Henry V of England

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Henry V
Miniature in the Regement of Princes by Thomas Hoccleve, c. 1411–1413
King of England (more...)
Reign	21 March 1413 – 31 August 1422
Coronation	9 April 1413
Predecessor	Henry IV
Successor	Henry VI
Regent of France
Regency	21 May 1420 – 31 August 1422
Monarch	Charles VI
Born	16 September 1386 Monmouth Castle, Wales
Died	31 August 1422 (aged 35) Château de Vincennes, Kingdom of France
Burial	7 November 1422 Westminster Abbey, London
Spouse	Catherine of Valois ​ (m. 1420)​
Issue	Henry VI
House	Lancaster
Father	Henry IV of England
Mother	Mary de Bohun
Signature

Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. 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. Immortalised in Shakespeare's "Henriad" plays, Henry is known and celebrated as one of the greatest warrior-kings of medieval England.

During the reign of his father, Henry IV, the young Prince Henry gained military experience fighting the Welsh during the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr, and against the powerful Percy family of Northumberland, playing a central part at the Battle of Shrewsbury, despite being just sixteen years of age. As he entered adulthood, Henry played an increasingly central role in England's government, due to the declining health of his father, but disagreements between king and heir led to political conflict between the two. After his father's death in March 1413, Henry ascended to the throne of England and assumed complete control of the country, also reviving the historic English claim to the French throne.

In 1415, Henry followed in the wake of his great-grandfather, Edward III, by renewing the Hundred Years' War with France, beginning the Lancastrian phase of the conflict (1415–1453). His first military campaign included capturing the port of Harfleur and a famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, which inspired a proto-nationalistic fervour in England. During his second campaign (1417–20), his armies captured Paris and conquered most of northern France, including the formerly English-held Duchy of Normandy. Taking advantage of political divisions within France, Henry put unparalleled pressure on King Charles VI of France ("the Mad"), resulting in the largest holding of French territory by an English king since the Angevin Empire. The Treaty of Troyes (1420) recognised Henry V as regent of France and heir apparent to the French throne, disinheriting Charles's own son, the Dauphin Charles.^[1] Henry was subsequently married to Charles VI's daughter, Catherine of Valois. 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. However, Henry died in August 1422, less than two months before his father-in-law, and was succeeded by his only son and heir, the infant Henry VI.

Analyses of Henry's reign are varied. According to Charles Ross, he was widely praised for his personal piety, bravery, and military genius; Henry was admired even by contemporary French chroniclers. However, his occasionally cruel temperament and lack of focus regarding domestic affairs have made him the subject of criticism. Nonetheless, Adrian Hastings believes his militaristic pursuits during the Hundred Years' War fostered a strong sense of English nationalism and set the stage for the rise of England (later Britain) to prominence as a dominant global power.