Look, when you think about legendary English kings, you probably picture the usual suspects – maybe Henry VIII with his six wives, or Richard the Lionheart off crusading. But let me tell you about someone who might actually deserve that “greatest English king” title more than any of them: Henry V.
This guy was something else. We’re talking about a king who took the throne at 26, fought one of history’s most famous battles against impossible odds, nearly united England and France under one crown, and then died at 34 having accomplished more in nine years than most monarchs achieve in decades.
And the craziest part? The Henry V biography we’re about to dive into isn’t just history – it’s the stuff of legend, literally. Shakespeare wrote plays about him. Movies have been made. Songs have been sung. This is the king who gave us the famous “band of brothers” speech at Agincourt.
So buckle up, because we’re about to explore the life of medieval England’s greatest warrior king, and trust me – it’s way more interesting than your high school history class made it sound.
The Beginning: Born to Be King (Maybe)
Henry was born on September 16, 1386, at Monmouth Castle in Wales, which is why he was sometimes called Henry of Monmouth. Now here’s something interesting – his birth date wasn’t officially documented because he wasn’t close to the line of succession. Nobody thought this kid would ever be king.
His father was Henry of Bolingbroke (who would later become Henry IV), and his mother was Mary de Bohun. On paper, young Henry had impressive lineage – his grandfather was John of Gaunt, son of the mighty Edward III. But when Henry was born, his father’s cousin Richard II was king, and there was no indication that would change.
Think about it – this boy who nobody expected to rule England would become one of its greatest monarchs. Life’s funny that way.
The Plot Twist: When Everything Changed
Fast forward to 1399, and young Henry is about 12 or 13 years old. His world is about to be turned completely upside down.
That year, John of Gaunt died, and Richard II was overthrown in a Lancastrian usurpation that brought Henry’s father to the throne. Just like that, Henry went from being a relatively unimportant noble kid to being the heir apparent to the Kingdom of England.
Here’s what’s wild: when Henry’s father was exiled in 1398, Richard II took the boy into his own charge and treated him kindly, even knighting him in 1399. Imagine that – the king who would be overthrown by your father actually treated you well and mentored you. That’s got to mess with your head a bit.
On the day of his father’s coronation, Henry was created Prince of Wales and given multiple titles including Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of Chester. He was suddenly one of the most important people in England.
The Education of a Future King
But here’s where Henry’s story gets really interesting. Unlike most medieval nobles who barely learned to read, Henry got a proper education.
He spent time at Queen’s College, Oxford, under the care of his uncle Henry Beaufort, who was chancellor of the university. And this is huge – he learned to read and write in English, making him the first English king educated in the vernacular rather than just French and Latin.
Think about the significance of that. English kings had been speaking French since William the Conqueror in 1066. Henry V was the first one in over 300 years to primarily use English. That’s not just a language choice – that’s a statement about English national identity.
He also loved music and literature. Because of his love of music, he granted pensions to composers. This wasn’t some brutish warrior – this was a cultured, educated man who happened to also be brilliant at warfare.
The Wild Prince: Fact or Fiction?
Now, if you’ve seen any movies or read Shakespeare’s plays about Henry V, you’ve probably heard stories about “Prince Hal” – the wild, partying young prince who hung out with criminals and caroused in taverns before suddenly becoming serious when he took the throne.
How much of that is true? Honestly, it’s hard to say. The young Prince Henry was known to have a bit of a wild side as a young man, known to be a womanizer, which caused grievances between the prince and his father. So there was some tension there.
But here’s what we know for sure: when he became king, he banished all his old rollicking and roistering comrades from his presence, forbidding any of them to come within 10 miles of his person. That’s a pretty dramatic lifestyle change.
Whether he was actually the wild party animal of legend or whether that was exaggerated by later writers, one thing’s clear: when Henry V took the crown, he took it seriously.
Warrior Prince: Learning the Art of War
Before he ever became king, Henry got extensive military training. And I’m not talking about practice jousting or ceremonial stuff – I mean real, bloody warfare.
