Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to
be diving into this one. Yeah. Imagine wielding,
you know, absolute power, shaping the destiny
of nations only to have it all snatched away.
It's quite something. It really is. History has
these figures that just loom so large. Absolutely.
And today you're joining us as we delve into
the really tumultuous life of Henry V. He's a
figure whose story Dan Jones recounts so vividly
in his historical biography, Henry V, The Astonishing
Triumph. just keeps fascinating people. It does.
Jones really brings that period to life, doesn't
he? The grit and the sheer unpredictability of
it all. Totally. And if you're keen to understand
the man behind the legend, we've put a link to
Jones's book on Amazon in the description. Definitely
check it out. Yeah, it's a great read. So prepare
to have your understanding of this, well, iconic
king deepened as we explore the complexities
of his reign. And hey, if you enjoy this deep
dive, please hit that like button and subscribe
for more. Okay, so where do we start with Henry?
Context is everything, right? Exactly. Let's
unpack this. Jones kicks off by plunging you
right into that medieval world. Henry's born
September 16, 1386, Monmouth Castle. But it's
not just about a royal birth. No, it's about
the family he's born into, the Lancastrians.
His grandfather, John of Gaunt, I mean, arguably
the most powerful nobleman in England. Right.
Super wealthy, a soldier, diplomat, even a patron
of Chaucer, protector of Wycliffe. Yeah. A huge
figure. Absolutely huge. So young Henry, he inherits
this, this incredible privilege, but also this
immense weight of expectation. And potential
danger, too. Yeah, because the political climate
under Richard II, that was the backdrop, wasn't
it? And it was anything but stable. Not at all.
Richard relied on his favorites, you know, Burley,
De Vere. And that really alienated a lot of the
other nobles. Jones paints him as, what was it?
Flittish, quarrelsome, petulant, not exactly
kingly stability. Doesn't sound like it. And
this created tension. And Henry's father, Bolingbroke,
he's right in the thick of it. And Bolingbroke's
marriage to Mary de Boel, that was significant
too, right? Bringing in those big earldoms, Hereford,
Essex, Northampton. Hugely significant. It boosted
Lancastrian power, but probably made Richard
II even more wary of them. And young Henry loses
his mother quite early on. Ah, yes. Mary de Bohan.
Jones suggests that loss might have fostered
his love for music, learning, books, God. Gave
him that serious side, maybe. It's plausible.
Then you have Bolingbroke getting involved with
the appellants, challenging Richard directly.
That whole business, the Battle of Radcot Bridge,
Devere getting beaten in exile. That was a direct
poke at the king's authority. And Richard II
wasn't the forgiving type, apparently. He wanted
revenge for that. Which directly leads to Bolingbroke's
problems later on. Richard sets up that duel
between Bolingbroke and Mowbray, then exiles
them both. Seems decisive. It looked that way.
But then, 1399, Richard makes the mistake of
going off to Ireland. Just as John of Gaunt dies.
Perfect timing for Bolingbroke. Too perfect,
perhaps. He comes back, supposedly just to claim
his inheritance. Yeah, right. Nobody really bought
that, did they? Jones makes it clear it was seen
as a power grab. And it worked. Richard is deposed.
Bolingbroke becomes Henry IV. Imagine being young
Henry, maybe 12 or 13, watching your dad overthrow
the king. Talk about upheaval. Must have been
formative, to say the least. And then boom, suddenly
he's showered with titles. Oh yeah, almost overnight,
Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester,
Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Aquitaine. A lot.
It wasn't just for show, either. It was signaling
the new dynasty, Henry's crucial role. He even
had a sort of mini -coronation. Setting him up
as the clear heir. And they didn't just wrap
him in cotton wool. He gets thrown into the deep
end pretty quick. Right into the Welsh Rebellion.
Owain Glynder. That was a serious, long -running
fight. And Henry's right there. He even loses
Conwy Castle at one point that has to win it
back. His dad's teaching him the ropes, apparently.
How to defend castles. A brutal but... Necessary
apprenticeship, you could say, because Glinder
wasn't just some minor rebel. No, he was smart,
used guerrilla tactics, tried to get alliances
with Scotland, Ireland. And you had those persistent
rumors that Richard II was still alive somewhere.
That just added fuel to the fire, constantly
undermining Henry V's legitimacy. Made young
Henry's job in Wales even harder, I bet. Definitely.
And then that instability boils over into the
Percy Rebellion in 1403. Hotspur. Fueled partly
by those Richard II rumors again, leads straight
to the Battle of Shrewsbury. Big one. Hotspur
gets killed. And Henry himself gets wounded.
That famous head wound. Oh yeah, the arrow. Yeah.
