Historical Figures

Born in August of 1386 or 87, his predecessor was his father Henry IV or Henry of Bolingbroke, who deposed Richard II in 1399. At this time Henry V ascended to be Prince of Wales, during an 8-year span he lead armies against Welsh rebellions as well as fought alongside his father. It is hard to prove specific stories told in Shakespeare’s work but its quite likely that during this time there was tension between Henry V and his father. In 1413, Henry IV died and Henry V at age of 26 ascended to the throne, now having the official title of Henry V. Immediately following this many attempted to remove Henry V in order to make way for Richard II’s heir Edmund Mortimer. As a result in 1415, Henry executed once friends Lord Scrope and the earl of Cambridge and defeated a rebellion led by a former associate John Oldcastle, which is Falstaff in Shakespeare’s take. Henry at this time had his eyes on France. He had three main demands which included, first for the return of Aquitaine to England in fulfillment of a 1360 treaty, then for a 2-million-crown payment, and lastly for the king’s daughter Catherine’s hand in marriage. In 1415 Henry sailed for France backed by his troops. Henry first attacked Harfleur which ended victoriously but he also lost a third of his army to dysentery. On the feast day of St. Crispin, October 25, 1415, Henry’s army after losing a third, defeated a tremendously larger French force at Agincourt. Henry with 11,000 battled against 20,000 French soldiers. Henry had luck on his side as due to the terrain the French had to advance in narrow formations, which was only the start of their problems as their movements were also impeded by mud and their increasing body count as Henry’s archers easily hit their targets. In the end, the English had such a large number of prisoners that Henry feared the possibility of the guards being overpowered. Henry felt it necessary to violate the rule of war, ordering the execution of all their prisoners. The English emerged with only several hundred dead, which is nothing compared to the French who lost almost 6,000. Although Henry’s military decisions might have not been the most respected, through this victory Henry acquired a number of allies and ultimately returned to England as a hero. We hit 1417 and Henry returns to France once again, this time acquiring Caen and Normandy. A more significant acquisition was Rouen, which involved a six-month siege, during which Henry denied aid to 12,000 who were forced out of their homes. They were left to starve between the city walls and the English lines. Finally, in 1420 the King of France Charles VI sued for peace.  Henry was given control of France under the Treaty of Troyes for the remainder of Charles VI’s life. It was also 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.