3-057-210 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Siege scene, c1415. Bows and arrows and crossbows are used by both sides. The defenders throw rocks at the attackers. The image illustrates the campaign undertaken by King Phillip Augustus of France and Prince Richard Plantagenet (the future Richard I of England) against the latter's father, Henry II of England, in the Summer of 1189, which resulted in the capture of Tours and Le Mans. The attacking figures clearly represent the armies of France, since their banner bears the symbol of the Fleur-de-lis, but it is not clear whether the image shows Tours or Le Mans. From a different perspective, the picture illustrates a siege scene typical of circa 1410-1420, when the manuscript itself was actually made, with the soldiers equipped with arms and armour with which Henry V would have been familiar. There is even a small bombard, or cannon, mounted on a frame in the foreground at bottom left - even though such devices were entirely unknown during the 12th century, when the event took place.