Or shard to the face. And that incredible surgery
by John Bradmore, Jones really highlights how
dicey that was. Utterly perilous. Removing an
arrowhead stuck in the bone next to the eye.
Without modern medicine. Amazing he survived.
Makes you wonder how that brush with death affected
him. Jones mentions him visiting Walsingham,
the pilgrimage site, around then. We can only
speculate, of course, but facing your own mortality
like that, so young amid all that political chaos?
Yeah. It must have left a mark. Shaped his purpose,
maybe. Could well have done. And even after Freesbury,
the challenges didn't stop, did they? Henry V's
reign was never totally secure. Not really. More
conspiracies kept popping up. Fake Richard II,
the Mortimer claimed to the throne. It was relentless.
And as Henry IV's health starts to fail, young
Henry gets more involved in actual governing.
Yeah, they set up royal councils. Parliament
even starts recognizing him as fit to govern.
You can see the transition happening. He's building
his own reputation, especially with his military
experience in Wales, even if Glynder wasn't totally
defeated yet. And key enemies start dying off
Northumberland, the younger Mortimer. That strengthens
the Lancastrian hand. But it also seems to create
this... This tension between father and son.
Jones describes it as almost having two kings.
You get that sense of Henry V being impatient,
right? His father's ill, fading, and Henry's
ready. He wants the crown. And then March 1413,
Henry V dies. And Henry V steps up immediately.
And quite smoothly, considering everything that
had gone before. No major opposition to him taking
the throne. The coronation's April 9th, 1413.
Apparently there was terrible weather, seen as
an omen. Chroniclers interpreted it both ways,
apparently. Yeah. Austerity to come, but also
that he'd stamp out vice. You know, medieval
interpretations. Right. And one of his first
moves is interesting. He buries his father properly
in Canterbury, near Becket's shrine, showing
respect despite the past tensions. And then adopts
this policy of reconciliation, reaching out to
old enemies, pardoning plotters. Which makes
you ask, was that genuine forgiveness or just
smart politics, consolidating his power? Probably
a bit of both, wouldn't you say? Yeah. He needed
stability. Bringing former enemies into the fold
was a good way to achieve that. But he also kept
experienced people from his dad's government,
like the Bufords, alongside his own guys. Shows
a practical streak. But he faces domestic trouble
pretty quickly with the Lollards, Old Castle's
rebellion in January 1414. Yeah, the Lollards
were religious dissenters. Henry hits back hard
and fast against the uprising. But Jones notes
he also showed some mercy, right? Not just wholesale
slaughter. Some were executed, but others imprisoned
or pardoned later. It highlights his commitment
to orthodoxy, religious stability, and the law.
Archbishop Arundel was pushing hard against the
Lollards, too, of course. Henry seemed determined
to bring order. That whole Oyster's Parable Jones
mentions may be more symbolic than literal, but
illustrating his approach to fair justice. Possibly.
Trying to show he'd enforce the law for everyone.
But you get the sense his mind is already turning
elsewhere. Across the channel. France. Absolutely.
Those old English claims to the French throne?
They're clearly on his agenda. He even builds
the Pleasance at Kenilworth. Jones suggests it
was partly a place to think about the challenge
of France. And then comes the famous story, the
tennis balls. Ah, yes. The Dauphin supposedly
sends him tennis balls, mocking his youth, whether
it actually happened exactly like that or not.
It served its purpose, didn't it? Henry's furious
response, it galvanizes him, gives him perfect
propaganda for war. Exactly. It solidifies his
determination. And then the preparations begin
in earnest for 1415. Huge scale. Massive undertaking.
Ships, soldiers, supplies, money, all meticulously
planned. But even then, right on the verge of
leaving, there's that internal threat, the Southampton
plot. Crikey, yeah. Cambridge, Scrope, Gray,
conspiring against him. Scrope had been close
to him, too. Which makes Henry's reaction even
more striking. Right. Ruthless. No hesitation,
no leniency. Executions right before they sail.
Sends a brutal message, doesn't it? Don't cross
me. Sets the tone for the campaign. It certainly
does. So off they go to France. First stop, Harfleur.
And that wasn't easy. Tough landing, tough siege.
Henry gives the ultimatum. And then kicks most
of the citizens out, repopulates it with English
settlers. That's a statement of intent right
there. Long -term plan. Definitely. Then comes
the march towards Calais, and that turns into
a nightmare. Oh, absolutely. The French have
broken the bridges over the Somme. Supplies are
running low. Disease is hitting the army. Morale
must have been plummeting. And Henry imposes
incredibly strict discipline. That story of hanging
the soldier for stealing from a church. Shows
his iron will, but also the desperation, maybe.
