Tag: Battle of Agincourt

Book Review: “Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England’s Greatest Warrior King” by Dan Jones

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English history is filled with kings who had to fight for their crown, both at home and away in foreign lands. Men like William the Conqueror, Henry II, Henry IV, Edward IV, and Henry VII can be considered warrior kings, but one stands above them all. He only ruled for a little over nine years, but he proved his worth time and time again, especially against his French adversaries, and secured the crown of France for his young son. He was the son of Henry Bolingbroke, King Henry IV, and the grandson of John of Gaunt. He was Henry V and his story is one of the most remarkable tales in English medieval history, told masterfully in Dan Jones’ latest book, “Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England’s Greatest Warrior King.”

I have been a fan of Dan Jones and his books for a few years now and always jump at the chance to read his latest book. When I heard that he was writing a biography about Henry V, it was an instant pre-order for me because it is Dan Jones’ first biography and I did not know much about Henry V minus the main points about his life and reign.

It was a miracle that Henry V became King of England. Henry was the son of Henry Bolingbroke and Mary de Bohun, the grandson of John of Gaunt, and cousin to King Richard II. He was the son of an Appellant lord who was banished from England for opposing Richard II, so the likelihood that he would even be the next Duke of Lancaster was significantly small. Jones shows his audience what Henry’s childhood was like before his father was banished and after he returned and took the throne from Richard II. It was a dramatic change for the young man as it meant that he had to adapt to life as the Prince of Wales, which meant that he had to fight for English control of Wales and against those who also claimed his title, primarily Owain Glyndwr and the Percy family (including Henry Hotspur Percy). The fight for Wales culminated in the Battle of Shrewsbury where Henry Percy died and the army of Henry IV was victorious. Henry V was shot in the face with an arrow and almost died, but Doctor John Bradmore saved his life.

After the arrow incident, we see a different side of the young Prince as he is more mindful of religious matters. When his father Henry IV falls ill, we also see Prince Henry take more of a leading role in politics as part of a council meant to help the king rule England. When Henry IV died on March 20, 1413, the young King Henry V was ready to rule. He believes that to be a strong ruler, he must show it by facing the English’s mortal enemies, primarily France, in battle. He led England to great victories against the French, including the Battle of Agincourt, which was marked as one of the greatest victories for the English during the Wars of the Roses. Henry V was a competent ruler who made England a powerhouse in European history. He was able to secure the French throne for his young son Henry VI, the only child of Henry V and his wife Catherine of Valois before the great warrior king died on August 30, 1422.

I was thoroughly impressed with this biography and I am surprised that it took Dan Jones this long to write a biography. You can tell his passion for the life of Henry V through every page. I hope Jones will write another biography soon. If you are a Dan Jones fan, a medievalist, or just a fan of fantastic biographies, I highly suggest you read, “Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England’s Greatest Warrior King” by Dan Jones.

Book Review: “A Good Deliverance” by Toby Clements

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A Good DeliveranceThe world of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table is filled with stories of adventures and romance. Many authors have tried to tell these tales in a way that will allow their books to live for centuries, but none were more successful than Sir Thomas Malory and his book Le Morte Darthur. King Arthur, Lady Guinevere, Sir Lancelot, Merlin, and Sir Gawain embark on numerous adventures including the Lady of the Lake, Camelot, the sword Excalibur, and the Quest for the Holy Grail. These tales were the epitome of chivalry and valiant knights in shining armor, but the author behind them was anything but perfect. Sir Thomas Malory has had his fair share of time in a prison cell. Who was Sir Thomas Malory and why did his book about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table still resonate with readers centuries after it was written? In his latest novel, “A Good Deliverance,” Toby Clements hopes to reveal the truth of this famous author whose story has been overshadowed by the myths he wrote down in his legendary tome.

I would like to thank Faber Books for sending me a copy of this novel. I have heard about the book Morte Darthur, as it is considered one of the most prominent texts about King Arthur, but when it comes to the author himself, I know nothing about his life. When I heard about this novel, the premise intrigued me enough to read it.

Clements begins his novel with Malory’s surprise arrest at a very old age. Malory is unsure why he has returned to prison as he has tried to live an honest life after he spent some time in the same cell over 20 years ago. He is at the mercy of King Edward IV. While imprisoned, waiting for word from his lawyer, Malory befriends a boy who is the son of one of the jailers named Brunt and he tells the young man his tale. Malory was the son of a knight who fought under King Henry IV in the search for the Welsh miscreant Owen Glendower. We get to see Malory become a knight and his fascination for King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table that would become his magnum opus Morte Darthur. We see Malory’s moments of glory and utter defeat, his rivals, and the women that he admired from afar. Through Malory, we get to see how England changed, starting with Henry IV to his son Henry V, the young King Henry VI, and finally the first Yorkist King Edward IV. We also get to witness events such as the year of the 3 popes, the coronation of Henry V, Agincourt, the death of Jeanne d’Arc, the coronations of King Henry VI, and the beginning of the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses.

