11
11
0
On April 9, 1413, Henry V was crowned King of England. From the article:
"Henry V
One of the most renowned kings in English history, Henry V (1387-1422) led two successful invasions of France, cheering his outnumbered troops to victory at the 1415 Battle of Agincourt and eventually securing full control of the French throne. His portrayal in three of Shakespeare’s histories made him a paragon of English spirit and chivalry—though his wartime actions reveal a more ruthless approach.
Henry V: The Warrior-Prince
Henry was born in August of 1386 (or 1387) at Monmouth Castle on the Welsh border. His father, Henry of Bolingbroke, deposed his cousin Richard II in 1399. With Henry IV’s ascension, the younger Henry became Prince of Wales and spent eight years leading armies against the rebellious Welsh ruler Owain Glyndwr. In 1403 Henry fought alongside his father against their former ally Henry “Hotspur” Percy in the Battle of Shrewsbury. During the battle, the younger Henry was hit in the face with an arrow but was saved by the daring surgical removal of the arrowhead.
Stories of the rakish young “Prince Hal” (expanded upon in Shakespeare’s “Henry IV”) are difficult to prove, though there may have been father-son tensions during the last years of Henry IV’s reign.
Henry V: A Pious King Prepares for War
Henry IV died in 1413, and the 26-year-old prince took the throne as Henry V. Conspiracies soon arose among his onetime friends to unseat him in favor of Richard II’s heir Edmund Mortimer. In 1415 Henry executed Lord Scrope and the earl of Cambridge, the leading plotters, and defeated a rebellion led by his old associate John Oldcastle (the model for Shakespeare’s Falstaff).
Meanwhile, Henry was making demands of France—first for the return of Aquitaine to England in fulfillment of a 1360 treaty, then for a 2-million-crown payment, then for the king’s daughter Catherine’s hand in marriage. In 1415 Henry gathered his army and sailed for France.
Henry V: The Battle of Agincourt
Henry abandoned plans to attack Paris after the victorious but costly siege of Harfleur, in which one-third of his army died of dysentery. On October 25, 1415—the feast day of St. Crispin—Henry’s army defeated a much larger French force at Agincourt. Henry’s army of about 6,000 battled up to 30,000 French soldiers, who were forced by the terrain to advance in narrow formations that made them easy targets for Henry’s archers. The French advance was impeded by mud and their own mounting dead. All the while, Henry kept control of the battle, encouraging his troops and fighting hand-to-hand.
After the English took so many prisoners that Henry worried they might overpower their guards, he violated the rule of war by ordering their immediate execution. All told, the French lost as many as 7,000, while the English dead numbered at most a few hundred. Though not militarily decisive, the victory at Agincourt won Henry important allies and gained him a hero’s welcome on his return to England.
Henry V: Second French Campaign, Marriage, Death
In 1417 Henry attacked France again, capturing Caen and Normandy and taking Rouen after a six-month siege in which he refused to aid 12,000 expelled residents left to starve between the city walls and the English lines. In 1420 the French king Charles VI sued for peace. The Treaty of Troyes placed Henry in control of France for the remainder of Charles VI’s life and promised that the English line would succeed to the French throne. Henry married Charles’ daughter Catherine. The royal couple arrived in England in 1421, and their only son, the future Henry VI, was born soon after.
Henry returned to France to deal with territories allied with the disinherited dauphin, the future Charles VII. In May of 1422 Henry won his last victory in the Siege of Meaux. He died on August 31, 1422, of battlefield dysentery.
Henry V: Legacy
Henry VI was less than a year old when he took the English and French thrones. By the time he was deposed in 1461, he had lost most of the French territories his father had won and England was riven by the War of the Roses.
In 1599 Shakespeare wrote his “Henry V,” including the St. Crispin’s Day “band of brothers” speech by which the eponymous king is most frequently remembered."
COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen F. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SPC Woody Bullard 1SG Steven Imerman merman SFC William Farrell Lt Col Charlie Brown Col Carl Whicker SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Geoffrey Vannerson MSG Felipe De Leon Brown SGT Charlie Lee Maj William W. 'Bill' Price PO1 H Gene Lawrence SGT John " Mac " McConnell LTC Wayne Brandon PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SPC Douglas Bolton PVT Mark Zehner
"Henry V
One of the most renowned kings in English history, Henry V (1387-1422) led two successful invasions of France, cheering his outnumbered troops to victory at the 1415 Battle of Agincourt and eventually securing full control of the French throne. His portrayal in three of Shakespeare’s histories made him a paragon of English spirit and chivalry—though his wartime actions reveal a more ruthless approach.
Henry V: The Warrior-Prince
Henry was born in August of 1386 (or 1387) at Monmouth Castle on the Welsh border. His father, Henry of Bolingbroke, deposed his cousin Richard II in 1399. With Henry IV’s ascension, the younger Henry became Prince of Wales and spent eight years leading armies against the rebellious Welsh ruler Owain Glyndwr. In 1403 Henry fought alongside his father against their former ally Henry “Hotspur” Percy in the Battle of Shrewsbury. During the battle, the younger Henry was hit in the face with an arrow but was saved by the daring surgical removal of the arrowhead.
Stories of the rakish young “Prince Hal” (expanded upon in Shakespeare’s “Henry IV”) are difficult to prove, though there may have been father-son tensions during the last years of Henry IV’s reign.
Henry V: A Pious King Prepares for War
Henry IV died in 1413, and the 26-year-old prince took the throne as Henry V. Conspiracies soon arose among his onetime friends to unseat him in favor of Richard II’s heir Edmund Mortimer. In 1415 Henry executed Lord Scrope and the earl of Cambridge, the leading plotters, and defeated a rebellion led by his old associate John Oldcastle (the model for Shakespeare’s Falstaff).
Meanwhile, Henry was making demands of France—first for the return of Aquitaine to England in fulfillment of a 1360 treaty, then for a 2-million-crown payment, then for the king’s daughter Catherine’s hand in marriage. In 1415 Henry gathered his army and sailed for France.
Henry V: The Battle of Agincourt
Henry abandoned plans to attack Paris after the victorious but costly siege of Harfleur, in which one-third of his army died of dysentery. On October 25, 1415—the feast day of St. Crispin—Henry’s army defeated a much larger French force at Agincourt. Henry’s army of about 6,000 battled up to 30,000 French soldiers, who were forced by the terrain to advance in narrow formations that made them easy targets for Henry’s archers. The French advance was impeded by mud and their own mounting dead. All the while, Henry kept control of the battle, encouraging his troops and fighting hand-to-hand.
After the English took so many prisoners that Henry worried they might overpower their guards, he violated the rule of war by ordering their immediate execution. All told, the French lost as many as 7,000, while the English dead numbered at most a few hundred. Though not militarily decisive, the victory at Agincourt won Henry important allies and gained him a hero’s welcome on his return to England.
Henry V: Second French Campaign, Marriage, Death
In 1417 Henry attacked France again, capturing Caen and Normandy and taking Rouen after a six-month siege in which he refused to aid 12,000 expelled residents left to starve between the city walls and the English lines. In 1420 the French king Charles VI sued for peace. The Treaty of Troyes placed Henry in control of France for the remainder of Charles VI’s life and promised that the English line would succeed to the French throne. Henry married Charles’ daughter Catherine. The royal couple arrived in England in 1421, and their only son, the future Henry VI, was born soon after.
Henry returned to France to deal with territories allied with the disinherited dauphin, the future Charles VII. In May of 1422 Henry won his last victory in the Siege of Meaux. He died on August 31, 1422, of battlefield dysentery.
Henry V: Legacy
Henry VI was less than a year old when he took the English and French thrones. By the time he was deposed in 1461, he had lost most of the French territories his father had won and England was riven by the War of the Roses.
In 1599 Shakespeare wrote his “Henry V,” including the St. Crispin’s Day “band of brothers” speech by which the eponymous king is most frequently remembered."
COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen F. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SPC Woody Bullard 1SG Steven Imerman merman SFC William Farrell Lt Col Charlie Brown Col Carl Whicker SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Geoffrey Vannerson MSG Felipe De Leon Brown SGT Charlie Lee Maj William W. 'Bill' Price PO1 H Gene Lawrence SGT John " Mac " McConnell LTC Wayne Brandon PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SPC Douglas Bolton PVT Mark Zehner
Henry V
Posted from history.com
World History
Military History
Warfare
Combat
Monarchy
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
9
9
0
Henry V Biography - The life of Henry V Documentary
For early access to our videos, discounted merch and many other exclusive perks please support us via Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/thepeopleprofiles, Buy ...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on April 9, 1413 Henry V was crowned King of England.
