The Road to Agincourt Read online

  Prince Henry said, “But you think that they will fail to do so?”

  “Fail is the wrong word, Prince Henry, for it suggests a lack of will or effort. The garrison is less than fifty men all told. They have been isolated for too long with no hope of supplies from the sea or land. It will finally fall but if Conwy and Caernarfon are strengthened and reinforced then those who escape Harlech will find a refuge.”

  Sir Thomas said, “But that does not bring us any closer to capturing Glendower.”

  I smiled, “And where is he, Sir Thomas? The Prince and I have been fighting him since this rebellion began and we have yet to get close to him. I have never seen him on a battlefield and he remains undefeated. The closest I came was when Sir Edward was taken and that was in the heart of Wales. The man is clever and so long as he is free, he will continue to be a symbol of freedom from English rule. When winter is over, we begin once more and, hopefully, the north and Scotland shall be secure and we will have more men available.”

  Prince Henry seemed satisfied and he nodded, “Then that is what we shall do and when winter comes, I will return to London and lick my wounds!” He smiled. Now that the bandage had been taken from his face, we could see the terrible, disfiguring wound. The Prince knew how to be self-deprecating and it endeared him to his men both low and high. “We will try to make London a royal stronghold once more. I may not always be in Wales, Sir Thomas, but the plans which we have will be mine and I charge you with being the instrument which keeps the blade in Glendower and Mortimer’s back.”

  “I will, Prince Henry but…”

  “There is a but?” I noticed that, since Shrewsbury, there was steel in the Prince’s voice.

  “It costs coins to keep men in the field and many of the knights have yet to be paid.” He added, hurriedly, “They are loyal but they have families. Sir William here is lucky for he has lands which garner him money and means he can have men serving him who are the envy of the rest of us.”

  He was right of course but that was nothing to do with me. That was my wife and her skill as a manager of land, commerce and coin!

  Prince Henry said, “I hear what you are saying, Sir Thomas.” He turned to the clerk who always attended our meetings. “I will sell some of my jewels and plate, make a note of it. Others have given more to England than I have. Money and coin are nothing and England is all. See that it is so. There, Sir Thomas, you shall have the funds to prosecute this war and I will try, in my father’s absence, to ensure that more money is available. Parliament and London must provide!”

  Looking back, while Shrewsbury was the making of the warrior king he would become, Chester was the start of the creation of the perfect king and I was privileged to be at both.

  Flint was in royal hands but Rhuddlan, once again, had fallen to the Welsh. We headed there first and I impressed upon Sir Thomas the need for speed. We found horses for all of the archers and he placed Sir Richard de Lacey, a Shropshire knight, to command the levy. They would follow, on foot, our rapid ride down the Clwyd. The Prince’s wound still looked angry and hideous but John Bradmore’s salve seemed to work and the Prince acted as though he had never been wounded. With twenty Cheshire archers and Owen the Welshman, we raced down the Clwyd. Prince Henry took priests with us and at each farm and village we had the men swear allegiance to King Henry of England and to Henry of Monmouth, Prince of Wales. Some might call it draconian for those who did not so swear, on the Bible, we took with us after they were evicted from their lands and their property confiscated. We did not have to do this often for word spread and the illusion of freedom evaporated. The farmers were realists and knew that Glendower and Mortimer were more concerned with the heartland of Wales and the rich marches of the Gower than the northern mountains.

  We reached Rhuddlan Castle which was one of the many castles built by King Edward, Longshanks, the hammer of the Scots. It should never have fallen but then none of the others should have. Sir Thomas was keen to besiege it but I counselled against it for word had come to us that Beaumaris and Caernarfon were also now under siege. “We wait for the Shropshire levy and leave them to besiege Rhuddlan. If we can get to Caernarfon quickly then we can break their siege before it is begun.”

  Prince Henry asked, “And Beaumaris?”

