It is my birthday tomorrow and also the 600th Anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. Once I found out that I shared a birthday with this battle, I had a bit more interest in it than I may have otherwise had.
I’ve always had an interest in history and I think that if I could go back in time and speak to younger Stew, that I would tell him to study History at university. I love castles. I love stories. I love the whole kings and queens and battles for territories and beheadings, even though I am a republican and a pacifist.
I guess these stories are magical because they tell of a different time. They tell of a world so completely different to ours in how it is run and the rules of society. It is difficult to see the similarities, yet at the same time, important to understand that there are lessons to be learned.
I was lent a great book on Agincourt earlier this year, Juliet Barker’s Agincourt: The King, The Campaign, The Battle. I learned a lot. Mostly I learned that I didn’t know much about that period of history at all. I got quite engrossed in the book and it encouraged me to want to read up more about history in the future, especially as I currently have a lot of time to read on the train.
I think that Agincourt was pretty neat because the archers got to play a big part in the battle due to the way it played out. Archers are cool. The whole idea I think is much cooler than a knight wading into battle on a horse with a sword which just seems a bit too bombastic for my liking. An archer just loiters at the back, picking people off without really having to get their hands messy. More about my love for archery another time, perhaps.
I found it really enjoyable reading the book and getting all the details about the build up and the political situation at the time. The list below shows other things that happened on my birthday. I think I’m going to read up on the Charge of the Light Brigade for next year. If anyone has any recommendations of good books, let me know!
Other things that have happened on my birthday (at least according to the internet):
1854: The Charge of the Light Brigade
1881: Picasso is born
1917: The October Revolution (depending on which calendar you adhere to)
1935: Clement Atlee becomes leader of the Labour Party
1979 (The Year I was born): Video Killed The Radio Star is number 1.
1979: Eddie Argos of Art Brut is born
1990: I score a hat trick in a 6-5 victory over All Souls Primary School
2004: Castro bans the dollar in Cuba