Henry V

Though only reigning for nine yeas, Henry V is one of the most famous monarchs that England has ever had. Henry V would become the archetypal national hero, his rule, his verve, and his ideals becoming the very idea of England and giving rise to something greater: the idea of national patriotism. Drawing upon the chroniclers of the time a vast array of literature that has since followed, this study goes behind Shakespeare’s immortalised hero to explore what made Henry V the king he was, debunking myths along the way.