Henry V of England
Henry V (16 Henry V, or Henry of Monmouth (September 1386 – 31 August 1422), was the King of England from 1413 to 1422. He was born at Monmouth, Wales. It is not known whether he was born on 9 August 1386 or 16 September 1387. But what we know for sure is that Henry V is the second Lancastrian king of England.
Henry V | |
---|---|
King of England | |
Reign | 21 March 1413 – 31 August 1422 |
Coronation | 9 April 1413 |
Predecessor | Henry IV |
Successor | Henry VI |
Born | 16 September 1386 Monmouth Castle, Wales |
Died | 31 August 1422 (aged 35) Château de Vincennes, France |
Burial | 7 November 1422 |
Spouse | Catherine of Valois (m. 1420) |
Issue | Henry VI of England |
House | Lancaster (Plantagenet) |
Father | Henry IV of England |
Mother | Mary de Bohun |
Signature |
Henry V was the son of Henry Bolingbroke, later Henry IV, and Mary de Bohun, who died before Bolingbroke became king.
Henry IV was very unpopular, because he was actually not the rightful man to the throne. But his son, Henry V became greatly favoured by his people. Before in the war between England and Wales, he and his father had fought the 'Prince of Wales', Glyndwen. After the death of Henry IV, Henry V pardoned him, and went to fight France, claiming that he should be the king of France.
A few decades ago, England had started a century-long war, the 'Hundred Years War' with France. Henry IV had cut the conflict and switched to fighting at home, at the border of Wales. After resuming the war at France, he defeated the French at the famous Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Shakespeare wrote a play about that and made him important in other plays too.
Henry V was important in British politics too. He had created a court system to solve crimes, cases and arguments in justice. Many people liked this democracy. He was also a brilliant military general, who won many battles and ingeniusly defeated armies that were far larger than his. Unfortunately, the next king, his infant heir Henry VI, lost all his gains after he died, and turned England to a chaotic nation. But that is another story.