archers and fingers

[jsrechts@imap.unc.edu]

Poster: jsrechts@imap.unc.edu


One of the Rutlands posted the story about the French knights
threatening to
cut the fingers off of the Agincourt archers.  I've seen this story
before in
a number of books on medieval history but I have a hard time believing
it is nothing
more than legend.  There is the medieval custom that a dead noble is
worth as much as a dead peasant
which is nothing.  Meaning that those who weren't rich like the knights
and other
assorted baronage and men-at-arms wearing expensive armor weren't
ransomed or captured-
they were killed.  Likewise, woe to the lowly soldier who captured a
noble and tried
to hold him for ransom in order to get some cash.  The knights would
have taken that honor away from that person
who had no right to hold capture a knight.  Those who stepped over that
line had a 
decent chance of being executed.

Perhaps the French knights toyed around with the notion of mutilating
the archers 
before killing them?   That might make more sense.

Lyanna

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