3.4 Henry V

Background

• Aged 26 when he came to the throne

• Established himself as a capable military leader - Wales

  • Led troops in 1403 against Henry Hotspur - he fought on despite being wounded in the face

• Gained an increasingly important role after 1405, Henry IV’s descent into illness

  • Partly ruled in the King’s place until 1411 with parliamentary approval

  • Improved relations with the Commons

  • Relatively successful in controlling finances

• Henry IV became resentful of his son’s use of royal power → Publicly excluded Hal 1411-12

• Reconciled in March 1413, as Henry IV was dying he gave his blessing & advice to Hal

Reasons Henry V chose to renew the war

• Charles VI suffered from mental health problems, leading to periods of complete incapacitation

  • Princes ruled in his place, causing political divisions

    Could be exploited…

• After Henry IV’s ill health, financial difficulties & threat from Wales & Scotland, England lost focus on France

  • Lost control of some important territories

• Early in his reign, he sent ambassadors to France, claiming territories which had been historically English or handed over by Edward III in the Treaty of Bretigny

  → Also asked for the hand of Catherine of Valois, and a large dowry

• Dismissed by French ambassadors

  Sent a box of tennis balls as an insult

Henry prepared a large invasion force 1414-15

Preparations for War

1. Conciliatory attitude towards the Welsh

   Investigated complaints of oppression by officials

   Issued pardons to former rebels

   → Reduced threat of rebellion & some Welsh joined Henry against the French

2. Rehabilitated the Percy family

   Organised the return of Hotspur’s heir from Scotland & inherit substantial estates & title ‘earl of Northumberland’

   → Traditionally responsible for protecting Scottish border so reinstatement provided greater security

3. Held King James I of Scotland prisoner

   Somewhat reduced incursions

   Important as France was an ally of Scotland

4. 1414 - agreed a 10 year truce w/ Brittany

   Could be exploited to isolate France & prevent Bretons from helping French when he invaded

Southampton Plot

Led by the earl of Cambridge, Baron Scrope & Sir Thomas Grey

Involved Welsh & Scottish rebels

Partially funded by the French to disrupt invasion

Plotted to kill Henry V & replace him w/ Edmund Mortimer, earl of March

Henry was informed of the Plot by Mortimer, so dealt swiftly & ruthlessly

Rebels were executed, their heads displayed as a warning in Southampton

Possibility of French support maybe increased Henry’s aggressive FP

Who were the Lollards?

Key Beliefs

• translated scriptures into English - production of English Bibles

• Challenged transubstantiation

• Church shouldn’t hold wealth or property

• Against the Pope’s role as head of the Church

  • Financial implications if taxes should go to Rome or not

• Wycliffe had received tacit support from John of Gaunt - Kings not being bound by the Pope’s decisions was obviously useful

Royal Position

1. Kings vowed at their Coronation to protect the Church

2. The Pope had enormous moral authority & allying themselves against him would be political suicide → Popes can impose interdict making the King very unpopular

3. Kingship was regarded as a religious role

   Anointed with holy oil & divinely ordained

Oldcastle’s Rebellion

• Sir John Oldcastle served in Wales, developing longstanding friendship under Henry V but developed strongly unorthodox views

• Ex. 1410 wrote to two Bohemians, congratulating their opposition to clergy there

• 1410 Called to Lords and probably responsible for anticlerical legislation proposed

  • Harder to prosecute heretics & proposal to confiscate Church property

• Alarmed Archbishop Arundel

  • Began a campaign against heresy

    Ex. John Badby was retried and burnt for heresy. Prince Hal was in attendance

• April 1410 Arundel lodged a complaint against Oldcastle’s chaplain for teaching heretical views

  • Placed churches under interdict but quickly relented, maybe due to Oldcastle’s association w/ Prince Hal

  • Henry sent Oldcastle to lead an expedition in Burgundy 1411, isolating him from parliament & potential trouble

• May 1413 - Arundel raided the workshop of an Illuminator, discovering one of Oldcastle’s heretical books

  • By August, Henry V allowed Arundel to prosecute & then found him guilty by an ecclesiastical court

  • Henry requested he be given 40 days in the Tower to repent

    • Oldcastle escaped in October w/ other Lollards and began to plot against Henry V

