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Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt (wiki) in 1415, when the English under King Henry V defeated the French on St. Crispin's Day (25 October) of that year. Henry (1387-1422) followed his father King Henry IV to the throne in 1413 and two years later announced his claim to the French throne and rekindled the Hundred Years War by invading Normandy. This is also the anniversary of the "the charge of the Light Brigade" (wiki) at the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854. Although of relatively little importance in the larger context of the Crimean War,...

October 25 is fraught with anniversaries. It marks a turning point in European history that was to later provide one of the greatest speeches ever to emerge from the English language and that has inspired millions for over 400 years. We are speaking here, of course, of the Battle of Agincourt that was fought on the feast of St. Crispin's Day in 1415 when young King Henry V and his army defeated the French army under the command of Constable d’Albret and his 100,000 men