Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King
“tells the story of one of England’s most successful monarchs, especially given the challenges he faced on his way to the throne.”
Henry V remains one of the most remarkable English monarchs in both history and myth, shrouded in the mystique created by William Shakespeare’s plays and glamorized in several movies with the usual Hollywood flair. But as this new biography recounts, the actual life of the man considered the greatest of England’s medieval monarchs is one of triumph, tragedy, and intrigue that rivals any of the fictional accounts of his reign.
The book opens with what was no doubt one of the defining moments of the young man’s life, getting shot in the face with an arrow during the Battle of Shrewsbury when he was only 16, a wound that would have meant certain death to a commoner, but Henry was able to obtain the best care in England and made a remarkable recovery that left a permanent scare showing Henry was not afraid to be in the middle of battle.
Henry was born into power and privilege and began to learn the intricacies of politics, alliances, duty, and ruling a complex kingdom from a young age. When his father usurped the throne and installed himself as Henry IV, he assumed the titles of Prince of Wales and Duke of Lancaster and began to slowly take on the obligations of the heir apparent to the throne, serving his father in a variety of different responsibilities as he learned about the practical difficulties of running a kingdom and managing an often-contentious Parliament.
Upon assuming the throne in 1413, Henry made a priority of bringing order and the rule of law back to England after years of plots, counterplots, palace intrigue, and rebellions. However, the primary focus of his short reign as king soon became war with England’s long-time rival, France. Henry was determined to press what he perceived as England’s right to not only their historical claims to nearly one-third of France, but the throne of France itself. Crossing to France in early 1415, Henry and his English army scored their greatest defeat over the French at the Battle of Agincourt on October 25, 1415, nearly annihilating the French Army. Unfortunately, this doesn’t immediately end the war, and Henry spent almost another five years in continual campaigning and sieges before the Treaty of Troyes gives Henry not only his political objectives, but the daughter of the King of France as his future wife.
However, even the peace of this treaty is illusory and English armies are back on campaign in France. The tide starts to slowly turn against the English with the defeat of an army at the Battle of Bauge. When Henry attempts one final decisive campaign to cement his claim to the throne of France in 1421, he contracts the dysentery that killed so many of his soldiers during his long campaigns and dies in 1422 after a very short reign at the age of merely 35.
The author does a splendid job of taking the general reader through the often-shifting betrayals, changes of allegiance among the nobility, and dynastic struggles common to England during the Lancastrian period of the English monarchy. These relationships are crucial to understanding Henry’s worldview and his expectations as he begins his long journey to becoming the king, sometimes even tangling with his own father as he tries to push his ailing father from power before he is ready to abdicate to his ambitious son, forcing Henry into temporary exile in the lowest moment of his rise to power.
The historical legacy of Henry is also examined. While Henry is often viewed through the lens of Shakespeare’s plays and English mythology, he is also considered by many historians to be opportunistic, cruel, and egoistical. The author presents all these viewpoints and weaves them together in a very readable narrative that, even with some of the mythology peeled away, tells the story of one of England’s most successful monarchs, especially given the challenges he faced on his way to the throne.