  “Will have to wait, Prince Henry, for we have a sea to cross to relieve that one and if we have little enough money for men then we have none to spare for ships.”

  Once more my words were heeded and, two days later, we galloped towards the coast and hurried down the road to Caernarfon. Pausing only to pick up some more archers and knights from Conwy, we raced through increasingly autumnal weather to reach the siege lines at Caernarfon. That we reached there unseen was vital and we halted our small army five miles from their walls. I rode with four of my men at arms and my archers to spy out the defences. Prince Henry was loath to let me go but of all the knights and men we had, I was the one best qualified for this. Sir Wilfred could have done this but I had sent him home. Sir Roger would have been perfect but his body lay buried at Shrewsbury. I took my squires too but we did not wear plate nor even mail, we were scouts and had to move silently.

  I knew Caernarfon, not well but well enough for I had been there with King Richard. Attackers had to attack from the north and east for the river and the sea protected the other side. Nor were the Welsh particularly well endowed with siege weapons and knights. As we crept through a damp evening towards their siege lines, we saw their fires, spluttering in the rain. That we were unexpected was obvious by the lack of sentries facing the land. The twenty-one miles from Conwy might as well have been a hundred for the garrison at Conwy had been beleaguered and the land betwixt the castles surrendered to us immediately; the Welsh who lived there had expected no relief to come to Conwy Castle. Prince Henry was already anticipating how he would strengthen his hold on the land once Glendower was defeated.

  I had taken Abelard and Harry because they needed to know how to do this. It was not the normal work of knights but I knew its value. Red Ralph had taken me on such scouting expeditions many times and being a lonely scout held no fear for me. We managed to get within five hundred paces of the walls and the rain-soaked fires helped us to see their defences. I had not intended to take so many men but my men were mindful of the danger the scout might face and Owen insisted upon bringing all of my archers. Their bows were carried like staffs in their leather sheaths and their strings were under their hats but my men could string a bow so quickly that we would be protected. Wearing just our coifs and arming caps we moved down the line of the camps of the Welsh besiegers. The rain and the night meant that we were, to all intents and purposes, invisible. I moved easily for I knew that I was protected. The Welsh knights had a camp, as I had expected, away from the levy and the archers. King Henry and his knights would probably do the same. I also saw more than a sprinkling of men at arms. These were not nobles but they had the money to buy mail and plate. In addition, they had been trained to use their weapons well. They could not compare with my men at arms but then few could. We returned to our own camp an hour before dawn.

  Sir Thomas and the Prince were awake and waiting for us although the bulk of the army was still resting and sheltering from the rain. They looked at me expectantly. I said, “If we could go inside a tent, for although I am soaked being under shelter might make these old bones feel warmer.”

  “Of course.”

  Once inside I took off my cloak, coif and arming cap. “They outnumber us, not necessarily in knights but in all other aspects.” While Sir Thomas looked worried Prince Henry merely nodded. “However, we have arrived at the right time for they have not prepared ditches to prevent their camp from being attacked. It may well be they are overconfident or, perhaps, that they have not yet had time to do so. I propose that we use our archers to rain death upon their lines while the mounted men at arms and knights attack the camp of their knights. It is close by the coast and the only place they have to retreat is through their own lines
or across the River Seiont.”

  Prince Henry nodded, “And when do we attack?”

  “Late afternoon for Snowdon and the mountains make the east darker and the arrows flying through the air will be harder to see. They will have been busy all day either building war machines or fighting and they will not expect an attack.”

  Sir Thomas said, “On horseback? But at Shrewsbury, we fought on foot.”

  I nodded, “For that suited the battlefield but here we use our strongest weapon, horsemen.”

  Prince Henry was in support and when he said, “It is good!” then it was decided.