At just 16 years old, Henry fought at the Battle of Shrewsbury in July 1403 against Henry “Hotspur” Percy, who had rebelled against the king. This wasn’t some minor skirmish either. And here’s the crazy part – during the battle, young Henry was hit in the face with an arrow but was saved by daring surgical removal of the arrowhead.
Let me paint you a picture: a 16-year-old prince gets shot in the face with an arrow in medieval times, and somehow survives having it surgically removed without anesthesia or antibiotics. He made a recovery, although he would bear the scar for the rest of his life. That’s the kind of toughness we’re talking about here.
For the next several years, Henry fought Welsh rebels from 1403 to 1408, gaining invaluable military experience. Prince Henry led the king’s army which finally quashed the Welsh rebellion led by Owain Glyn Dwr.
By the time he became king, Henry wasn’t some sheltered royal who’d only seen battle from a distance. He’d been in the thick of it, had nearly died, and had learned how to lead armies in real combat situations. This experience would prove absolutely crucial later.
Taking the Throne: A Blizzard and a New Beginning
The king’s health had been in decline since 1406, and Prince Henry had already taken over some of the king’s duties. So when Henry IV finally died on March 20, 1413, it wasn’t exactly a shock.
Prince Henry, aged just 25, was crowned Henry V on April 9, 1413, in Westminster Abbey while a blizzard raged outside. If you believe in omens, that blizzard could mean trouble – or it could mean the old order was being swept away for something new.
The new king immediately made it clear things were going to be different. He sported what seems to modern eyes an unusual haircut but this was in the style of soldiers and indicated the king meant business. His closely cropped hair made him look more like a priest than a soldier, but don’t let that fool you – this king was preparing for war.
Early Challenges: Plots and Heretics
Henry’s reign didn’t start smoothly. Right away, he faced two major threats.
First, there was the Lollard problem. The Lollards were heretics who believed anyone could pray privately and that the Church as an institution wasn’t needed as a bridge between God and humanity. In January 1414, Henry had to deal with an abortive Lollard rising.
Henry’s response? He cracked down hard. He even imprisoned for heresy his own friend Sir John Oldcastle. This wasn’t just about religion – by persecuting the Lollards, Henry earned the full support of the Church, which he would desperately need for funding his upcoming wars.
Then came an even more dangerous threat: conspiracies arose among his onetime friends to unseat him in favor of Richard II’s heir Edmund Mortimer. This became known as the Southampton Plot.
In July 1415, Richard of York, Earl of Cambridge, and Henry, Lord Scrope of Masham conspired in favor of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March. But Henry was forewarned and the opposition was suppressed without mercy.
The message was clear: Henry V was not someone to mess with. Cross him, and you’d face swift, brutal consequences.
The French Question: Reopening Old Wounds
Now, let’s talk about why Henry V became legendary: France.
England and France had been fighting the Hundred Years’ War on and off since 1337. By the time Henry took the throne, the war had cooled down considerably. England had lost most of the French territory it once held.
But Henry had ambitions. Big ambitions.
He revived the historic English claim to the French throne, arguing that as a descendant of Edward III, he had a legitimate right to rule France. First he demanded the return of Aquitaine to England, then a 2-million-crown payment, then the French king’s daughter Catherine’s hand in marriage.
When the French refused (as everyone expected), Henry decided to take what he believed was rightfully his by force.
1415: The Year That Changed Everything
In the summer of 1415, Henry assembled an army and crossed the English Channel. He set sail for France, capturing the port of Harfleur.
But taking Harfleur was brutal. The siege lasted longer than expected, and disease ravaged Henry’s army. Dysentery, which would eventually kill Henry himself, was already claiming soldiers. By the time Harfleur fell, Henry’s army was exhausted, sick, and depleted.
The smart move would have been to sail back to England and try again next year. But Henry made a different choice – he decided to march his army overland to Calais, an English-held port.
This decision would lead to one of the most famous battles in history.
