This year France remembers the defeat at Agincourt in 1415 and the victory at Marignano in 1515. A important exhibition at Musée de l’Armee in Paris tells the story

In 1415 the small expeditionary force of perhaps 6-8000 men led by king Henry V defeated a huge French army mustering 24.000 at Agincourt. It is believed that between 4-6000 French soldiers and men-at-arms perished in the battle and that perhaps 1400 – 1600 were taken prisoners in order to be ransomed. In France the grief and shame was overwhelming. Today, historians are still debating to what extent it was the English army, which defeated the French or whether the latter simply lost at Agincourt through stupidity and lack of courage.

What is not debatable, is that a hundred years later, the French army led by Francis I were victorious at Marignano outside Milan. During these 100 years the composition of the French army changed decisively as did the weapons.

This autumn the Musée de l’Armee tells this story through a fascinating exhibition – Chevaliers & Bombardes.

The exhibition tells the story of the shift from

• archaic tactics to modern technical solutions
• reflection upon the experiences to the reformation of the army by Charles VII
• the Italian wars and the success of the French artillery.

A number of exceptional objects are exhibited here:

• The canon of Louis XI
• The sword of Louis XII
• The armour of Francis I
• Manuscripts and illuminations
• The Treaty of Troyes 1420
• An early canon
• A longbow from Mary Rose

The exhibition is accompanied by numerous dioramas (multimedia)

VISIT:

Musée de l’Armee
Hôtel des Invalides, 129 rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris
07.10.2015 – 24.01.2016

READ MORE

Knights & Bombards
English Pamphlet)

D’agincourt à Marignan
Catalogue ed by Valérie Toureille
Éditions Gallimard 2015
ISBN : 9782070149490

 

 

Le drame d’Azincourt
By Valérie Toureille
Albin Michel 2015
EAN13 : 9782226318923