In a way, Clements created his Arthurian legend for Sir Thomas Malory with the way he chose to write this novel. However, it was the structure of this novel that bothered me when I was reading it, specifically the bullet points that Clements chose to include. When I am reading a novel, I want to read a cohesive piece, but the bullet points made it feel messy, which was probably used to simulate Malory as a storyteller figuring out what he wants to say to his young audience and what he wants to omit, however, it was just irritating for me to read. I don’t mind bullet points in nonfiction books, but it just doesn’t work for me in historical fiction. As for the main character, Sir Thomas Malory is okay, but there were moments where he rubbed me the wrong way. I did, however, enjoy his relationship with the boy.

Overall, it was a decent book. I think there were elements that I didn’t enjoy entirely, but the way Clements was able to incorporate the changes of the 15th century with the Arthurian legends to tell the story of this author was very unique. I think if you are a fan of Sir Thomas Mallory, the Arthurian legends, or the events of the 15th century, you might enjoy, “A Good Deliverance” by Toby Clements.

Movie Review: “The King”

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MV5BOGZhMWFhMTAtNGM3Ni00MTdhLTg3NmMtMDViYTc5ODVkZWVlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,674,1000_AL_There is a new film that has been getting a lot of hype lately and that is based on the story of King Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt. Starring Timothee Chalamet as the main protagonist King Henry V, “The King” on Netflix is the latest historical drama movie that has come out this year. From the trailers and the information that we learned about the film before it was released, I was really intrigued, so I decided to watch it this weekend. Since there were a lot of things I wanted to discuss, I have decided to write a sort of movie review for “The King”.

The film starts with trouble brewing between King Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn), the usurper King who is dying, and Henry “Hotspur” Percy. We are introduced to Henry V as a young Prince of Wales who simply wants to cause havoc, drink, and have fun with his friends. When I first saw Timothee Chalamet in this role, I felt like he was a moody teenager who could care less about his country or his father, who he, for some reason, hates. Henry IV decides that Henry, also known as “Hal”, is not good enough to be king, so he is replaced by his younger brother, Thomas of Lancaster. This is so odd because from what we know of this time, Henry IV trusted Henry V to take care of England while he was ill.

The angsty prince “Hal” leaves and decides to hang out with his best friend, Sir John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton), who would become one of his closest allies. Falstaff would be there for Hal after he killed Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury, which in this film turns out to be a fistfight with a knife between the two men, which is won by Henry V naturally. It felt kind of awkward, especially when you notice that Thomas Beaufort (also known as Dorset in the film) is on the sideline supporting Hotspur instead of Henry V. Beaufort was extremely loyal to Henry V throughout his reign. It was here where Henry V got his noticeable scar from an arrow that hit him in the face, but the film really doesn’t show the scar.

After his brother Thomas dies off-screen, Henry V becomes King after his father dies. The coronation scene, albeit short, looked somewhat accurate, which is a plus. As king, Henry is unsure of his abilities and relies on men who he considers his allies. Those who do study this time period know that Henry V was known as a warrior king, yet for some reason, the director of this film wanted to make Henry rather a pacificist. He wants to get along with the French rather than go to war with them. This was the middle of the Hundred Years’ War. England hated France and vice versa. For this young king to want to make peace with the French was unheard of and so out of character for what we know about King Henry V. I really did not agree with this call.

It was not until after there were several attempts on Henry’s life by the French that Henry finally decides to attack France directly. It is here in the battles and sieges that Henry V would gain his warrior king title and I think that the film does a pretty good job showing some of the aspects of the invasion of France. The use of trebuchets for the siege scene was just fun to watch, even though this was just one siege of perhaps dozens that happened during the invasion. While we are in France, we are introduced to Robert Pattinson’s character the Dauphin of France. This might sound controversial, but I wasn’t impressed with his portrayal of the Dauphin. I felt like his accent felt fake, almost like he was mocking the French, and I didn’t see why he needed to have his hair dyed blond. Pattinson’s character was more of a buffoon than a serious adversary. Another thing that irked me was when Henry knelt in front of the Dauphin. Henry is a King. The Dauphin was a French Prince. It seemed really odd to do this since they were adversaries.

To me, the biggest highlight of this film was the actual Battle of Agincourt. The conditions of the field of battle were a muddy mess with the French at an advantage. The English marching in their suits of armor towards their enemy while the archers were in the back, raining arrows down on the French. Seeing Henry and Falstaff fighting in the mud with their men. It felt like it truly honored the battle well. The one issue I had with it was when Henry and Falstaff took off their helmets. I was literally yelling at them to put their helmets back on. It is one thing to see an actor’s face when they are doing a battle scene, but this just seemed utterly ridiculous to me.