Keeping control in dire circumstances. And all
this leads up to October 25th, 1415. Agincourt.
The big one. The English are massively outnumbered.
Conditions are terrible. Muddy field. And yet.
Henry's leadership, that famous speech, whatever
the exact words were. Clearly worked. The English
longbowman, the terrain, French mistakes. Yeah.
It leads to this absolutely stunning, unexpected
victory. Astonishing, but controversial too.
The killing of the prisoners. Deeply troubling
for us now. Jones puts it in context, though
the brutality of the time, the alleged French
threats beforehand, the focus then being on the
sheer number of French nobles killed. Still,
it's a dark stain. No doubt. But the victory
itself was undeniable. His return to London,
pure triumph. Huge celebrations. Parliament's
thrilled, grants him loads of money, recognizes
his achievements. He's at the peak of his prestige.
But he doesn't just rest on his laurels, does
he? He's thinking bigger picture, European politics,
papal schism, even a crusade. Always thinking
strategically. He visits St. Weinfried's Well
back in Wales in 1416, maybe reflecting, and
then welcomes Emperor Sigismund to England. Forging
alliances. Using his Agincourt fame diplomatically.
Smart. And then he gears up for round two in
France, 1417. Yeah, but this time it's different.
Not just a raid, but a full -scale conquest of
Normandy. Sieges of cane, fillets, grinding methodical
work, even destroying abbeys and cane during
the fighting. And crucially, he's not just conquering,
he's administering. Setting up government, encouraging
settlers, minting coins, claiming the French
throne. This is annexation. You're making it
English territory. Meanwhile, things are still
happening back home. Old Castle finally gets
caught and executed in 1417. Heresy and treason
ties up that loose end. But France itself is
tearing itself apart, isn't it? Oh, the Burgundian
-Armagnac Civil War. Utter chaos. Which, frankly,
helps Henry enormously. No question. The Burgundians
even take Paris. While Henry's busy besieging
Rouen. And that siege, 1418 into 1419, brutal.
Jones describes the suffering of the people inside.
Awful stuff. But Henry doesn't let up. He's strategically
relentless. Rouen's fall is massive. Basically
secures Normandy. And sets the stage for the
ultimate prize. The Treaty of Troyes in 1420.
Quite incredible, really. The treaty recognizes
Henry as heir to the French throne, regent of
France. And he marries Catherine of Valois, the
French king's daughter. He's basically won. On
paper, anyway. King of England and soon to be
king of France. It seems like the absolute peak.
But Jones raises the question. could it actually
work governing both kingdoms? Yeah, the logistics
alone. And the English parliament wasn't entirely
thrilled about a permanent union either, were
they? There were definitely underlying concerns.
And then things start to go slightly wrong. Setbacks?
The defeat at Beaujolais in 1421. His brother
Thomas gets killed there. A big blow. Personal
and strategic loss. Henry has to go back to France
himself, even though his own health is starting
to decline. Still pushing on. The siege of Meaux
is one of his last campaigns. He's clearly unwell
by this point. But his mind is still active,
isn't it? Still thinking big. He commissions
that guy, Gilbert Lenoy, to scout the Holy Land
for a future crusade. Even while he's fading.
Amazing ambition. But the illness wins in the
end. August 31st, 1422, near Paris. He dies.
So young, really. Given everything he achieved,
it's remarkably short reign in the grand scheme
of things. And his legacy, it's complicated,
isn't it? Very. Immediately, his baby son, Henry
VI, inherits this huge, unwieldy, dual kingdom.
Which, spoiler alert, Doesn't end well. No. And
values on Henry V himself have swung back and
forth over the centuries. Paragon of kingship.
Ruthless conqueror. Shakespeare obviously gave
us the heroic version, which is hugely influential.
But the history, as Jones shows, is much more
complex. Brilliance, piety, ruthlessness, ambition.
all mixed together. And you see the contrast
starkly after his death. His brother Bedford
tries to hold on to France, does pretty well
for a while. But ultimately, it all unravels.
All those gains in France are lost within a generation.
Makes you question the whole enterprise. It really
does. Well, thank you for joining us on this
deep dive into Henry V's life and times. It's
quite a story. Absolutely fascinating. So what
was your favorite aha moment or maybe the most
surprising thing you learned today? Let us know
in the comments. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Yeah, definitely share your thoughts. And please
like and share this discussion if you found it
interesting. Okay, so we'll leave you with this
final thought to mull over. Think about that
balance between ambition and legacy. Did Henry
V's relentless drive for triumph, for conquest,
ultimately serve his long -term goals for England
and France? Or did it actually undermine them?
And what might have happened if he hadn't died
so young? What could European history have looked
like? Something to ponder. Thanks for listening.