Agincourt: The Impossible Victory
By October 25, 1415, Henry’s situation was dire. His army of maybe 6,000-9,000 men (accounts vary) was tired, hungry, and sick. They were trying to reach Calais when they found their path blocked by a massive French army.
The disparity in numbers was great, with the French estimated to have around 50,000 compared to England’s 5,000 men. Some historians think those numbers are exaggerated, but even conservative estimates put the French at 2-3 times the English numbers.
Henry knew he couldn’t retreat and couldn’t avoid battle. So he did something brilliant.
Henry’s plan was to use the field at its narrowest point, wedged between wooded areas on either side, which would prevent the significantly larger French army from surrounding the English. He positioned his army at a narrow point between two woods, where the French numbers couldn’t be fully brought to bear.
Then came the English secret weapon: the longbow. Henry’s archers defiantly launched their arrows in a series of volleys, whilst the French, who had charged towards them through the mud, were met by a row of stakes reaching six feet tall, forcing them to retreat.
The French, wearing heavy armor, charged across muddy fields that had been churned up by recent rain. They got bogged down, packed together in the narrow space, unable to maneuver. The English longbowmen massacred them.
But here’s where the story gets dark. 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. This was unprecedented and controversial even at the time.
All told, the French lost as many as 7,000, while the English dead numbered at most a few hundred. It was a stunning, almost unbelievable victory.
Henry returned to England triumphant, welcomed in the streets by his people who now held him in the highest possible regard as the warrior king. He was a national hero.
Conquest: Taking France Piece by Piece
But Henry wasn’t done. Agincourt might have been his most famous victory, but it didn’t win him France. So he went back.
During his second campaign from 1417 to 1420, his armies captured Paris and conquered most of northern France, including the formerly English-held Duchy of Normandy.
In 1417 Henry attacked France again, capturing Caen and Normandy and taking Rouen after a six-month siege. And this is where we see Henry’s ruthless side again – during the siege he refused to aid 12,000 expelled residents left to starve between the city walls and the English lines.
This wasn’t just military genius – this was psychological warfare and brutality designed to make other cities surrender without a fight.
The Treaty of Troyes: So Close to Glory
By 1420, the French were exhausted. The French king Charles VI sued for peace.
The resulting Treaty of Troyes was everything Henry could have dreamed of. The treaty recognized Henry V as regent of France and heir apparent to the French throne, disinheriting Charles’s own son, the Dauphin Charles.
Think about what this meant: the treaty ratified the unprecedented formation of a union between the kingdoms of England and France, in the person of Henry, upon the death of the ailing Charles.
Henry was going to rule both England and France. He would create a super-kingdom that would dominate all of Europe.
Henry was subsequently married to Charles VI’s daughter, Catherine of Valois. The alliance was sealed with marriage, and everything Henry had fought for was within his grasp.
He was 34 years old and at the absolute peak of his power. The future looked limitless.
The Cruel Twist: Death at the Moment of Triumph
But fate had other plans.
Henry died of dysentery in 1422 in Bois de Vincennes, France. On August 31, 1422, the king died of dysentery likely contracted during the siege of Meaux.
The irony is brutal: Henry died in August 1422, less than two months before his father-in-law Charles VI. If he’d lived just two more months, he would have inherited the French throne and truly ruled both kingdoms.
Instead, he was succeeded by his only son and heir, the infant Henry VI. His son, Henry VI, was just 9 months old when he became King.
Everything Henry had built – all those victories, all that blood and sacrifice – was left in the hands of a baby.
The Aftermath: A Legacy That Faded Fast
Here’s the tragic part of the Henry V biography: his life’s work didn’t last.
Henry VI was less than a year old when he took the English and French thrones, and 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 Wars of the Roses.
Everything Henry V accomplished militarily was undone within a generation. All that conquest, all those battles, all those deaths – for what? A brief moment of English supremacy that evaporated almost as soon as Henry died.
Henry’s son was a disastrously incompetent king whose poor decision making led to the Wars of the Roses and the fall of the Lancastrian dynasty.