  I was unsure what Sir Roger had taught Abelard and so Harry and I spent some time explaining how the two of them would ride behind the last knight with a spare spear in case I needed it and to watch in case I was unhorsed. If I was then the nearest to me would give me their horse. I did not think it would come to that but it was important that he knew his role and what he had to do. I always preferred a spear to a lance. For one thing, they were easier for squires to carry and for another, I found them more effective for they were slightly shorter and I could aim the broader, sharper steel head more accurately. Now that most enemies wore plate it was harder to make a telling blow with a lance. My spearhead, like all the spears I used, was tapered and had a narrow point and then broadened out to tear terrible wounds. It could find narrow gaps in the plate and could even break mail. Not everyone could use such a weapon but I had grown up as a boy in a Free Company and I had to make do with whatever I had to hand. I had learned with the tapered spear and I had stuck with it.

  Owen led the archers off first. When we had scouted, we had seen a line of trees which, in addition to the town of Caernarfon, could be used to mask our approach. My men at arms went with them and would fight on foot although they would have their horses with them. and he would order Will of Corby to sound three blasts on the horn when the first flight of arrows was released. The young Earl of Arundel had questioned my use of the horn as he thought it would alert the Welsh. I was keenly aware that I was training the young noble and so I patiently explained my thinking to him.

  “The arrows will be in the air when the horn is sounded. True the Welsh will know that an attack is imminent but they will not know from whence it comes. Some men will look up for it is in their nature to do so and plunging arrows are deadly. More importantly, although the Welsh attacking the walls will be wearing mail and helmets, those toiling behind will not and the Prince will attest to the efficacy of an arrow which is released at flesh uncovered by plate. Their uncertainty will allow us to get closer to them. We will be charging, Sir Thomas, from less than four hundred paces range. We have chosen the side closest to the straits to attack for there the ground is flat and is perfect for horses. It is why we spent so long scouting. If the two of you take one thing from this then it should be that scouting is never wasted!”

  We moved into position not long after noon. The ground was wet but the overnight rain had stopped and a chill wind blew from the north. It was a lazy wind for it did not go around you but came straight through you! I trusted my men and that came as a surprise to some of the other knights but I knew that they would make the correct decisions. The first flight of arrows would be released when the light was the best. The rain might have stopped but there were still dark scudding clouds which threatened more. Snowdon meant that the rain would fall there and not on the battlefield but it made the afternoon darker and that would suit us.

  I rode next to the Prince and Sir Thomas was on the other side of him. We were both aware of our role. We were there to protect him. As the Northumbrian brigands had shown he was a target for his father’s enemies. King Henry had other sons but Prince Henry was the hope of England and our enemies knew it. I had tried to persuade him to ride in the second rank but he would have none of it. That was his way. Had the Welsh set watchers they would have seen us as we arrayed as we were colourfully dressed. I think I was least decorated of all the riders. Prince Henry not only attracted attention by virtue of his tunic which showed the livery of France and England but also by his standard which Sir Richard Fulk carried behind him. The swan banner was unique and marked the Prince’s position better than any crown!

  I was watching to the left and saw the arrows rise in the air before I heard the horn. Consequently, I spurred Hawk a heartbeat before the rest who listened for the notes. It meant that I was slightly ahead of the Prince and the earl. It was a position I would not relinquish for Hawk was a powerful warhorse. I heard horns in the Welsh camp and saw knights who had been at the walls shouting for their horses. That was a mistake for it took time to saddle a horse and they should have been ready to fight us on foot. That alone told me that my strategy had worked. We could ignore the battle of the archers for if we won, as I expected we would, the battle of the horses then we could roll the rest up.

