Siege of Harfleur

The Siege of Harfleur began Henry V’s invasion of France in 1415. The port was strategically important, but the siege took longer than hoped and exposed the English army to sickness, exhaustion and delay before its march across northern France.

Harfleur mattered because it made the Agincourt campaign far more dangerous. The English army that left the siege was reduced by disease and casualties, turning the subsequent march into a test of endurance as much as a military manoeuvre.

A Knight and a Spy 1415 uses Harfleur as part of the final movement toward Agincourt. The context is useful for fiction about siege warfare, disease in armies, royal command, Channel strategy and the costly opening phase of Henry V’s campaign.