A few more side notes that I wanted to include. I think the soundtrack of this film was wonderful and really captured the mood of the film. They used a lot of daggers and battle-axes instead of swords when it came to fighting one on one. The costumes felt appropriate, but the colors of the outfits felt rather mute with greys, blacks, blues, and shades of white. There were points where I thought that Chalamet was wearing a pair of jean like pants and a hoodie under his chain mail, but it might have just been me. I wanted a touch more color. The scenery was fantastic and really gave a medieval feel to the film. Finally, I wanted more Catherine of Valois (Lily-Rose Depp). We see her at the very end of the film, but I wanted more interaction between Catherine and Henry.

Overall, I actually really enjoyed “The King”. It kind of shocked me because I thought that I was going to sit through the movie and nitpick so much that I wouldn’t enjoy the film. Yet I did. It is definitely not historically accurate, but it blends the Shakespearean plays and historical information into something new. If you want a completely accurate film about Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt, this might not be the film for you. However, if you want a different interpretation of Henry V and Agincourt just for fun, “The King” on Netflix is a film that you should check out.

Biography: Richard Duke of York

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richarddukeofyork-243x300Also known as Richard Plantagenet. (Born September 21, 1411- Died December 30, 1460). Son of Richard Earl of Cambridge and Anne Mortimer. Married to Cecily Neville. Father of Anne, Duchess of Exeter, Edward IV, King of England, Edmund, Earl of Rutland, Elizabeth, Duchess of Suffolk, Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard III, King of England. Richard Duke of York was the one who became Lord Protector to Henry VI, but when he didn’t get the respect he thought he deserved, challenged the king and claimed that he should be king, and started the Wars of the Roses.

Richard of York was born on 21 September 1411. He was the son of Richard, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, by his wife Anne de Mortimer, the daughter of Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March. Anne Mortimer was the great-granddaughter of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, the second surviving son of King Edward III. After the death in 1425 of Anne’s brother Edmund, the 5th Earl of March, this supplied Richard, of the House of York, with a claim to the English throne that was, under English law, arguably superior to that of the reigning House of Lancaster, descended from John of Gaunt, the third son of King Edward III. On his father’s side, Richard had a claim to the throne in a direct male line of descent from his grandfather Edmund, 1st Duke of York, fourth surviving son of King Edward III and founder of the House of York. Richard’s claim through his mother made him more eligible to be king than Henry VI, thus he adopted the last name “Plantagenet” in 1448 to mark his claim to the throne.

Richard’s mother is said to have died giving birth to him and his father was executed  in 1415 for his part in the Southampton plot that tried to remove Henry V from the throne and replace him with Edmund Mortimer. His father’s titles were forfeited, but not attainted, which meant that Richard at 4 years old, became his father’s heir. A few months later, Richard’s uncle Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, was slain at the Battle of Agincourt on October 25, 1415. Henry V decided to give the lands of the Duchy of York to Richard.

Richard was an orphan and he was considered property of the crown. His wardship was a very valued gift of the crown and it was granted to Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland. Ralph Neville had a large family, 20 children who survived infancy,  with many daughters who needed husbands, so in 1424, Neville betrothed Richard to his daughter Cecily Neville. On February 2, 1425, Richard was created Duke of York, after his uncle Edmund Mortimer died. In October 1425, Ralph Neville died and his widow Joan Beaufort was given the wardship of Richard, which was even more valuable since Richard was now the Duke of York. On May 19, 1426 he was knighted at St Mary de Castro in Leicester by John, Duke of Bedford, the younger brother of King Henry V. In October 1429 or earlier, Richard and Cecily were married. York was there for Henry VI’s coronation on November 6, 1430 and he was also at Henry VI’s coronation in France when he became king of France on December 16, 1431. Finally, on May 12, 1432, York was finally given full control over his estates.

York was loyal to Henry VI and the Lancasters in the beginning. He worked with John Duke of Bedford, who was the English regent in France. Bedford died in 1435 and York took on the responsibility of being governor of France and Normandy from 1436 to 1437 and 1440 to 1445. At this time, York  was neutral in politics, but he seemed to have sided with Humphrey Duke of Gloucester in the idea of continuing the war with France. York wanted to apart of Henry VI’s council, but he was not allowed. On his return to England in 1450 York was seen as the opponent of the Duke of Somerset. He was as popular as Somerset was not and York had powerful allies in the Nevilles. In 1451, there was a claim in Parliament that York should be the next heir to the throne because the king did not have a son. This claim was not taken seriously and the one who proposed this was imprisoned.  