Henry V Biography - The life of Henry V Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNjH-old6dY
Images:
1. April 9, 1413 Henry 5 coronation at Westminster Abbey, London [cropped]
2. Henry V married Catherine de Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France, at Troyes on 2 June 1420. Her coronation was held on Sunday, 23 February 1421 at Westminster Abbey
3. April 9, 1413 coronation of King Henry V at Westminster Abbey, London
4. King Henry V by Unknown artist, oil on panel, late 16th or early 17th century.
Background from {[http://kingscoronation.com/coronation-henry-v/]}
Coronation of Henry V
Henry V was the son of 20-year-old Henry of Bolingbroke (later Henry IV of England), and 16-year-old Mary de Bohun, grandson of the influential John of Gaunt and great-grandson of Edward III of England. The young Henry was knighted by his cousin, Richard II, during Richards Irish campaign. He was created prince of Wales at his father’s coronation in 1399. He was further given his grandfather, John of Gaunt’s title of Duke of Lancaster in November 1399.
After Henry IV died on 20 March 1413, Henry V succeeded him and was crowned on 9 April 1413 at Westminster Abbey, London, Kingdom of England. Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the ceremony, the same archbishop who had crowned the king’s father in 1399. At the time of the coronation there was a terrible snowstorm that swept across the country and the common people were undecided as to whether it was a good or bad omen. Some took it to be a sign of impending austerity, but others, saw it as a positive sign, the cold and snow would bring an end to difficult times and usher in a new era of hope and prosperity. To them this was the beginning of a spring.
Not a great deal is recorded of the coronation. It probably kept tradition. King Henry V arrived in London two days before the coronation on April 7th. He was met by a number of lords and knights as well as clergy and citizens in procession. Henry took up residence at the Tower. There he was met by fifty or so candidates for knighthood who waited upon him at table at a feast that evening. The next day they attended Mass, after which they rode in splendid array to the royal lodgings. Here they waited upon the King who dubbed them and as Knights of the Bath. The knights escorted Henry V through the city that day to Westminster in readiness for the coronation. There Henry V was received in procession and escorted to his palace to prepare in prayer for his anointing.
Henry’s relatively short procession from the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey was slow, as the attendants had to regularly stop to shake snow from the silken canopy they were holding over their new king’s head.
It is believed that the oil used to anoint the King was the same as that which had been used for his father. It was considered to have been delivered by the Virgin Mary to St Thomas Becket and carried back in its ampulla by Edward Prince of Wales, and treasured by his son King Richard II.
Apparently King Henry V dropped something on the floor during the coronation, and both he and those who were present had to search carefully to find it before it could be offered up.
The Coronation was held on Passion Sunday, so the banquet afterwards held in Westminster Hall was with a Lenten fare. All the dishes were of fish rather than meat.
He married Catherine de Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France, at Troyes on 2 June 1420. Her coronation was held on Sunday, 23 February 1421 at Westminster Abbey. Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury conducted her ceremony. Three months later, Henry returned to France to continue his military campaigns.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Denny Espinosa SSG Stephen Rogerson SPC Matthew Lamb LTC (Join to see)MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. PO2 (Join to see) SSG Franklin Briant SPC Woody Bullard TSgt David L. SMSgt David A Asbury SPC Michael Terrell SFC Chuck Martinez CSM Charles HaydenSPC Michael Oles SR SFC William Farrell SSG Bill McCoy
Henry V Biography - The life of Henry V Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNjH-old6dY
Images:
1. April 9, 1413 Henry 5 coronation at Westminster Abbey, London [cropped]
2. Henry V married Catherine de Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France, at Troyes on 2 June 1420. Her coronation was held on Sunday, 23 February 1421 at Westminster Abbey
3. April 9, 1413 coronation of King Henry V at Westminster Abbey, London
4. King Henry V by Unknown artist, oil on panel, late 16th or early 17th century.
Background from {[http://kingscoronation.com/coronation-henry-v/]}
Coronation of Henry V
Henry V was the son of 20-year-old Henry of Bolingbroke (later Henry IV of England), and 16-year-old Mary de Bohun, grandson of the influential John of Gaunt and great-grandson of Edward III of England. The young Henry was knighted by his cousin, Richard II, during Richards Irish campaign. He was created prince of Wales at his father’s coronation in 1399. He was further given his grandfather, John of Gaunt’s title of Duke of Lancaster in November 1399.
After Henry IV died on 20 March 1413, Henry V succeeded him and was crowned on 9 April 1413 at Westminster Abbey, London, Kingdom of England. Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury conducted the ceremony, the same archbishop who had crowned the king’s father in 1399. At the time of the coronation there was a terrible snowstorm that swept across the country and the common people were undecided as to whether it was a good or bad omen. Some took it to be a sign of impending austerity, but others, saw it as a positive sign, the cold and snow would bring an end to difficult times and usher in a new era of hope and prosperity. To them this was the beginning of a spring.
Not a great deal is recorded of the coronation. It probably kept tradition. King Henry V arrived in London two days before the coronation on April 7th. He was met by a number of lords and knights as well as clergy and citizens in procession. Henry took up residence at the Tower. There he was met by fifty or so candidates for knighthood who waited upon him at table at a feast that evening. The next day they attended Mass, after which they rode in splendid array to the royal lodgings. Here they waited upon the King who dubbed them and as Knights of the Bath. The knights escorted Henry V through the city that day to Westminster in readiness for the coronation. There Henry V was received in procession and escorted to his palace to prepare in prayer for his anointing.
Henry’s relatively short procession from the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey was slow, as the attendants had to regularly stop to shake snow from the silken canopy they were holding over their new king’s head.
It is believed that the oil used to anoint the King was the same as that which had been used for his father. It was considered to have been delivered by the Virgin Mary to St Thomas Becket and carried back in its ampulla by Edward Prince of Wales, and treasured by his son King Richard II.
Apparently King Henry V dropped something on the floor during the coronation, and both he and those who were present had to search carefully to find it before it could be offered up.
The Coronation was held on Passion Sunday, so the banquet afterwards held in Westminster Hall was with a Lenten fare. All the dishes were of fish rather than meat.
He married Catherine de Valois, daughter of Charles VI of France, at Troyes on 2 June 1420. Her coronation was held on Sunday, 23 February 1421 at Westminster Abbey. Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury conducted her ceremony. Three months later, Henry returned to France to continue his military campaigns.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Denny Espinosa SSG Stephen Rogerson SPC Matthew Lamb LTC (Join to see)MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. PO2 (Join to see) SSG Franklin Briant SPC Woody Bullard TSgt David L. SMSgt David A Asbury SPC Michael Terrell SFC Chuck Martinez CSM Charles HaydenSPC Michael Oles SR SFC William Farrell SSG Bill McCoy
(9)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
Great British Commanders: Henry V
Major Gordon Corrigan presents a profile of King Henry V, whose victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 was the pinnacle of a military car...
Great British Commanders: Henry V
Major Gordon Corrigan presents a profile of King Henry V, whose victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 was the pinnacle of a military career that began when he was just 16. In the clash British troops were outnumbered five to one, but devastated the enemy thanks to their superior training and the King's ruthless tactics.
The key to Henry's success as a military commander was that he put the English army on a professional footing. He defeated the Welsh and then the French, despite being totally outnumbered. He was the first English monarch who really understood how an army works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8O0tRjku94
Images:
1. 1403 young Henry narrowly escaped death when an arrow struck him in the head. Fortunately for him, the royal physician attended to his wounds over the next few days.
2. Henry V weds Catherine of Valois
3. King Henry V
4. Treaty of Troyes, 1420 CE by French National Archives
Background from {[https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Henry-V/]}
King Henry V
by Jessica Brain
King Henry V, warrior king, shining example of medieval kingship and a living legend.
He was born in September 1386 in Wales at Monmouth Castle, the son of the future Henry IV of England and his wife Mary de Bohun. His lineage was impressive with notable ancestors such as John of Gaunt and Edward III. His cousin Richard II was the presiding monarch at the time of his birth and would have a notable impact on the young Henry as he took him under his wing.
Unfortunately for Richard, his reign was about to come to an abrupt end. His time as king had been plagued with difficulties including ongoing conflict with France, the Peasants’ Revolt and issues on the border with Scotland. In 1399 John of Gaunt, Richard II’s uncle who was also young Henry’s grandfather, passed away. In the meantime, Henry’s father known as Henry of Bolingbroke who had been living in exile, led an invasion in June that quickly escalated into a full-scale claim for the throne.
Henry of Bolingbroke found little difficulty in executing his mission; in no time at all, Richard found himself deposed, usurped by Henry who pronounced himself King Henry IV, leaving Richard to die in prison a year later. In this series of events, young Henry was now set to become heir to the throne of England. In November the same year, as his father’s coronation took place, Henry became known as Prince of Wales, a prominent and famous title that he would hold until his succession to the throne.
His royal title and privileges were not without contention, as the Prince of Wales was forced to engage in battle when the rebellion by Owen Glyndwr in Wales revolted against the English crown for nine years, eventually concluding in an English victory.