• Jan 1414 - led religious dissidents to St Giles fields, London

  • Henry was informed, so actors were captured & King proceeded to St Giles to rout the forces

  • Estimated 25,000 Lollards → 69 convicted of treason, 31 hanged the next day

• Oldcastle escaped and went on the run for 4 years

Short Term Significance of Oldcastle Rebellion

• Led by a former close associate & occured early in his reign

• Early example of Henry V’s decisiveness & suitability for Kingship

  • Used spies → 5 Jan granted rewards for informing Henry of the plot

  • Improved reputation for omniscience and power

• BUT it wasn’t a significant threat

  • Ill conceived & lacked widespread support

• Parliament in Leicester April 1414 focused on combatting heresy & lawlessness

  • Enacted the Statute of Lollards

    Increased role of secular authorities in prosecution

    Confiscated property & goods of heretics to Crown

    (extra income & additional deterrent)

    • Involvement of the State indicates religious dissent was associated w/ treason

Long-term Significance of the Oldcastle Rebellion

• While Oldcastle was on the run, he may have conspired w/ Scots & Welsh, making him more of a threat

• BUT no evidence linking him to further rebellions

• Southampton Plot 1415 - Lollards also supported more serious attempt against Henry

• Henry’s success in France stirred patriotism & loyalty

  • A friend who sheltered Oldcastle in Aug 1415 was pardoned, but another accused in Oct 1416 was executed

• Oldcastle was captured in 1417, probably returning from N Wales likely after meeting Gruffydd, son of Glyndwr.

  • Seen as a traitor, losing respect & support in England

  • Faced trial in a hostile parliament

    • Lost all caution & preached a sermon to the Lords, declaring his alligence to Richard II who he claimed was alive in Scotland

    • Trigger for immediate execution - dragged through the streets then hanged & burnt simultaneously

    • Convicted for political as well as religious loyalties

Campaign of 1415

• 10,500-12,000 men landed w/ Henry in Harfleur, seiging it by land & sea

  • Despite initial resistance, the French surrendered 22 Sep

  • English suffered losses to fighting & outbreak of dysentery

    • Henry sent wounded & sick back to England & left a large garrison in charge

• Marched to Calais - controversial because:

  1. Exhausted soldiers had to undertake a long journey

  2. France amassed an army of 6,000 men guarding bridges along the Somme

  3. All bridges & crossing points were blocked/defended

  • Henry pushed his troops hard, gaining half a day’s march and finding a clear causeway

    • Broken so needed to be rebuilt by the English but it paid off

  • French tactic of guarding bridges backfired as they were divided & unable to quickly repel the English

Battle of Agincourt

• Composition of English army

  • 80% - archers, trained on longbow, most placed on the sides & defended by sharp stakes

  • A group of highly skilled archers went behind enemy lines, attacking from the rear

  • Once archers ran out of arrows, they fought in hand-to-hand combat

    • Effective as they were lighter + moved quickly

• Henry was an inspirational leader

• French led by numerous commanders, lacking unity of leadership

• French fought in close formation

  • Proved disastrous on the narrow battlefield, couldn’t effectively fight

  • Heavy rain made it boggy, so wearing heavy armour on foot stopped French from moving quickly

• French cavalry hindered troops who couldn’t to fall back

Near the end of the battle, Henry feared French reinforcements would arrive, so ordered all enemies taken prisoner to be killed

• VERY CONTROVERSIAL

• Customary for high nobles to be used as political hostages, in peace negotiations or ransoms

  • Many soldiers were unwilling to do it & forfeit ransoms

  • Criticism of morality

Consequences of Agincourt

• Only 300 English losses but included

  • Edward, duke of York & Michael de la Pole

• Number of French nobles killed was unusually high - Henry’s decision to kill captives → lost thousands of men

  • 11 magnates, 120 barons, 1,500 knights

  • But dukes of Orleans & Bourbon were taken alive

• Secured Henry’s reputation as a great military leader

• Shaped patriotic national identity

  • Won against the odds - divine mandate for Lancastrians & claims in France

  • 9,000 English vs 12,000 French

• After Agincourt, the army returned to London, where there was celebrations, feasting & a carefully managed Royal Entry

