and that full soon,

Ans summe were broght into Lundone

With joye and blisse and gret renone.

Deo gratias! Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

Almighty God he keep owre kynge,

His peple, and alle his well-wyllynge,

And give them grace wythoute endyng;

Then may we call and savely syng:

Deo gratias! Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

Early C15th song, commemorating the victory of the English army over the French at Agincourt, 25th October 1415.

Once again, I am reminded of the words of John O'Farrell:

Different eras are of course of varying historical significance: the English triumphs at Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt are particularly important battles and should be pointed out over and over again; but after that the Hundred Years War becomes far less important, indeed hardly worth bothering about, particularly all the petty little details like who goes on to win at the end. That is why most people in Britain will not have heard much about the battles of Patay, or Formigny, or Castillon. They are not historically significant. England lost them.