His adolescence was markedly impacted by battles and conflicts which erupted during his youth. His military might was tested not only with the Welsh rebellion but when faced with the powerful Percy family from Northumberland at the Battle of Shrewsbury. In 1403 the battle was in full swing, a conflict designed to defend his father’s interests as king against a rebel army led by Henry “Harry Hotspur” Percy.
Whilst the battle ensued, young Henry narrowly escaped death when an arrow struck him in the head. Fortunately for him, the royal physician attended to his wounds over the next few days, operating on him and eventually pulling the arrow out with minimal damage (treatment he would not have received had he not been heir to the throne). The miraculous recovery left the sixteen-year-old prince with a scar on his face as a permanent reminder of his military escapades; nevertheless, his taste for military life was not diminished despite his near death experience.
Henry’s appetite for military engagement was equally matched by his desire to involve himself in government. By 1410, his father’s ailing health allowed him to gain temporary control of proceedings for around eighteen months, in which time he implemented his own ideas and policies. Inevitably, upon his father’s recovery, all measures were reversed and the prince was dismissed from council, falling out with his father as he did so.
In 1413 King Henry IV passed away and his son assumed the throne and was crowned king on 9th April 1413 at Westminster Abbey amid treacherous blizzard conditions. The new king, King Henry V was described as imposing in stature with dark hair and a ruddy complexion.
He began work straight away, dealing first with domestic issues which from the outset he addressed as a ruler of a united nation, making clear to put past differences aside. As part of this plan he introduced the formal use of English in all government proceedings.
His domestic policy was generally successful and deterred any serious treats to his throne, including that of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March. Whilst his domestic issues were dealt with, Henry V’s real threats and ambitions loomed from across the English Channel.
In 1415 Henry sailed to France, determined in his desire to lay claim to the French throne and regain lost lands from his ancestors. Strongly motivated as he was, he found himself embroiled in the Hundred Years’ War which had been escalating since 1337.
With much military experience under his belt, Henry made bold manoeuvres and won the siege at Harfleur, gaining the port in a strategic victory, an episode of history famously depicted in Shakespeare’s play ‘Henry V’. Unfortunately for him and his army, the English were struck down by dysentery long after the siege ended, leading to around one third of his men dying from the disease. This left Henry with greatly reduced numbers, forcing him to set out with his remaining men to Calais, hoping to evade the French as they made their way.
Unfortunately he had no such luck and was forced to engage in battle at Agincourt on 25th October 1415. It was the day of Saint Crispin, a feast day, when Henry led his diminished men against the imposing French army. The disparity in numbers was great, with the French estimated to have around 50,000 compared to England’s 5,000 men. The prospect of victory looked small for the English but Henry’s strategical experience was about to be their saving grace.
FYI SSG Paul HeadleeCPL Michael PeckSgt (Join to see)SPC Michael Terrell CPL Douglas ChryslerSP5 Geoffrey Vannerson SSG Michael Noll SSG William Jones Maj Marty Hogan SPC Michael Oles SRTSgt George RodriguezPO3 Charles Streich SGT (Join to see) SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SFC (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D SGT Steve McFarland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Major Gordon Corrigan presents a profile of King Henry V, whose victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 was the pinnacle of a military career that began when he was just 16. In the clash British troops were outnumbered five to one, but devastated the enemy thanks to their superior training and the King's ruthless tactics.
The key to Henry's success as a military commander was that he put the English army on a professional footing. He defeated the Welsh and then the French, despite being totally outnumbered. He was the first English monarch who really understood how an army works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8O0tRjku94
Images:
1. 1403 young Henry narrowly escaped death when an arrow struck him in the head. Fortunately for him, the royal physician attended to his wounds over the next few days.
2. Henry V weds Catherine of Valois
3. King Henry V
4. Treaty of Troyes, 1420 CE by French National Archives
Background from {[https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Henry-V/]}
King Henry V
by Jessica Brain
King Henry V, warrior king, shining example of medieval kingship and a living legend.
He was born in September 1386 in Wales at Monmouth Castle, the son of the future Henry IV of England and his wife Mary de Bohun. His lineage was impressive with notable ancestors such as John of Gaunt and Edward III. His cousin Richard II was the presiding monarch at the time of his birth and would have a notable impact on the young Henry as he took him under his wing.
Unfortunately for Richard, his reign was about to come to an abrupt end. His time as king had been plagued with difficulties including ongoing conflict with France, the Peasants’ Revolt and issues on the border with Scotland. In 1399 John of Gaunt, Richard II’s uncle who was also young Henry’s grandfather, passed away. In the meantime, Henry’s father known as Henry of Bolingbroke who had been living in exile, led an invasion in June that quickly escalated into a full-scale claim for the throne.
Henry of Bolingbroke found little difficulty in executing his mission; in no time at all, Richard found himself deposed, usurped by Henry who pronounced himself King Henry IV, leaving Richard to die in prison a year later. In this series of events, young Henry was now set to become heir to the throne of England. In November the same year, as his father’s coronation took place, Henry became known as Prince of Wales, a prominent and famous title that he would hold until his succession to the throne.
His royal title and privileges were not without contention, as the Prince of Wales was forced to engage in battle when the rebellion by Owen Glyndwr in Wales revolted against the English crown for nine years, eventually concluding in an English victory.
His adolescence was markedly impacted by battles and conflicts which erupted during his youth. His military might was tested not only with the Welsh rebellion but when faced with the powerful Percy family from Northumberland at the Battle of Shrewsbury. In 1403 the battle was in full swing, a conflict designed to defend his father’s interests as king against a rebel army led by Henry “Harry Hotspur” Percy.
Whilst the battle ensued, young Henry narrowly escaped death when an arrow struck him in the head. Fortunately for him, the royal physician attended to his wounds over the next few days, operating on him and eventually pulling the arrow out with minimal damage (treatment he would not have received had he not been heir to the throne). The miraculous recovery left the sixteen-year-old prince with a scar on his face as a permanent reminder of his military escapades; nevertheless, his taste for military life was not diminished despite his near death experience.
Henry’s appetite for military engagement was equally matched by his desire to involve himself in government. By 1410, his father’s ailing health allowed him to gain temporary control of proceedings for around eighteen months, in which time he implemented his own ideas and policies. Inevitably, upon his father’s recovery, all measures were reversed and the prince was dismissed from council, falling out with his father as he did so.
In 1413 King Henry IV passed away and his son assumed the throne and was crowned king on 9th April 1413 at Westminster Abbey amid treacherous blizzard conditions. The new king, King Henry V was described as imposing in stature with dark hair and a ruddy complexion.
He began work straight away, dealing first with domestic issues which from the outset he addressed as a ruler of a united nation, making clear to put past differences aside. As part of this plan he introduced the formal use of English in all government proceedings.
His domestic policy was generally successful and deterred any serious treats to his throne, including that of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March. Whilst his domestic issues were dealt with, Henry V’s real threats and ambitions loomed from across the English Channel.
In 1415 Henry sailed to France, determined in his desire to lay claim to the French throne and regain lost lands from his ancestors. Strongly motivated as he was, he found himself embroiled in the Hundred Years’ War which had been escalating since 1337.
With much military experience under his belt, Henry made bold manoeuvres and won the siege at Harfleur, gaining the port in a strategic victory, an episode of history famously depicted in Shakespeare’s play ‘Henry V’. Unfortunately for him and his army, the English were struck down by dysentery long after the siege ended, leading to around one third of his men dying from the disease. This left Henry with greatly reduced numbers, forcing him to set out with his remaining men to Calais, hoping to evade the French as they made their way.
Unfortunately he had no such luck and was forced to engage in battle at Agincourt on 25th October 1415. It was the day of Saint Crispin, a feast day, when Henry led his diminished men against the imposing French army. The disparity in numbers was great, with the French estimated to have around 50,000 compared to England’s 5,000 men. The prospect of victory looked small for the English but Henry’s strategical experience was about to be their saving grace.
FYI SSG Paul HeadleeCPL Michael PeckSgt (Join to see)SPC Michael Terrell CPL Douglas ChryslerSP5 Geoffrey Vannerson SSG Michael Noll SSG William Jones Maj Marty Hogan SPC Michael Oles SRTSgt George RodriguezPO3 Charles Streich SGT (Join to see) SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SFC (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D SGT Steve McFarland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
(3)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
LIVE: Henry V + Agincourt (feat: History Bro + Daughter of Albion)
OH MY LORD - So History Bro finally sorted out his tech issues and is going to come onto my channel and tell us all about one of the most famous battles in E...
LIVE: Henry V + Agincourt (feat: History Bro + Daughter of Albion)
https://youtu.be/6fVpiOXWKxA?t=947
Images:
1. King Henry V at Agincourt receives the French Herald
2. late-15th century AD illustration of the marriage of Henry V of England and Catherine of Valois. The couple married on 2 June 1420 CE in Troyes Cathedral.