  I had my spear resting easily on my cantle and I had a shield attached to my left arm so that I did not have to hold the shield. I could have relied on my plate but I had been brought up using a shield and I was more comfortable with one. The Welsh servants and those who had been in the outer camps fled before the thundering hooves of our horses. It did not do to try to stand in front of a horse. It will not deliberately stamp a man but there were so many horses charging them that injury or death were both certainties. The fleeing men impaired the knights and squires as they quickly donned helmets and grabbed pole weapons. I heard their horses neighing and complaining as men tried to saddle them. I had not lost the early lead and was ahead of Prince Henry and the earl. I saw a knight with a green surcoat with a rearing gryphon. He had a pike held in two hands. I would aim for him. The pike was a deadly weapon to use against horsemen as the point could skewer the rider and the razor-sharp blade could hurt a horse. I pulled back my arm and then spurred Hawk. I had been doing this for more than thirty years and knew that timing was everything. The sudden burst of speed threw off the swinging pike of the Welsh knight and as I stood in my stirrups and rammed down my spear towards his open, screaming mouth I saw that, if it hit at all, the pike would strike my left arm and there the shield would bear the brunt of the blow. The pike never reached me for the spearhead entered his mouth and drove down towards his spine. The speed and power of Hawk, aided by my mighty right arm, lifted the knight from his feet and drove him backwards. As I lowered the spear his body slid from my spearhead and hit a second knight who was thrown to the ground. As fate decided it, he fell beneath Hawk’s hooves. It would have been a quick death.

  And then we were through their first line of knights. We were amongst little parcels of men who ran bravely to stem the tide of metal and horseflesh which swept over them. I speared, in the shoulder, a grey-bearded knight who was just too slow to bring up his shield. He had a coif over his shoulders and the tapered spear tore through the mail and found the gap between his armour. Prince Henry had an extra round plate called a besagew there to prevent such a blow. This older knight did not and he fell. Now that we had broken through, I was able to glance around and saw that Prince Henry had not only survived he still had his bloody spear. Sir Thomas too had been victorious. It was then that the Welsh knights who were left broke. Their horses had been saddled and they mounted but, seeing that we outnumbered them, they turned to head for the bridge and the river.

  Raising my spear, I shouted, “Wheel left!”

  Had they all been my men then the order would have been obeyed instantly but I was commanding young knights who had the blood in their heads and some pursued the knights rather than doing as I commanded and attacking the men at arms and archers. It did not cost us the battle but men escaped and they would fight us again.

  It became much easier as we speared men who were not wearing plate and whose training and weapons were inferior to ours. I led almost two-thirds of the knights and mounted men at arms who had first charged and it proved enough. We passed the bodies of those who had fallen to our arrows and saw that Owen the Welshman and the bowmen of England
had managed to hit more than forty Welsh archers. That was a more severe blow to Glendower’s cause than all of the knights we had slain and captured. I called a halt to the pursuit as soon as it became clear that their resistance had ended.

  By the time we returned to the Welsh camp and the castle the archers had surrounded the survivors and prisoners were being gathered. Some would be ransomed while others, perhaps too poor to be worth a ransom would be kept as hostages in Caernarfon. The Prince was pleased with most of the knights but he berated the ones who had not obeyed my command. Some were young knights brought by Sir Thomas and one of them, Sir Gilbert de Boise, pointed a finger at me and said, “He is just a baron! I obey my earl and my prince.”

  The Prince was going to speak but I was in the face of the young and arrogant knight in two steps. I physically picked him up in two hands by his mail and I held him close to me, “Speak to me with respect, boy, or I will teach you lessons with my sword!” I threw him to the ground.

  He began to draw his sword but Owen and four of my archers had returned with us and their arrows were nocked and aimed at the knight. Owen said, “Reach for your sword, my lord, and you will die!”

  There was an air of tension which could be cut with a knife. The Prince smiled and said, “Sir Thomas, if I were you, I would have your young knights learn from this. When Sir William speaks it is as though it is my orders and he may be only a baron but he has the confidence of kings and princes behind him.”

  Sir Thomas nodded and said to Owen, “I ask you to move your bows aside for my cousin is young and foolish. I will deal with him. Sir William, I apologise. Today was a great victory and was yours. The Prince is right to be unhappy with some of the knights. I hope that they can learn before we go to war again!” It was a crucial moment for Sir Thomas was seen to be behind me and I had no further dissension from any knight.