The Warrior King and the Invasion of France: Henry V, Agincourt, and the Campaign that Shaped Medieval England

by Desmond Seward

Presenting a radical new look at Henry V―as a brilliant and brutal warmonger―this dynamic historical narrative will change our modern attitudes toward this warrior king. In the course of the Hundred Years War, Henry V was the English figure most responsible for the mutual antipathy that existed between France and England. His art of attacking an opponent by making total war on civilians, as well as soldiers, created tremendous distrust and enmity between the two countries, which survives even to this day. He was a man of many contradictions, a perverse mix of rigorous orthodoxy―exemplified by his fanatical and intolerant religion―and of neurotic insecurity, stemming in part from the dubious nature of his claim to the English throne.

Henry V owed his popularity at home to victories against the French that gratified an emerging English nationalism. A tremendously ardent military strategist who experimented with ballistics and built the first English navy, at the time of his early death at the age of thirty-six he controlled one-third of modern-day France.

Utilizing new discoveries from local French historical societies, Desmond Seward draws a portrait of Henry V that shows him as a brilliant military strategist, ambitious conqueror, and, at least briefly, triumphant warrior king. 16 pages of color and B&W photographs

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, British Literature, France, Medieval History, European History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Desmond Seward was an Anglo-Irish popular historian and the author of over two dozen books. He was educated at Ampleforth and St, Catherine's College, Cambridge. He was a specialist in England and France in the Middle Ages and the author of some thirty books, including biographies of Eleanor of Aquitane, Henry V, Richard III, Marie Antoinette and Metternich.

Reviews

[J. Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good biography on the victor of Agincourt, the founder of failed-from-the-start "Lancastrian France," and an early bankrupter of the British crown.

Henry V was not the admirable and fun-loving "Prince Hal" or the man of Shakespeare's play but an overly ambitious, not as pious as he'd like you to think kind of guy. Not Trumpish is his general assholery, but far too interested in taking France for England than in keeping his home Kingdom happy and content.

I am not dismayed nor shocked, but it's amusing to recall how much of our ideas of British history comes from Shakespeare, and not from the historical record.

Recommended!

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable and well-researched work.

Seward provides vivid portraits of Henry’s allies and enemies. The narrative is well-organized, and Seward does a fine job covering relevant issues like the terrible shape of the royal finances and Henry’s treatment of the civilian population.

The book may strike some as overly simplistic. It’s based mostly on secondary sources, and the writing is often dull. Seward often writes confidently about what Henry must have been thinking or feeling. He also devotes a lot of space to the atrocities of Henry’s army (he seems to enjoy reminding the reader of these), and often blames them on Henry’s ambition. At one point he even claims that Henry’s invasion caused more damage than Hitler’s.

Seward also considers Henry an overrated figure. His coverage of Henry during the Agincourt campaign and Henry’s skill as a strategist and commander is adequate, but it seems like Seward wants to get that part over with as soon as possible, and often refers to Henry as a cynical conniver and intriguer. At one point Seward writes that Henry had no intention of using peaceful means to secure his inheritance, wanted war at all costs, and used diplomacy merely to discredit the French. Seward seems to miss the point. Henry's invasion was imminent, he didn't expect the French to concede more, and his final letter to Charles VI was a useful propaganda tool. But this wasn't cynicism on Henry's part, rather it was Henry following the medieval laws of war. If Henry wanted to make the case that his cause was just, then he had to be careful to take all the steps, like consulting parliament, informing Europe's princes and the church, and laying out his case to the enemy.

Still, a solid and informative history overall.

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This history of King Henry V of England opens with the author's self-congratulatory note about how he's been critical of Henry V, despite the medieval king's widespread acclaim. And indeed, this book is critical of the otherwise popular king and the author does lay out some evidence that while Henry was victorious on the battlefield (most notably at Agincourt), he lacked the funding, bureaucracy, and affection to translate his victories into long-term success. Furthermore, Henry waged a brutal war on France that did not endear the conquered to their conqueror. While I can buy the argument to a degree (the Hundred Years War began before Henry V and continued after him), I do wish it had been better written - Desmond Seward is no narrative genius and having read some of his other books, I'm skeptical of his sources. Still, this book can serve as a general introduction to Henry V and how England came, for a brief period, to occupy a large portion of France. And finally, I was intrigued, as I often am in histories of this particular period, by Henry V's brother John, Duke of Bedford - more should be written about this man!

[Nicholas Najjar · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Siege of Harfleur, 1415]

The gates of mercy shall be all shut up,
And the fleshed soldier, rough and hard of heart,
In liberty of bloody hand, shall range
With conscience wide as hell, mowing like grass
Your fresh fair virgins and your flowering infants.
What is it then to me if impious war,
Arrayed in flames like to the prince of fiends,
Do with his smirched complexion all fell feats Enlink’d to waste and desolation?
What is it to me, when you yourselves are cause,
If your pure maidens fall into the hand Of hot and forcing violation?
What rein can hold licentious wickedness

- King Henry V, William Shakespeare (1599).

The scourge of God.

[Ian O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very smoothly written history describing Henry V - a "great man" who nonetheless exploited the French civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians to occupy the country and bring great misery to the French. Son of a usurper, victory in France was meant to confer legitimacy on Henry's regime - instead this "Norman invasion in reverse" was ultimately unsustainable, and after his early death, quickly undone. Despite outward displays of piety & chivalry, 'Mr Massacre' created a lasting legacy of resentment among the French.