3. The Battle of Agincourt - October 24, 1415 by Graham Turne
4. Battle of Caen, from a MS. Froissart of the fifteenth century'
Background from {[https://www.thoughtco.com/henry-v-of-england-1221268}]
Henry V of England Bb Robert Wilde; Updated March 17, 2019
An icon of chivalry, a conquering hero, an exemplar of kingship and a supreme self-publicist, Henry V is among the triumvirate of the most famous English monarchs. Unlike Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, Henry V forged his legend in a little over nine years, but the long-term effects of his victories were few and many historians find something unpleasant in the arrogantly determined, albeit charismatic, young king. Even without Shakespeare's attention, Henry V would still be fascinating modern readers.
Birth and Early Life
The future Henry V was born Henry of Monmouth at Monmouth Castle into one of England's most powerful noble families. His parents were Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, a man who had once tried to curb the ambitions of his cousin, King Richard II, but now acted loyally, and Mary Bohun, heir to a rich chain of estates. His grandfather was John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, third son of Edward III, a staunch supporter of Richard II, and the most powerful English noble of the age.
At this point, Henry was not considered an heir to the throne and his birth was thus not recorded formally enough for a definitive date to have survived. Historians can't agree on whether Henry was born on August 9th or September 16th, in 1386 or 1387. The current leading biography, by Allmand, uses 1386; however, the introductory work by Dockray uses 1387.
Henry was the oldest of six children and he received the best upbringing an English noble could have, including training in martial skills, riding, and forms of hunting. He also received an education in music, harp, literature, and spoke three languages—Latin, French, and English—making him unusually highly educated. Some sources claim that the young Henry was sickly and 'puny' in childhood, but these descriptions didn’t follow him past puberty.
Tensions in Court
In 1397 Henry Bolingbroke reported treasonous comments made by the Duke of Norfolk; a court was convened but, as it was one Duke's word against another, trial by battle was arranged. It never took place. Instead, Richard II intervened in 1398 by exiling Bolingbroke for ten years and Norfolk for life. Subsequently, Henry of Monmouth found himself a "guest" at the royal court. While the word hostage was never used, there was underlying tension behind his presence and the implicit threat to Bolingbroke should he disobey. However, the childless Richard appeared to have a genuine fondness for young Henry and he knighted the boy.
Becoming the Heir
In 1399, Henry's grandfather, John of Gaunt, died. Bolingbroke should have inherited his father's estates but Richard II revoked them, kept them for himself and extended Bolingbroke's exile to life. By this time, Richard was already unpopular, seen as an ineffective and increasingly autocratic ruler but his treatment of Bolingbroke cost him the throne. If the most powerful English family could lose their land so arbitrarily and illegally; if the most loyal of all men is rewarded by his heir's disinheritance; what rights did other landowners have against this king?
Popular support swung to Bolingbroke, who returned to England where he was met by many who urged him to seize the throne from Richard. This task was completed with little opposition the same year. On October 13th, 1399, Henry Bolingbroke became Henry IV of England, and two days later Henry of Monmouth was accepted by Parliament as heir to the throne, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester. Two months later he was given the further titles Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Aquitaine.
Relationship with Richard II
Henry's rise to heir had been sudden and due to factors beyond his control, but his relationship with Richard II, especially during 1399, is unclear. Richard had taken Henry on an expedition to crush rebels in Ireland and, upon hearing of Bolingbroke's invasion, confronted Henry with the fact of his father's treason. The encounter, allegedly recorded by one chronicler, ends with Richard agreeing that Henry was innocent of his father's acts. Although he still imprisoned Henry in Ireland when he returned to fight Bolingbroke, Richard made no further threats against him.
Furthermore, sources suggest that when Henry was released, he traveled to see Richard rather than return directly to his father. Is it possible that Henry felt more loyalty to Richard—as a king or a father figure—than to Bolingbroke? Prince Henry agreed to Richard's imprisonment but it is unclear whether this and Henry IV's decision to have Richard murdered had any effect on later events, such as the younger Henry's impatience to usurp his father or his choice to rebury Richard with full regal honors in Westminster Abbey. We don't know for certain.
Experience in Battle
Henry V's reputation as a leader began forming in his 'teenage' years, as he and took on responsibilities in the government of the realm. One example of this is the Welsh uprising led by Owain Glyn Dŵr. When the small uprising swiftly grew into a full-scale rebellion against the English crown, Henry, as Prince of Wales, had a responsibility to help fight this treason. Consequently, Henry's household moved to Chester in 1400 with Henry Percy, nicknamed Hotspur, in charge of military affairs.
Hotspur was an experienced campaigner from whom the young prince was expected to learn. However, after several years of ineffective cross-border raiding, the Percys rebelled against Henry IV, culminating in the Battle of Shrewsbury on July 21st, 1403. The prince was wounded in the face by an arrow but refused to leave the fight. In the end, the king's army was victorious, Hotspur was killed, and the younger Henry famed throughout England for his courage.
Lessons Learned in Wales
Following the Battle of Shrewsbury, Henry's involvement in military strategy increased greatly and he began forcing a change in tactics, away from raids and into the control of land through strong points and garrisons. Any progress was initially hampered by a chronic lack of funding—at one point, Henry was paying for the entire war from his own estates. By 1407, fiscal reforms facilitated the sieging of Glyn Dŵr castles, which finally fell by the end of 1408. With the rebellion fatally, Wales was brought back under English control just two years later.
Henry's successes as king can be clearly tied to the lessons he learned in Wales, particularly the value of controlling strongpoints, approaches to dealing with the tedium and difficulties of besieging them, and the need for proper supply lines and a reliable source of adequate finances. He also experienced the exercise of royal power.
Involvement in Politics
From 1406 to 1411, Henry played an ever-increasing role in the King's Council, the body of men who ran the nation's administration. In 1410, Henry took overall command of the council; however, the opinions and policies Henry favored were often counter to those favored by his fater—particularly where France was concerned. In 1411, the king became so irked that he dismissed his son from the council altogether. Parliament, however, were impressed by both the prince's energetic rule and his attempts to reform government finances.
In 1412, the king organized an expedition to France led by Henry's brother, Prince Thomas. Henry—possibly still angry or sulking over his expulsion from the council—refused to go. The campaign was a failure and Henry was accused of staying in England to plot a coup against the king. Henry denied these accusations vigorously, obtaining a promise from Parliament to investigate and personally protesting his innocence to his father. Later in the year, more rumors emerged, this time claiming the Prince had stolen funds earmarked for a siege of Calais. After much protest, Henry was again found innocent.
Threat of Civil War and Ascension to the Throne
Henry IV had never secured universal support for his seizure of the crown from Richard and by the end of 1412, his family's supporters were drifting into armed and angry factions. Fortunately for the unity of England, people realized Henry IV was terminally ill before these factions were mobilized and efforts were made to obtain peace between father, son, and brother.
Henry IV died on March 20th, 1413, but if he had remained healthy, would his son have started an armed conflict to clear his name, or even seize the crown? It is impossible to know. Instead, Henry was proclaimed king on March 21st, 1413, and crowned as Henry V on April 9th.
Throughout 1412, the younger Henry seemed to have been acting with righteous confidence, even arrogance and was clearly chafing against the rule of his father, but legends claim that the wild prince turned into a pious and determined man overnight. There may not be much truth in those tales, but Henry probably did appear to change in character as he fully adopted the mantle of King. Finally able to direct his great energy into his chosen policies, Henry began acting with the dignity and authority he believed was his duty and his accession was broadly welcomed.
Early Reforms
For the first two years of his reign, Henry worked hard to reform and solidify his nation in preparation for war. The dire royal finances were given a thorough overhaul by streamlining and maximizing the existing system. The resulting gains weren't enough to fund a campaign overseas, but Parliament was grateful for the effort and Henry built on this to cultivate a strong working relationship with the Commons, resulting in generous grants of taxation from the people to fund a campaign in France.
Parliament was also impressed with Henry's drive to tackle the general lawlessness into which vast areas of England had sunk. The peripatetic courts worked much harder than in Henry IV's reign to tackle crime, reducing the number of armed bands and trying to solve the long-term disagreements which fomented local conflict. The chosen methods, however, reveal Henry's continued eye on France, for many 'criminals' were simply pardoned for their crimes in return for military service abroad. The emphasis was less on punishing crime than channeling that energy towards France.
Uniting the Nation
Perhaps the most important 'campaign' Henry undertook in this phase was to unite the nobles and common people of England behind him. He showed and practiced a willingness to forgive and pardon families who had opposed Henry IV, none more so than the Earl of March, the lord Richard II had designated as his heir. Henry freed March from imprisonment and returned the Earl's landed estates. In return, Henry expected absolute obedience and he moved quickly and decisively to stamp out any dissent. In 1415 the Earl of March informed on plans to put him on the throne which, in truth, were merely the grumblings of three disaffected lords who had already abandoned their ideas. Henry acted swiftly to execute the plotters and remove their opposition.