In 1452, York declared that he wanted to be the next heir to the throne so he summoned an army to march on London. It didn’t go well and York was placed on house arrest for two weeks and then he was forced to give an oath of allegiance to the king and promised that if he did want to pursue his claim, he would do it in a legal manner.

In the summer of 1453, York had lost all hope of becoming king and changing the government for the better as Margaret of Anjou became pregnant and the king’s half brother Edmund Tudor married Margaret Beaufort. Then in August of 1453, Henry VI had his first bout with mental illness reared its ugly head. He heard about the Battle of Castillon in Gascony, which ended the English hopes of winning the Hundred Years’ War, sending him into an unresponsive state. The Council decided to elect York as Lord Protector and one of the first things he did was to have Somerset arrested and placed in the Tower. In October of the same year, the son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, Edward of Westminster Prince of Wales, was born dashing York’s chances of becoming the heir by peaceful means. York remained Lord Protector until 1455 when Henry VI recovered. Henry VI released Somerset and basically reversed every decision that York had made while he was Protector. This was the last straw for York.

York and his Neville allies, including Richard Neville, Duke of Warwick, marched to St. Albans where they faced off against Somerset and the Lancastrian forces that supported the king. Somerset was killed during the  First Battle of St Albans on May 22, 1455, and shortly after, the king had another bout of mental illness. York was declared Lord Protector yet again, but was removed from his post when the king recovered in 1456, but the king had accepted York and the Nevilles as an important part of the government. This reconciliation would not last long.

It was then that Margaret of Anjou took up her husband’s cause. She encouraged the new duke of Somerset Henry Beaufort to fight against York. The battlelines were being drawn. The Yorkists were led by Richard duke of York, Richard Neville earl of Salisbury and his son Richard Neville earl of Warwick. The Lancastrians were under Henry VI, but led by Margaret of Anjou, Somerset, and Henry Percy, third earl of Northumberland. In 1459, at the battle of Ludlow, the Lancastrians won and sent the Yorkists into hiding; however the Yorkists came back with a vengeance at the battle of Northampton.

In 1460 York officially declared his claim to the throne. After much discussion, it was agreed that after the king died, York and his sons would be the heirs to the throne, removing Edward of Westminster from the line of succession. Henry VI seemed to have been okay with this arrangement, but Margaret was beyond upset. She led the Lancastrian forces to face off against York at the battle of Wakefield on December 30, 1460. York and his son Edmund, Earl of Rutland, were killed in the battle. York was beheaded, his head was put on a spike wearing a paper crown and was displayed over Micklegate Bar at York.

Biography: King Henry V

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mw03074(Born September 16, 1387- Died August 31, 1422). Son of Henry IV and Mary de Bohun. Married to Katherine of Valois. He only had one son Henry VI.

Henry V was a soldier from birth. He did so much for his country, yet he died too soon, leaving his kingdom in the incapable hands of his baby son Henry VI.

At the age of fifteen, Henry V fought alongside his father against the Welsh rebels under Owain Glyn Dwr and the English rebels under Edmund Mortimer and Henry “Hotspur” Percy. Henry’s relationship with his father in the later years of Henry IV’s life was not great. The two argued about many issues, but it was mostly about the English involvement in France. Henry IV wanted to press his claim to the French throne while France was in the midst of a civil war between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs; Henry IV supported the Armagnacs while Henry V supported the Burgundians. This issue would never be resolved between them as Henry IV would die in 1413 and Henry V became king.

As king, Henry V desired to regain the lands in France that he believed was rightfully his, but unlike his father, he was able to get the full support of Parliament to do so. Henry V tried to negotiate with the French to regain all of the old Angevin Empire,  but when that failed, he invaded on August 11, 1415. On October 25, 1415, the Battle of Agincourt took place. Even though the French had the English outnumbered, the English had longbowmen. The French lost some 6,000 men whereas the English only lost 400 men.

Agincourt was a tremendous victory for the English, but the French refused to fall. Henry V gained support from Sigismund, the Holy Roman Emperor and John, duke of Burgundy and started a new campaign in August 1417. In the spring of 1419, Normandy fell to Henry V. In May 1420, Henry V signed the Treaty of Troyes with the Burgundians which recognized him and his heirs  as heir to the French throne. In order to cement this new alliance, he married the daughter of the French King Katherine of Valois.

Everything seemed right in Henry’s kingdom, but he still wanted to gain more French land. In 1421, he went back to France and was able to gain control of the Dauphin’s stronghold of Meaux in May 1422. Unfortunately, in the winter of 142, Henry V fell ill from dysentery and died on August 31, 1422. He left his kingdom in the hands of his infant son Henry VI. Even though Henry V’s reign was one of the shortest of any English king since the Norman Conquest, it was one of the most successful. England was in a position of power on the world stage thanks to the actions of Henry V.