16 September, 1387.

King Henry V was the second king in the house of Lancaster, all of whose kings were called Henry. He followed his father, King Henry IV and was succeeded by his son, King Henry VI.

Length of reign:

9 years and 5 months.

Henry married Katherine of Valois, daughter of King Charles VI of France at Troyes Cathedral, France. The marriage was an important part of the alliance agreed with the Burgundians, culminating in the Treaty of Troyes which recognised King Henry V as heir to the French throne.

King Henry V is often considered to be one of the finest kings ever to rule England. Certainly his reputation was considerably aided by the work done of his behalf by later writers, such as William Shakespeare but his achievements are unquestionably noteworthy. These were largely a result of his foreign policy in relation to France, which had occupied the attention of medieval rulers for over a century. Henry set his sights on re-acquiring the lands of the Angevin Kings and particularly the empire of King Henry II (r. 1154 - 1189).

To this end, Henry began negotiations with the French King, Charles VI, but these proved inconclusive. Henry exploited divisions in French society, which was split between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians. Henry allied himself with the latter and invaded. On 25 October 1415 at Agincourt, he faced a French force who outnumbered his own by three to one, yet still triumphed. After further successes, the Treaty of Troyes was signed in 1420, resulting in Henry being recognised as the heir to the French throne and in his taking the daughter of the French king as his wife. His last victory was over the Dauphin (the name given to the eldest son of the French king and therefore the heir to the throne) at Meaux in 1422.

The 34 year old King Henry V stood on the brink of total triumph in 1422. When the French king died, he would inherit the French throne and the empire that was dreamed about by his ancestors would surely be his. Yet the king contracted an illness, probably dysentery, and died amidst the glory of his achievements.

In a cruel twist of fate, some six weeks after Henry died, so too did the French king. King Henry V had been six weeks away from claiming the French throne.

Another achievement was in managing parliament during these times. Despite needing constant supplies of money, he never faced any real trouble at home, while the government of the country continued without weakening the state. By focussing the attention of the country on France, he helped unify divisions among English society which had been caused by his father's seizure of the throne from the last Plantagenet king, Richard II.

There are some historians who claim that many of the historical achievements of Henry V have been distorted after his death. He died young at the height of his powers which traditionally enhances a historical profile and he was aided by a number of writers in later generations who contributed to his legend. Much of this legend concerns his apparent transition from playboy Prince to responsible king.

One potential criticism is the time he spent away from his kingdom. Although England was stable and its government did not suffer, by leaving government to advisors and councillors in his absence, he may in the long term have been contributing to a weakening of the monarch's powers in relation to parliament. It would be harsh to single out Henry V in doing this however, as he was no different to other medieval monarchs before him.

It might perhaps be the case that Henry's low points lay ahead of him. His reign had culminated in his being accepted by the Burgundians as heir to the throne of France, having enjoyed great military successes over the old enemy on the way. Had he lived to take the throne however, would he really have been able to govern both kingdoms together? He may have spent the rest of his life fighting French factions, relying yet further on parliamentary goodwill and even perhaps living to see it all lost. Dying young at the height of his glory secured his reputation and left the potential consequences to his son, who unfortunately was not ready to understand them.

The battle which took place at Agincourt in October 1415 is one of the most famous in English history. Henry's forces were hugely outnumbered and yet he still won the battle. This was largely achieved through his use of the longbow as a long range battle weapon. It enabled the English to win a magnificent and unexpected victory and was the stepping stone for further raids into France. Around 10,000 French nobles were estimated to have lost their lives at Agincourt, the cream of the French nobility.

'If we are marked to die, we are enough
To do our country loss.  And if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will, I pray thee wish not one man more.'
Shakespeare's account of Henry V's speech to his men at the battle of Agincourt (Henry V, Act IV, Scene III)