Henry also acted against the spreading belief in Lollardy, a pre-Protestant Christian movement, which many nobles felt was a threat to England's very society and which had previously had sympathizers at court. A commission was created to identify all Lollards and a Lollard-led rebellion was swiftly put down. Henry issued a general pardon to all those who surrendered and repented.
Through these acts, Henry made sure the nation saw him as acting decisively to crush both dissent and religious "deviance," underlining his position as England's leader and Christian protector while also binding the nation further around him.
Honoring Richard II
Henry had Richard II's body moved and reinterred with full regal honors in Westminster Cathedral. Possibly done out of fondness for the former king, the reburial was a political masterstroke. Henry IV, whose claim to the throne was legally and morally dubious, hadn't dared perform any act which gave legitimacy to the man he usurped. Henry V, on the other hand, demonstrated confidence in himself and his right to rule, as well as a respect for Richard which pleased any of the latter's remaining supporters. The codification of a rumor that Richard II once remarked how Henry would be king, most certainly done with Henry's approval, turned him into the heir of both Henry IV and Richard II.
Statebuilding
Henry actively encouraged the idea of England as a nation separate from others, most importantly when it came to language. When Henry, a tri-lingual king, ordered all government documents to be written in vernacular English (the language of the normal English peasant) it was the first time it had ever happened. The ruling classes of England had used Latin and French for centuries, but Henry encouraged a cross-class use of English that was markedly different from the continent. While the motive for most of Henry's reforms was configuring the nation to fight France, he also fulfilled almost all the criteria by which kings were to be judged: good justice, sound finance, true religion, political harmony, accepting counsel and nobility. Only one remained: success in war.
English kings had claimed parts of the European mainland ever since William, Duke of Normandy, won the throne in 1066, but the size and legitimacy of these holdings varied through struggles with the competing French crown. Not only did Henry consider it his legal right and duty to recover these lands, but he also believed honestly and utterly in his right to the rival throne, as first claimed by Edward III. At every stage of his French campaigns, Henry went to great lengths to be seen as acting legally and royally.
In France, King Charles VI was mad and the French nobility had split into two warring camps: the Armagnacs, formed around Charles' son, and the Burgundians, formed around John, Duke of Burgundy. Henry saw a way to take advantage of this situation. As a prince, he had supported the Burgundian faction, but as the king, he played the two against each other simply to claim he'd tried to negotiate. In June 1415, Henry broke talks off and on August 11 began what became known as the Agincourt Campaign.
Military Victories at Agincourt and Normandy
Henry's first target was the port of Harfleur, a French naval base and potential supply point for the English armies. It fell, but only after a protracted siege which saw Henry's army reduced in numbers and affected by illness. With winter approaching, Henry decided to march his force overland to Calais despite being opposed by his commanders. They felt the scheme was too risky, as a major French force was gathering to meet their weakened troops. At Agincourt on October 25th, an army of both French factions blocked the English and forced them to battle.
The French should have crushed the English, but a combination of deep mud, social convention, and French mistakes led to an overwhelming English victory. Henry completed his march to Calais, where he was greeted like a hero. In military terms, victory at Agincourt simply allowed Henry to escape catastrophe and deterred the French from further pitched battles, but politically the impact was enormous. The English further united around their conquering king, Henry became one of the most famous men in Europe and the French factions splintered again in shock.
Having obtained vague promises of help from John the Fearless in 1416, Henry returned to France in July 1417 with a clear objective: the conquest of Normandy. He maintained his army in France consistently for three years, methodically besieging towns and castles and installing new garrisons. By June 1419 Henry controlled the vast majority of Normandy. Admittedly, warring between the French factions meant little national opposition was organized but it was nonetheless a supreme achievement.
Equally notable are the tactics Henry used. This wasn't a plundering chevauchée as favored by previous English kings, but a determined attempt to bring Normandy under permanent control. Henry was acting as rightful king and allowing those who accepted him to keep their land. There was still brutality—he destroyed those who opposed him and grew increasingly violent—but he was far more controlled, magnanimous, and answerable to the law than before.
The War for France
On May 29th, 1418, while Henry and his forces advanced further into France, John the Fearless captured Paris, slaughtered the Armagnac garrison and took command of Charles VI and his court. Negotiations had continued between the three sides throughout this period, but the Armagnacs and Burgundians grew close again in the summer of 1419. A united France would have threatened Henry V's success, but even in the face of continued defeats at the hands of Henry, the French could not overcome their internal divisions. At a meeting of the Dauphin and John the Fearless on September 10th, 1419, John was assassinated. Reeling, the Burgundians reopened negotiations with Henry.
By Christmas, an agreement was in place and on 21st May 1420, the Treaty of Troyes signed. Charles VI remained King of France, but Henry became his heir, married his daughter Katherine and acted as de facto ruler of France. Charles' son, the Dauphin Charles, was barred from the throne and Henry's line would follow. On June 2nd, Henry married Katherine of Valois and on December 1st, 1420 he entered Paris. Unsurprisingly, the Armagnacs rejected the treaty.
Untimely Death
In early 1421, Henry returned to England, motivated by the need to acquire more funds and mollify Parliament. He spent the winter besieging Meaux, one of the Dauphin's last northern strongholds, before it fell in May 1422. During this time his only child, Henry, had been born, but the king had also fallen ill and had to be literally carried to the next siege. He died on August 31st, 1422 at Bois de Vincennes.
Successes and Legacy
Henry V perished at the height of his power, only a few months following Charles VI's death and his coronation as King of France. In his nine-year reign, he had demonstrated the ability to manage a nation through hard work and an eye for detail. He had shown a charisma which inspired soldiers and a balance of justice and forgiveness with reward and punishment that united a nation and provided the framework on which he based his strategies.
He had proved himself a planner and commander equal to the greatest of his era, keeping an army in the field constantly overseas for three years. While Henry had benefited greatly from the civil war being waged in France, his opportunism and ability to react enabled him to exploit the situation fully. Henry fulfilled every criterion demanded of a good king.
Weaknesses
It is entirely possible that Henry died just at the right time for his legend to remain, and that another nine years would have tarnished it greatly. The goodwill and support of the English people were definitely wavering by 1422 as the money was drying up and Parliament had mixed feelings towards Henry's seizure of the crown of France. The English people wanted a strong, successful king, but they were concerned about his level of interest in France and they certainly didn't want to pay for a prolonged conflict there.
Ultimately, history's view of Henry is colored by the Treaty of Troyes. On the one hand, Troyes established Henry as the heir to France. However, Henry's rival heir, the Dauphin retained strong support and rejected the treaty. Troyes thus committed Henry to a long and expensive war against a faction who still controlled roughly half of France, a war which might take decades before the treaty could be enforced and for which his resources were running out. The task of properly establishing the Lancastrians as dual kings of England and France was probably impossible, but many also consider the dynamic and determined Henry as one of the few people able to do it.
Henry's personality undermines his reputation. His confidence was part of an iron will and fanatical determination that hints at a cold, aloof character masked by the glow of victories. Henry seems to have focused on his rights and goals above those of his kingdom. As prince, Henry pushed for greater power and, as an ailing king, his last will made no provision for the care of the kingdom after his death. Instead, he spent his energies arranging twenty-thousand masses to be performed in his honor. At the time of his death, Henry had been growing more intolerant of enemies, ordering ever more savage reprisals and forms of war and may have been becoming increasingly autocratic.
Conclusion
Henry V of England was undoubtedly a gifted man and one of few to shape history to his design, but his self-belief and ability came at the expense of personality. He was one of the great military commanders of his age—acting from a genuine sense of right, not a cynical politician—but his ambition may have committed him to treaties beyond even his ability to enforce. Despite the achievements of his reign, including uniting the nation around him, creating peace between crown and parliament, and winning a throne, Henry left no long-term political or military legacy. The Valois reconquered France and retook the throne within forty years, while the Lancastrian line failed and England collapsed into civil war. What Henry did leave was a legend and a greatly enhanced national consciousness."
FYI LTC John Shaw 1SG Steven ImermanGySgt Gary CordeiroPO1 H Gene LawrenceSgt Jim BelanusSGM Bill FrazerMSG Tom EarleySGT Michael HearnSGT Randell Rose[SGT Denny EspinosaA1C Riley SandersSSgt Clare MaySSG Robert WebsterCSM Chuck StaffordPFC Craig KarshnerSFC Don VanceSFC Bernard Walko SPC Nancy GreenePVT Mark Zehner Lt Col Charlie Brown
https://youtu.be/6fVpiOXWKxA?t=947
Images:
1. King Henry V at Agincourt receives the French Herald
2. late-15th century AD illustration of the marriage of Henry V of England and Catherine of Valois. The couple married on 2 June 1420 CE in Troyes Cathedral.