[Berry Muhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up primarily for the subtitle's mention of Agincourt. This is not a historical epoch that has interested me much, but I do love military technology, and understood that battle to be a watershed moment in terms of tactics.

I learned quite a lot beyond that, though. This book is intended to be revisionist, calling into question the standard thinking on Henry V as a benevolent ruler and model for English monarchy. Not having been aware of that standard thinking per se, I'm not in any position to question Seward's version of events, and he does convincingly batter away at some of the claims of his peers and predecessors. The economic and societal damage wrought on France during the invasion obviously had far-reaching consequences. It is not beyond the realm of imagination that in some ways, the occupation helped bring about the much later famine and privations that led to the French Revolution.

[Emerson Stokes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to medieval history. Probably not as good for an expert medieval history reader (I feel like the way Seward dwells on the crimes of the invasion of France would be old news to many who have heard far worse things) but this book was good for me as someone that delves deeper into more recent history.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not going to rock anyone's medieval world, but it's the epitome of a useful, readable historical resource. Something to reach for on the classroom bookshelf.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok bio of Henry V. Slightly stilted in style, I'm still looking for a Henry V bio to recommend to others.

[Johann Manstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid book on the background, early life and campaigns of Henry V. I believe the author did a good job in building the portrait of Henry, the transformation of his character and how he executed his ambitions as king. Given the length of the book, it does a good job at covering a huge amount of detail in a relatively short amount of space. There are countless points in the work where I found myself researching additional areas that lead to new subjects of interest. To my way of thinking, this invitation to exploration is the mark of a good piece of literature. The book has primary and secondary references, a glossary and index that helps clear up vocabulary used during the time of Henry the V. I would recommend having my cell phone handy to look up additional areas of interest including pictures if you're interested. That makes the reading a much more engrossing and enjoyable read.

[David Eppenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a relatively short but informative biography about the English king of Shakespeare and Band of Brothers fame. It would appear this king is highly regarded as a hero to the English but his exploits are hardly noble or honorable. He managed to conquer a third of France including Paris but did so in such a manner as to doom any real hope of a lasting governance of the territory. He was violent and brutal in the extreme and delusional in his belief of divine support for his actions. In his short life he bit off a great deal more than it was possible to chew and set England on the path to continuous warfare in France and bankruptcy and set the stage for the War of the Roses. While admittedly a military super star, and thus his hero status to the English, his exploits probably did far more harm than good to the welfare of England.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up off the library shelf because all I knew about ole Hank was from the Shakespeare play. This was quite the eye-opener. A detailed, thoroughly researched and fascinating look at the life of a Middle Ages ruler who literally considered himself holier than thou. Not always the easiest read, as the million and a half names or so used throughout of earls and dukes and dauphins and regents and princes and friars and historians... hard to keep track of at times. It also treats the whole of the subject as though the reader has some foreknowledge of English history. Definitely written for an English reader. Not an insurmountable issue, but one you should be aware of.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into English/French history or just interested in the medieval "times", this is a good read. Henry, noted as the "Scourge of God", is dealt with in a multifaceted way. Certainly, he left his impression for cruelty and total war (centuries before Sherman dealt with Atlanta) on the French populous. And, of course by waging endless war on the French, drove the English economy into a hole that had long lasting effects. Yet discounting Henry, the view given of France, the royal threats to the crown and fragmentation of it, at that point in time, was of great interest in addition to the politically, academically and ecclesiastically elements.

[Lori Winslow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and felt like I learned about Henry V, but I was initially put off. Apparantly the author is presenting a point of view that is not commonly shared, and the whole first chapter is him explaining himself. I didn't have any strong previous knowledge so this didn't resonate with me. The author does continue to point out the differences with the popular English view and the differences he has unearthed.

I did have trouble keeping up with all the players involved, but the is due to all the titles everyone used. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Henry V, it really was fascinating.

I did receive a free copy of this book to review.

[Elaine Cougler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry V: The Scourge of God by Desmond Seward. An historical account of the undaunted courage and ferocious vengeance of Henry V of Lancaster during his continuation of the Hundred Years' War with the French up until his death in 1422. This was the son of Henry IV, the Lancastrian who deposed Richard II to establish the Lancastrian kings. Seward maintains that Shakespeare's characterization of Henry V is lacking in truth about his butchery while accurate about his extraordinary skills as a conqueror. A little dry at times buy interesting for its objectivity.

[Katy M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not really get into this book. One thing that stood out was that nevertheless and nonetheless seemed to be used at least once a page, at least for a little while anyway. But, other than that, I don't know if I was just distracted, but I had trouble keeping focus on the book, and found it pretty boring.

[William Shep · Rating 2 out of 5]

This a very critical study of the reign of England's hero king, Henry V. The problem is not the criticism, some of which is valid, but the almost personal animus the author has for his subject, an historical figure dead for nearly six hundred years!

[Toby Stoops · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prose was stilted and there too much of comp writing. But overall goo reas

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard" Henry V of England

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent as far as the history goes. Unfortunately taken as a piece of entertainment the book is somewhat forgettable.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This readable short history is a good antidote for those who grew up with the charming Prince Hal of Shakespeare's "Henry IV, 1-2" or who know this king only from Kenneth Branagh's stirring film of "Henry V." St Crispin's Day indeed! Instead of such visions, this book presents the monarch as a bloodthirsty yet priggish leader who left only destruction and embittered Franco-British relations as his legacy - and who probably bore some blame for the fratricidal Wars of the Roses that broke out not long after his untimely death.