Classic campaign:
The battle of Verneuil
A classic campaign that saw a clash of armour and new developments revealed was at Verneuil in northern France during the closing phase of the Hundred Years War.
The French campaign
In 1422, Henry V died and his nine-month-old son became king of England as Henry VI. As various regencies took control of different areas of responsibility, John, duke of Bedford, the dead monarch's brother, became 'protector and defender' of the kingdom. He immediately took charge of the French campaign, successfully securing north-west France.
At this time, the French army under Charles VII contained a strong Scottish contingent and, like most armies of the day, a selection of mercenaries, too. In 1424, John Stewart, the earl of Buchan, led a French force to fight Bedford, whose army was at Ivery, north of Verneuil.
Arrow-proof
The French pulled back to Verneuil where they were joined by reinforcements, including 2,000 Italian cavalry. These knights and their horses were encased in the latest hardened full-plate 'arrow-proof' armour, which would be seeing battle for the first time.
Facing a French force now totalling some 16,000 men, the English held their ground with half as many. The French instigated the action with a full frontal assault: the heavily armoured Italian cavalry charged against the English frontline archers. As the latter's arrow storms fell, they failed to stop the thundering advance, and the archers' line was ultimately smashed by this new phenomenon of heavy cavalry. The almost impregnable Italians raced through the English force and set to looting the baggage train.
Summer heat
The English were in disarray until Bedford rallied his troops to fight for their honour. Bitter hand-to-hand fighting ensued as knights from both sides, probably supported by teams of more lightly armoured men, viciously clashed.
It is easy to assume that, in the summer heat, the knights would have fought in relays, relieved by successive waves, only to return again and again. An anonymous eye-witness account states that 'the blood of the dead spread across the ground. The knights fought with all their might and nobody could tell who was winning.'
Struggle for survival
The French gradually found themselves pushed back and pinned against the deep ditch defences of Verneuil, fighting an increasingly violent struggle for survival. The triumphant Italians returned from their looting spree to find the French army broken and crushed, the battle lost. Amid the carnage lay the dead earl of Buchan.
Bedford later witnessed Henry VI crowned king of both England and France. The clash of arms would certainly be heard again, but for now, the English were at the height of their influence, and even heavy armour couldn't prevent their victory.
