“Then a great misfortune befell them”: the laws of war on surrender and the killing of prisoners on the battlefield in the Hundred Years War
“Then a great misfortune befell them”: the laws of war on surrender and the killing of prisoners on the battlefield in the Hundred Years War
The Battle of Agincourt has been seen as glorious feat of arms for the English, and for Henry V in particular. However, for many historians, Henry’s conduct was marred by his order for the killing of French prisoners, which has been characterised by some as a war crime. This paper examines how common were such massacres of prisoners, and whether such attitudes were shared by contemporaries. It has usually been considered that the ethics of chivalry and the laws of war forbade the deliberate killing of prisoners; how then could such conduct be justified?
106-117
King, Andy
e25571c8-c35e-448e-b7fe-308adef688e6
2017
King, Andy
e25571c8-c35e-448e-b7fe-308adef688e6
King, Andy
(2017)
“Then a great misfortune befell them”: the laws of war on surrender and the killing of prisoners on the battlefield in the Hundred Years War.
Journal of Medieval History, 43 (1), .
(doi:10.1080/03044181.2016.1236502).
Abstract
The Battle of Agincourt has been seen as glorious feat of arms for the English, and for Henry V in particular. However, for many historians, Henry’s conduct was marred by his order for the killing of French prisoners, which has been characterised by some as a war crime. This paper examines how common were such massacres of prisoners, and whether such attitudes were shared by contemporaries. It has usually been considered that the ethics of chivalry and the laws of war forbade the deliberate killing of prisoners; how then could such conduct be justified?
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Then a Great Misfortune Befell Them 6 (submitted).doc
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Accepted/In Press date: 28 March 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 4 October 2016
Published date: 2017
Organisations:
History
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Local EPrints ID: 393397
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/393397
ISSN: 0304-4181
PURE UUID: 168abb2a-421f-48cc-80d1-50f109b5c4a3
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Date deposited: 26 Apr 2016 14:06
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:31
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