3. The Battle of Agincourt - October 24, 1415 by Graham Turne
4. Battle of Caen, from a MS. Froissart of the fifteenth century'
Background from {[https://www.thoughtco.com/henry-v-of-england-1221268}]
Henry V of England Bb Robert Wilde; Updated March 17, 2019
An icon of chivalry, a conquering hero, an exemplar of kingship and a supreme self-publicist, Henry V is among the triumvirate of the most famous English monarchs. Unlike Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, Henry V forged his legend in a little over nine years, but the long-term effects of his victories were few and many historians find something unpleasant in the arrogantly determined, albeit charismatic, young king. Even without Shakespeare's attention, Henry V would still be fascinating modern readers.
Birth and Early Life
The future Henry V was born Henry of Monmouth at Monmouth Castle into one of England's most powerful noble families. His parents were Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, a man who had once tried to curb the ambitions of his cousin, King Richard II, but now acted loyally, and Mary Bohun, heir to a rich chain of estates. His grandfather was John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, third son of Edward III, a staunch supporter of Richard II, and the most powerful English noble of the age.
At this point, Henry was not considered an heir to the throne and his birth was thus not recorded formally enough for a definitive date to have survived. Historians can't agree on whether Henry was born on August 9th or September 16th, in 1386 or 1387. The current leading biography, by Allmand, uses 1386; however, the introductory work by Dockray uses 1387.
Henry was the oldest of six children and he received the best upbringing an English noble could have, including training in martial skills, riding, and forms of hunting. He also received an education in music, harp, literature, and spoke three languages—Latin, French, and English—making him unusually highly educated. Some sources claim that the young Henry was sickly and 'puny' in childhood, but these descriptions didn’t follow him past puberty.
Tensions in Court
In 1397 Henry Bolingbroke reported treasonous comments made by the Duke of Norfolk; a court was convened but, as it was one Duke's word against another, trial by battle was arranged. It never took place. Instead, Richard II intervened in 1398 by exiling Bolingbroke for ten years and Norfolk for life. Subsequently, Henry of Monmouth found himself a "guest" at the royal court. While the word hostage was never used, there was underlying tension behind his presence and the implicit threat to Bolingbroke should he disobey. However, the childless Richard appeared to have a genuine fondness for young Henry and he knighted the boy.
Becoming the Heir
In 1399, Henry's grandfather, John of Gaunt, died. Bolingbroke should have inherited his father's estates but Richard II revoked them, kept them for himself and extended Bolingbroke's exile to life. By this time, Richard was already unpopular, seen as an ineffective and increasingly autocratic ruler but his treatment of Bolingbroke cost him the throne. If the most powerful English family could lose their land so arbitrarily and illegally; if the most loyal of all men is rewarded by his heir's disinheritance; what rights did other landowners have against this king?
Popular support swung to Bolingbroke, who returned to England where he was met by many who urged him to seize the throne from Richard. This task was completed with little opposition the same year. On October 13th, 1399, Henry Bolingbroke became Henry IV of England, and two days later Henry of Monmouth was accepted by Parliament as heir to the throne, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester. Two months later he was given the further titles Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Aquitaine.
Relationship with Richard II
Henry's rise to heir had been sudden and due to factors beyond his control, but his relationship with Richard II, especially during 1399, is unclear. Richard had taken Henry on an expedition to crush rebels in Ireland and, upon hearing of Bolingbroke's invasion, confronted Henry with the fact of his father's treason. The encounter, allegedly recorded by one chronicler, ends with Richard agreeing that Henry was innocent of his father's acts. Although he still imprisoned Henry in Ireland when he returned to fight Bolingbroke, Richard made no further threats against him.
Furthermore, sources suggest that when Henry was released, he traveled to see Richard rather than return directly to his father. Is it possible that Henry felt more loyalty to Richard—as a king or a father figure—than to Bolingbroke? Prince Henry agreed to Richard's imprisonment but it is unclear whether this and Henry IV's decision to have Richard murdered had any effect on later events, such as the younger Henry's impatience to usurp his father or his choice to rebury Richard with full regal honors in Westminster Abbey. We don't know for certain.
Experience in Battle
Henry V's reputation as a leader began forming in his 'teenage' years, as he and took on responsibilities in the government of the realm. One example of this is the Welsh uprising led by Owain Glyn Dŵr. When the small uprising swiftly grew into a full-scale rebellion against the English crown, Henry, as Prince of Wales, had a responsibility to help fight this treason. Consequently, Henry's household moved to Chester in 1400 with Henry Percy, nicknamed Hotspur, in charge of military affairs.
Hotspur was an experienced campaigner from whom the young prince was expected to learn. However, after several years of ineffective cross-border raiding, the Percys rebelled against Henry IV, culminating in the Battle of Shrewsbury on July 21st, 1403. The prince was wounded in the face by an arrow but refused to leave the fight. In the end, the king's army was victorious, Hotspur was killed, and the younger Henry famed throughout England for his courage.
Lessons Learned in Wales
Following the Battle of Shrewsbury, Henry's involvement in military strategy increased greatly and he began forcing a change in tactics, away from raids and into the control of land through strong points and garrisons. Any progress was initially hampered by a chronic lack of funding—at one point, Henry was paying for the entire war from his own estates. By 1407, fiscal reforms facilitated the sieging of Glyn Dŵr castles, which finally fell by the end of 1408. With the rebellion fatally, Wales was brought back under English control just two years later.
Henry's successes as king can be clearly tied to the lessons he learned in Wales, particularly the value of controlling strongpoints, approaches to dealing with the tedium and difficulties of besieging them, and the need for proper supply lines and a reliable source of adequate finances. He also experienced the exercise of royal power.
Involvement in Politics
From 1406 to 1411, Henry played an ever-increasing role in the King's Council, the body of men who ran the nation's administration. In 1410, Henry took overall command of the council; however, the opinions and policies Henry favored were often counter to those favored by his fater—particularly where France was concerned. In 1411, the king became so irked that he dismissed his son from the council altogether. Parliament, however, were impressed by both the prince's energetic rule and his attempts to reform government finances.
In 1412, the king organized an expedition to France led by Henry's brother, Prince Thomas. Henry—possibly still angry or sulking over his expulsion from the council—refused to go. The campaign was a failure and Henry was accused of staying in England to plot a coup against the king. Henry denied these accusations vigorously, obtaining a promise from Parliament to investigate and personally protesting his innocence to his father. Later in the year, more rumors emerged, this time claiming the Prince had stolen funds earmarked for a siege of Calais. After much protest, Henry was again found innocent.
Threat of Civil War and Ascension to the Throne
Henry IV had never secured universal support for his seizure of the crown from Richard and by the end of 1412, his family's supporters were drifting into armed and angry factions. Fortunately for the unity of England, people realized Henry IV was terminally ill before these factions were mobilized and efforts were made to obtain peace between father, son, and brother.
Henry IV died on March 20th, 1413, but if he had remained healthy, would his son have started an armed conflict to clear his name, or even seize the crown? It is impossible to know. Instead, Henry was proclaimed king on March 21st, 1413, and crowned as Henry V on April 9th.
Throughout 1412, the younger Henry seemed to have been acting with righteous confidence, even arrogance and was clearly chafing against the rule of his father, but legends claim that the wild prince turned into a pious and determined man overnight. There may not be much truth in those tales, but Henry probably did appear to change in character as he fully adopted the mantle of King. Finally able to direct his great energy into his chosen policies, Henry began acting with the dignity and authority he believed was his duty and his accession was broadly welcomed.
Early Reforms
For the first two years of his reign, Henry worked hard to reform and solidify his nation in preparation for war. The dire royal finances were given a thorough overhaul by streamlining and maximizing the existing system. The resulting gains weren't enough to fund a campaign overseas, but Parliament was grateful for the effort and Henry built on this to cultivate a strong working relationship with the Commons, resulting in generous grants of taxation from the people to fund a campaign in France.
Parliament was also impressed with Henry's drive to tackle the general lawlessness into which vast areas of England had sunk. The peripatetic courts worked much harder than in Henry IV's reign to tackle crime, reducing the number of armed bands and trying to solve the long-term disagreements which fomented local conflict. The chosen methods, however, reveal Henry's continued eye on France, for many 'criminals' were simply pardoned for their crimes in return for military service abroad. The emphasis was less on punishing crime than channeling that energy towards France.
Uniting the Nation
Perhaps the most important 'campaign' Henry undertook in this phase was to unite the nobles and common people of England behind him. He showed and practiced a willingness to forgive and pardon families who had opposed Henry IV, none more so than the Earl of March, the lord Richard II had designated as his heir. Henry freed March from imprisonment and returned the Earl's landed estates. In return, Henry expected absolute obedience and he moved quickly and decisively to stamp out any dissent. In 1415 the Earl of March informed on plans to put him on the throne which, in truth, were merely the grumblings of three disaffected lords who had already abandoned their ideas. Henry acted swiftly to execute the plotters and remove their opposition.
Henry also acted against the spreading belief in Lollardy, a pre-Protestant Christian movement, which many nobles felt was a threat to England's very society and which had previously had sympathizers at court. A commission was created to identify all Lollards and a Lollard-led rebellion was swiftly put down. Henry issued a general pardon to all those who surrendered and repented.