There’s a certain tragedy in that. Henry V was possibly the greatest warrior king England ever had, and his son couldn’t hold onto any of it.
The Man Behind the Legend
So who was Henry V really? That’s the question historians have been debating for 600 years.
He was widely praised for his personal piety, bravery, and military genius; even contemporary French chroniclers admired Henry. That last part is significant – when even your enemies respect you, you know you were something special.
But his occasionally cruel temperament and lack of focus regarding domestic affairs have made him the subject of criticism. Those executions at Agincourt, the starving civilians at Rouen – these weren’t the actions of a gentle king.
He was an “assiduous cultivator of lasciviousness” in his youth, but upon becoming king won plaudits for his piety. So maybe he really did reform himself when he took the crown, or maybe he just got better at hiding his vices.
He had a reputation for prudent judgment and chivalrous behavior, but took the unprecedented step of ordering the execution of all unarmed prisoners at Agincourt. Those contradictions are hard to reconcile.
What’s clear is that Henry V was complex – brilliant but brutal, pious but ruthless, cultured but warlike. He contained multitudes, as they say.
The Cultural Impact: Shakespeare and Beyond
Here’s where Henry V’s story gets interesting in a different way. 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.
That speech – “we few, we happy few, we band of brothers” – has become one of the most famous in all of English literature. It’s been quoted by everyone from soldiers to sports teams to business executives. Henry V has become a symbol of English courage and leadership.
There are three main movies about Henry V: one released in 1944, another released in 1989, and a third released in 2019. Each generation seems to need its own version of Henry’s story.
Why? Because his life has everything: the wild youth reformed, the underdog victory, the brilliant military strategy, the near-achievement of impossible dreams, and the tragic early death. It’s the perfect story.
What We Can Learn From His Life
Look, I know we’re talking about events from 600 years ago, but there are still lessons in the Henry V biography that resonate today.
Preparation matters. Henry didn’t just show up at Agincourt hoping for the best. His years of military experience, his understanding of tactics, his ability to position his army – all of that came from years of learning his craft.
Leadership is about choices under pressure. When Henry found himself outnumbered at Agincourt, he didn’t panic. He made hard tactical decisions that won the day.
Success doesn’t guarantee legacy. Henry accomplished extraordinary things, but because he died young and left an infant heir, most of his achievements were lost. Sometimes circumstances beyond your control determine your lasting impact.
Ruthlessness has costs. Yes, Henry won his wars, but his brutal tactics – executing prisoners, starving civilians – complicate his legacy. Being effective doesn’t always mean being admirable.
Timing is everything. If Henry had lived just two more months, he would have ruled both England and France. Sometimes success or failure comes down to factors completely beyond our control.
The Bottom Line
So here’s my take on Henry V biography after diving deep into his story: he was probably the most capable warrior king England ever produced. In just nine years of ruling, he accomplished more militarily than most monarchs achieve in 40-year reigns.
But was he a great king overall? That’s tougher to answer. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry’s outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years’ War against France made England one of the strongest military powers in Europe.
He was brilliant, driven, ruthless, pious, and complex. He reformed himself from a wild youth into a serious king. He led from the front in battle. He mastered the art of medieval warfare. He came within inches of uniting England and France under one crown.
And then he died at 34, his life’s work largely undone within a generation.
There’s something almost Greek tragedy about that – the hero who achieves everything he sets out to do, only to have it all slip away at the moment of triumph.
Shortly after Henry V’s death, chronicler Thomas Walsingham eulogized him as peerless among Christian kings and princes. Six hundred years later, we’re still talking about him, still making movies about him, still trying to understand him.
For a king who ruled for only nine years, that’s one hell of a legacy.
So what do you think? Was Henry V England’s greatest warrior king? A brilliant military leader whose domestic policies were lacking? A complex figure who was both heroic and brutal? Or all of the above? His story continues to fascinate because there are no easy answers – just like the man himself.
