Page "Falstaff" Paragraph 26

The new name " Falstaff " probably derived from the medieval knight Sir John Fastolf ( who was also a Lollard ).

The historical John Fastolf fought at the Battle of Patay against Joan of Arc, which the English lost.

Fastolf's previous actions as a soldier had earned him wide respect, but he seems to have become a scapegoat after the debacle.

He was among the few English military leaders to avoid death or capture during the battle, and although there is no evidence that he acted with cowardice, he was temporarily stripped of his knighthood.

Fastolf appears in Henry VI, Part I in which he is portrayed as an abject coward.

In the First Folio his name is spelled " Falstaffe ", so Shakespeare may have directly appropriated the spelling of the name he used in the earlier play.