Through these acts, Henry made sure the nation saw him as acting decisively to crush both dissent and religious "deviance," underlining his position as England's leader and Christian protector while also binding the nation further around him.
Honoring Richard II
Henry had Richard II's body moved and reinterred with full regal honors in Westminster Cathedral. Possibly done out of fondness for the former king, the reburial was a political masterstroke. Henry IV, whose claim to the throne was legally and morally dubious, hadn't dared perform any act which gave legitimacy to the man he usurped. Henry V, on the other hand, demonstrated confidence in himself and his right to rule, as well as a respect for Richard which pleased any of the latter's remaining supporters. The codification of a rumor that Richard II once remarked how Henry would be king, most certainly done with Henry's approval, turned him into the heir of both Henry IV and Richard II.
Statebuilding
Henry actively encouraged the idea of England as a nation separate from others, most importantly when it came to language. When Henry, a tri-lingual king, ordered all government documents to be written in vernacular English (the language of the normal English peasant) it was the first time it had ever happened. The ruling classes of England had used Latin and French for centuries, but Henry encouraged a cross-class use of English that was markedly different from the continent. While the motive for most of Henry's reforms was configuring the nation to fight France, he also fulfilled almost all the criteria by which kings were to be judged: good justice, sound finance, true religion, political harmony, accepting counsel and nobility. Only one remained: success in war.
English kings had claimed parts of the European mainland ever since William, Duke of Normandy, won the throne in 1066, but the size and legitimacy of these holdings varied through struggles with the competing French crown. Not only did Henry consider it his legal right and duty to recover these lands, but he also believed honestly and utterly in his right to the rival throne, as first claimed by Edward III. At every stage of his French campaigns, Henry went to great lengths to be seen as acting legally and royally.
In France, King Charles VI was mad and the French nobility had split into two warring camps: the Armagnacs, formed around Charles' son, and the Burgundians, formed around John, Duke of Burgundy. Henry saw a way to take advantage of this situation. As a prince, he had supported the Burgundian faction, but as the king, he played the two against each other simply to claim he'd tried to negotiate. In June 1415, Henry broke talks off and on August 11 began what became known as the Agincourt Campaign.
Military Victories at Agincourt and Normandy
Henry's first target was the port of Harfleur, a French naval base and potential supply point for the English armies. It fell, but only after a protracted siege which saw Henry's army reduced in numbers and affected by illness. With winter approaching, Henry decided to march his force overland to Calais despite being opposed by his commanders. They felt the scheme was too risky, as a major French force was gathering to meet their weakened troops. At Agincourt on October 25th, an army of both French factions blocked the English and forced them to battle.
The French should have crushed the English, but a combination of deep mud, social convention, and French mistakes led to an overwhelming English victory. Henry completed his march to Calais, where he was greeted like a hero. In military terms, victory at Agincourt simply allowed Henry to escape catastrophe and deterred the French from further pitched battles, but politically the impact was enormous. The English further united around their conquering king, Henry became one of the most famous men in Europe and the French factions splintered again in shock.
Having obtained vague promises of help from John the Fearless in 1416, Henry returned to France in July 1417 with a clear objective: the conquest of Normandy. He maintained his army in France consistently for three years, methodically besieging towns and castles and installing new garrisons. By June 1419 Henry controlled the vast majority of Normandy. Admittedly, warring between the French factions meant little national opposition was organized but it was nonetheless a supreme achievement.
Equally notable are the tactics Henry used. This wasn't a plundering chevauchée as favored by previous English kings, but a determined attempt to bring Normandy under permanent control. Henry was acting as rightful king and allowing those who accepted him to keep their land. There was still brutality—he destroyed those who opposed him and grew increasingly violent—but he was far more controlled, magnanimous, and answerable to the law than before.
The War for France
On May 29th, 1418, while Henry and his forces advanced further into France, John the Fearless captured Paris, slaughtered the Armagnac garrison and took command of Charles VI and his court. Negotiations had continued between the three sides throughout this period, but the Armagnacs and Burgundians grew close again in the summer of 1419. A united France would have threatened Henry V's success, but even in the face of continued defeats at the hands of Henry, the French could not overcome their internal divisions. At a meeting of the Dauphin and John the Fearless on September 10th, 1419, John was assassinated. Reeling, the Burgundians reopened negotiations with Henry.
By Christmas, an agreement was in place and on 21st May 1420, the Treaty of Troyes signed. Charles VI remained King of France, but Henry became his heir, married his daughter Katherine and acted as de facto ruler of France. Charles' son, the Dauphin Charles, was barred from the throne and Henry's line would follow. On June 2nd, Henry married Katherine of Valois and on December 1st, 1420 he entered Paris. Unsurprisingly, the Armagnacs rejected the treaty.
Untimely Death
In early 1421, Henry returned to England, motivated by the need to acquire more funds and mollify Parliament. He spent the winter besieging Meaux, one of the Dauphin's last northern strongholds, before it fell in May 1422. During this time his only child, Henry, had been born, but the king had also fallen ill and had to be literally carried to the next siege. He died on August 31st, 1422 at Bois de Vincennes.
Successes and Legacy
Henry V perished at the height of his power, only a few months following Charles VI's death and his coronation as King of France. In his nine-year reign, he had demonstrated the ability to manage a nation through hard work and an eye for detail. He had shown a charisma which inspired soldiers and a balance of justice and forgiveness with reward and punishment that united a nation and provided the framework on which he based his strategies.
He had proved himself a planner and commander equal to the greatest of his era, keeping an army in the field constantly overseas for three years. While Henry had benefited greatly from the civil war being waged in France, his opportunism and ability to react enabled him to exploit the situation fully. Henry fulfilled every criterion demanded of a good king.
Weaknesses
It is entirely possible that Henry died just at the right time for his legend to remain, and that another nine years would have tarnished it greatly. The goodwill and support of the English people were definitely wavering by 1422 as the money was drying up and Parliament had mixed feelings towards Henry's seizure of the crown of France. The English people wanted a strong, successful king, but they were concerned about his level of interest in France and they certainly didn't want to pay for a prolonged conflict there.
Ultimately, history's view of Henry is colored by the Treaty of Troyes. On the one hand, Troyes established Henry as the heir to France. However, Henry's rival heir, the Dauphin retained strong support and rejected the treaty. Troyes thus committed Henry to a long and expensive war against a faction who still controlled roughly half of France, a war which might take decades before the treaty could be enforced and for which his resources were running out. The task of properly establishing the Lancastrians as dual kings of England and France was probably impossible, but many also consider the dynamic and determined Henry as one of the few people able to do it.
Henry's personality undermines his reputation. His confidence was part of an iron will and fanatical determination that hints at a cold, aloof character masked by the glow of victories. Henry seems to have focused on his rights and goals above those of his kingdom. As prince, Henry pushed for greater power and, as an ailing king, his last will made no provision for the care of the kingdom after his death. Instead, he spent his energies arranging twenty-thousand masses to be performed in his honor. At the time of his death, Henry had been growing more intolerant of enemies, ordering ever more savage reprisals and forms of war and may have been becoming increasingly autocratic.
Conclusion
Henry V of England was undoubtedly a gifted man and one of few to shape history to his design, but his self-belief and ability came at the expense of personality. He was one of the great military commanders of his age—acting from a genuine sense of right, not a cynical politician—but his ambition may have committed him to treaties beyond even his ability to enforce. Despite the achievements of his reign, including uniting the nation around him, creating peace between crown and parliament, and winning a throne, Henry left no long-term political or military legacy. The Valois reconquered France and retook the throne within forty years, while the Lancastrian line failed and England collapsed into civil war. What Henry did leave was a legend and a greatly enhanced national consciousness."
FYI LTC John Shaw 1SG Steven ImermanGySgt Gary CordeiroPO1 H Gene LawrenceSgt Jim BelanusSGM Bill FrazerMSG Tom EarleySGT Michael HearnSGT Randell Rose[SGT Denny EspinosaA1C Riley SandersSSgt Clare MaySSG Robert WebsterCSM Chuck StaffordPFC Craig KarshnerSFC Don VanceSFC Bernard Walko SPC Nancy GreenePVT Mark Zehner Lt Col Charlie Brown
(4)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
The Most Famous, Bloodiest Medieval Battle - AGINCOURT - Full Documentary
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War.The battle took place on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) in the C...
The Most Famous, Bloodiest Medieval Battle - AGINCOURT - Full Documentary
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War. The battle took place on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) in the County of Saint-Pol, Artois, some 40 km south of Calais (now Azincourt in northern France). Henry V's victory at Agincourt, against a numerically superior French army, crippled France and started a new period in the war during which Henry V married the French king's daughter, and their son, later Henry VI of England and Henry II of France, was made heir to the throne of France as well as of England. Henry V led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself as he suffered from severe psychotic illnesses with moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.