• Brought much greater political stability

• Reduced the threat of French invasion or naval raids

• Parlaiment was more willing to provide financial assistance

  • Before Henry had even returned, Parlaiment granted hi, very generous revenue from taxation

  • Parliament was very generous in funding future campaigns

Burgundian Alliance 1419

• Weakness of King Charles VI led to various dukes running their areas as independent states

• Ex. John, duke of Burgundy VS Louis, duke of Orleans

  John arranged the murder of Louis, who was brutally killed by assassins

  MASSIVELY INCREASED HOSTILITIES… exploited by Henry V

  • 1417-19 - Henry captured Normandy

  • Jan 1419 captured Rouen, the castle of the duke of Normandy - symbolic

• Fractures in French court between Queen Isabella & Dauphin Charles, and there was distrust between Burgundians & Dauphin (who supported Armagnacs (orleans))

• 10 Sept 1419 French parties met at Montereau to coordinate response to English threat

  • Armagnacs murdered John the Fearless in revenge for 1407 killing of Louis, duke of Orleans

  • Carried out by Dauphin’s men

  • John’s heir, Philip the Good broke off negotiations & allied with the English

    ANGLO BURGUNDIAN ALLIANCE

Important because:

1. Stopped a united French force repelling English

2. Philip the Good would support Queen Isabella’s faction in court

   → More inclined to negotiate with English & reach a treaty/mariage

   Treaty of Troyes was signed in 1420

Conquest of Normandy Timeline

1 August 1417 - Henry arrives in France w/ a large army. He attacks & beseiges Caen

4 September 1417 - Caen surrenders. Significant as the 2nd most important town in Normandy. Henry moves south

Winter 1417-18 - Henry V sets up an administration in Caen, and captures a number of towns in Normandy

April 1418 - Seige of Cherbourg begins, led by Humohrey, duke of Glouchester, younger brother of Henry V

20 July 1418 - Pont-de-l’Arche attacked and defeated by English

31 July 1418 - Seige of Rouen begins

September 1418 - Glouchester’s seige of Cherbourg is successful & town surrenders

19 January 1419 - Rouen surrenders. Henry takes formal possession of the Castle, traditionally held by dukes of Normandy

Treaty of Troyes

• Recognised Henry as heir to the French throne - disinheriting Charles

  • Unexpectedly Henry predeceased Charles by six weeks, weakening the claim of his heir

• Henry to marry Catherine Valois

  • Strengthens the Lancastrian dynastic claim as a child would be closely related to both English & French monarchs

  • Henry died in 1422, leaving a baby to inherit both crowns - ruled by minority councils

• Normandy was to be regarded as separate until Charles VI died, then reunited under Henry

  • Henry developed new administrations in conquered territories, granting substantial land to supporters & key Norman nobility

    • Wealthy men had a vested interest in ensuring English holdings were maintained

    • So… under Henry VI, key figures wished to avoid territorial concessions to the French

      ex. Humphrey, duke of Glouchester

• English & Burgundians agreed to work to protect the Treaty against Dauphin

  • During 1420s, the alliance was successful

  • Dauphin tried to invade Burgundy but repelled by Anglo-Burgundian troops at Battle of Cravant 1423

  • Burgundians captured Joan of Arc

  • It wasn’t until their allegiance changed in 1435 that English fortunes changed

Impact

• Considerable financial strain - more taxations and loans were needed to fund the military campaigns

• By Dec 1420, the gov was reluctant to fund a never-ending conflict which seemed more like a French Civil War, rather than English conquest

  • Growing concern over royal finances

• Parliament insisted that conquests should fund further endeavours

  • UNREALISTIC as French towns & trade had been badly damaged

  • Ex. Gascony’s wine exports were badly damaged - disrupted region & Bristol, which was heavily involved in shipping

  • Large sections of French population were displaced + poor weather damaged harvest of 1420

    • Many died of starvation

• Henry sought to consolidate control by settling Englishmen, & granting them land & titles, requiring military service in return

  • Improved stability in Normandy

• Henry implemented financial reform in France to remedy economic issues

  • Henry’s early death meant these didn’t come into fruition