Agincourt Carol

Album: various (1415)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Also known as the "Agincourt Hymn" or "Agincourt Song," this song in 3/4 time was written in Olde Englishe, and celebrates the victory of Henry V over the French at the Battle of Agincourt which took place on October 25, 1415. As the historian David Starkey pointed out in his 2013 BBC Television documentary series Music And Monarchy, at that time, carols were not specifically and only Christmas songs but were written to celebrate secular events, including military ones.

    When Henry turned up at the French port of Harfleur he took not simply his army but an entire choir with him. His victory at Agincourt is legendary because his smaller army of English and Welshmen cut down the superior force with their longbows.
  • Although the authorship of the "Agincourt Carol" is not known, it was almost certainly commissioned by Henry V himself shortly after his historic victory. The main indicators of this are the wealth of accurate detail and its clearly heroic portrayal of the monarch. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments: 1

  • Dee from Sw MissouriLovely song, nice history - but it would have been written in Middle English, roughly similar to that of Chaucer, rather than Old English, which was spoken from roughly AD 400 to AD 900, give or take a century. Early Modern English is that of the 16th century, i.e. the King James Bible and Shakespeare. Old English sounds more like German to our modern ears than this carol, which is partly intelligible.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Charles Fox

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.