This battle is notable for the use of the English longbow in very large numbers, with English and Welsh archers forming most of Henry's army. The battle is the centerpiece of the play Henry V by William Shakespeare.
Henry V invaded France following the failure of negotiations with the French. He claimed the title of King of France through his great-grandfather Edward III, although in practice the English kings were generally prepared to renounce this claim if the French would acknowledge the English claim on Aquitaine and other French lands (the terms of the Treaty of Brétigny). He initially called a Great Council in the spring of 1414 to discuss going to war with France, but the lords insisted that he should negotiate further and moderate his claims. In the following negotiations Henry said that he would give up his claim to the French throne if the French would pay the 1.6 million crowns outstanding from the ransom of John II (who had been captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356), and concede English ownership of the lands of Normandy, Touraine, Anjou, Brittany and Flanders, as well as Aquitaine. Henry would marry Princess Catherine, the young daughter of Charles VI, and receive a dowry of 2 million crowns. The French responded with what they considered the generous terms of marriage with Princess Catherine, a dowry of 600,000 crowns, and an enlarged Aquitaine. By 1415, negotiations had ground to a halt, with the English claiming that the French had mocked their claims and ridiculed Henry himself. In December 1414, the English parliament was persuaded to grant Henry a "double subsidy", a tax at twice the traditional rate, to recover his inheritance from the French. On 19 April 1415, Henry again asked the Great Council to sanction war with France, and this time they agreed.
Henry's army landed in northern France on 13 August 1415, carried by a fleet described by Shakespeare as "a city on the inconstant billows dancing / For so appears this fleet majestical", often reported to comprise 1,500 ships, but probably far smaller, and besieged the port of Harfleur with an army of about 12,000, and up to 20,000 horses. The siege took longer than expected. The town surrendered on 22 September, and the English army did not leave until 8 October. The campaign season was coming to an end, and the English army had suffered many casualties through disease. Rather than retire directly to England for the winter, with his costly expedition resulting in the capture of only one town, Henry decided to march most of his army (roughly 9,000) through Normandy to the port of Calais, the English stronghold in northern France, to demonstrate by his presence in the territory at the head of an army that his right to rule in the duchy was more than a mere abstract legal and historical claim. He also intended the manoeuvre as a deliberate provocation to battle aimed at the dauphin, who had failed to respond to Henry's personal challenge to combat at Harfleur.
The French hoped to raise 9,000 troops, but the army was not ready in time to relieve Harfleur. After Henry V marched to the north, the French moved to block them along the River Somme. They were successful for a time, forcing Henry to move south, away from Calais, to find a ford. The English finally crossed the Somme south of Péronne, at Béthencourt and Voyennes and resumed marching north. Without a river obstacle to defend, the French were hesitant to force a battle. They shadowed Henry's army while calling a semonce des nobles, calling on local nobles to join the army. By 24 October, both armies faced each other for battle, but the French declined, hoping for the arrival of more troops. The two armies spent the night of 24 October on open ground. The next day the French initiated negotiations as a delaying tactic, but Henry ordered his army to advance and to start a battle that, given the state of his army, he would have preferred to avoid, or to fight defensively: that was how Crécy and the other famous longbow victories had been won.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emr6A8WaL8Q
Images:
1. 1400s Henry V Of England Speaking poster by Vintage Images
2. modern illustration of Henry V of England (r. 1413-1422 CE) fighting at the Battle of Agincourt against the French on 25 October 1415 CE..
3. The Latin inscription around the ledge of his tomb begins with the sentence, 'Henry V, hammer of the Gauls, lies here.
4. The 1417 siege of Rouen women and children starved to death in the ditches outside the walls, Henry V did not offer them safe passage.
FYI Sgt Jim BelanusLTC David Brown1SG Fred BucciSgt (Join to see)PO2 Frederick Dunn1LT Peter DustonSP5 Dennis LobergerSSG Robert Mark OdomCPL Michael PeckSGT Randell RoseSGM Major StroupeCSM Bruce TregoSFC (Join to see)SGT Jim Ramge, MBALTC Ken ConnollyCpl Robert Russell PaynePo2 David DunlapSGT (Join to see)SSG Bill McCoySP5 Gary Nelson
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War. The battle took place on Friday, 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) in the County of Saint-Pol, Artois, some 40 km south of Calais (now Azincourt in northern France). Henry V's victory at Agincourt, against a numerically superior French army, crippled France and started a new period in the war during which Henry V married the French king's daughter, and their son, later Henry VI of England and Henry II of France, was made heir to the throne of France as well as of England. Henry V led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself as he suffered from severe psychotic illnesses with moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.
This battle is notable for the use of the English longbow in very large numbers, with English and Welsh archers forming most of Henry's army. The battle is the centerpiece of the play Henry V by William Shakespeare.
Henry V invaded France following the failure of negotiations with the French. He claimed the title of King of France through his great-grandfather Edward III, although in practice the English kings were generally prepared to renounce this claim if the French would acknowledge the English claim on Aquitaine and other French lands (the terms of the Treaty of Brétigny). He initially called a Great Council in the spring of 1414 to discuss going to war with France, but the lords insisted that he should negotiate further and moderate his claims. In the following negotiations Henry said that he would give up his claim to the French throne if the French would pay the 1.6 million crowns outstanding from the ransom of John II (who had been captured at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356), and concede English ownership of the lands of Normandy, Touraine, Anjou, Brittany and Flanders, as well as Aquitaine. Henry would marry Princess Catherine, the young daughter of Charles VI, and receive a dowry of 2 million crowns. The French responded with what they considered the generous terms of marriage with Princess Catherine, a dowry of 600,000 crowns, and an enlarged Aquitaine. By 1415, negotiations had ground to a halt, with the English claiming that the French had mocked their claims and ridiculed Henry himself. In December 1414, the English parliament was persuaded to grant Henry a "double subsidy", a tax at twice the traditional rate, to recover his inheritance from the French. On 19 April 1415, Henry again asked the Great Council to sanction war with France, and this time they agreed.
Henry's army landed in northern France on 13 August 1415, carried by a fleet described by Shakespeare as "a city on the inconstant billows dancing / For so appears this fleet majestical", often reported to comprise 1,500 ships, but probably far smaller, and besieged the port of Harfleur with an army of about 12,000, and up to 20,000 horses. The siege took longer than expected. The town surrendered on 22 September, and the English army did not leave until 8 October. The campaign season was coming to an end, and the English army had suffered many casualties through disease. Rather than retire directly to England for the winter, with his costly expedition resulting in the capture of only one town, Henry decided to march most of his army (roughly 9,000) through Normandy to the port of Calais, the English stronghold in northern France, to demonstrate by his presence in the territory at the head of an army that his right to rule in the duchy was more than a mere abstract legal and historical claim. He also intended the manoeuvre as a deliberate provocation to battle aimed at the dauphin, who had failed to respond to Henry's personal challenge to combat at Harfleur.
The French hoped to raise 9,000 troops, but the army was not ready in time to relieve Harfleur. After Henry V marched to the north, the French moved to block them along the River Somme. They were successful for a time, forcing Henry to move south, away from Calais, to find a ford. The English finally crossed the Somme south of Péronne, at Béthencourt and Voyennes and resumed marching north. Without a river obstacle to defend, the French were hesitant to force a battle. They shadowed Henry's army while calling a semonce des nobles, calling on local nobles to join the army. By 24 October, both armies faced each other for battle, but the French declined, hoping for the arrival of more troops. The two armies spent the night of 24 October on open ground. The next day the French initiated negotiations as a delaying tactic, but Henry ordered his army to advance and to start a battle that, given the state of his army, he would have preferred to avoid, or to fight defensively: that was how Crécy and the other famous longbow victories had been won.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emr6A8WaL8Q
Images:
1. 1400s Henry V Of England Speaking poster by Vintage Images
2. modern illustration of Henry V of England (r. 1413-1422 CE) fighting at the Battle of Agincourt against the French on 25 October 1415 CE..
3. The Latin inscription around the ledge of his tomb begins with the sentence, 'Henry V, hammer of the Gauls, lies here.
4. The 1417 siege of Rouen women and children starved to death in the ditches outside the walls, Henry V did not offer them safe passage.
FYI Sgt Jim BelanusLTC David Brown1SG Fred BucciSgt (Join to see)PO2 Frederick Dunn1LT Peter DustonSP5 Dennis LobergerSSG Robert Mark OdomCPL Michael PeckSGT Randell RoseSGM Major StroupeCSM Bruce TregoSFC (Join to see)SGT Jim Ramge, MBALTC Ken ConnollyCpl Robert Russell PaynePo2 David DunlapSGT (Join to see)SSG Bill McCoySP5 Gary Nelson
(5)
(0)
LTC Ken Connolly
Interesting piece of history. We are probably approaching that time frame in a few years.
(3)
(0)
4
4
0
4
4
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google