mmortalized in 1599 by William
Shakespeare in Henry V, the Battle
of Agincourt proved to be the undoing of the
French hero Boucicaut. On October 25, 1415 (St.
Crispin’s Day), the French suffered a crushing
defeat at the hands of the English. Together with
army commander Charles d’Albret, Boucicaut
was one of the leaders of the French side, but he
could do little to prevent the loss: There was
dissonance in the French chain of command
caused by conflict between the Dukes of Orleans
and Burgundy. Boucicaut suffered the ravages of
defeat firsthand: He was captured by the enemy
and taken to England where he was imprisoned
in Yorkshire. The French knight died there six
years later.KNIGHT’S PRAYER
French knight and
military leader
Boucicaut prays with
his wife in this 15th-
century miniature.
Musée Jacquemart-
André, Paris
AGENCE BULLOZ/RMN-GRAND PALAIS