Financial, Military, and Logistic Aspects of the Preparation for the English Invasion of France in 1415

Abstract

This article considers the organisational component of the preparation of the English invasion of France in 1415. The army of Henry V was one of the largest during the entire Hundred Years War. The development of raising whole armies, rather than merely minor, “non-royal”, expeditions, by contracting for indentured retinues should be seen as primarily an evolutionary consequence of the need to plan and manage the increased scale and duration of continental wars. The three central points to mobilisation are the recognised and necessary authority of the king, the strategic planning role of the council, and the function of the chancery in communicating administrative instructions. Both modern researchers and chroniclers are forced to determine the purpose of the invasion relying on the subsequent actions of the king and his army; until the last moment, the king kept even the place of the upcoming landing secret. The paper analyses the principles of acquisition of the expeditionary military contingent: the influence of the king’s personal participation on the composition, organisational structure, and recruiting of troops (a combination of direct recruitment and indentured retinues). It is emphasised that almost all the highest nobility of the kingdom was involved in the royal army. A significant number of military retinues (and captains) are noted as a distinctive feature of the army in 1415. The article also analyses the financing of the campaign and the sources of payment for military service (direct and indirect taxes, loans, and pleading of the crown jewels). The author examines the organisation of the supply and logistic aspects of the upcoming military expedition to the continent, i.e. the preparation and provision of weapons (including siege equipment), horses and vehicles, provisions and fodder, the principles of collecting ships and their number, payment for ships and crews, the place / mooring of the fleet, and features of landing.