Henry VI 1421-1471 ‘His journey was not that of the average pilgrim! The odyssey was awkward, hard and grim!’ Henry was born on December 6th 1421 at Windsor. He was never to know his father, Henry V, who was the very epitome of the warrior king. King Henry V died on campaign in France on …
‘How sweet it is! Oh how sweet it is! With Paris as his next target, Henry would ask: ‘Who could possibly deny me the throne of France? The old French king has lost his marbles and is now a gibbering idiot whilst his son, the wretched Dauphin is in deep disgrace. Everyone blames him for …
On July 31st, 1418, Henry arrived at Rouen, the capital of Normandy and besieged the city. It was to be a long and bitter siege, causing immense hardship to its citizens. The siege of Rouen, 1418 – 1419. The siege was to last six months and when the food supply began to run low in …
After Agincourt, Henry sallied forth to Calais without fear of apprehension, and from there sailed to England. The conquering Hero, King Hal! Henry V. The king’s entry into London that November was a rapturous affair. The citizenry turned out in their thousands to welcome the conquering hero. As Henry rode through the streets, the Londoners …
‘King Henry marched his men from Harfleur towards Calais! But, it was at tiny Agincourt village where he had his most victorious day!’ The march to Calais. On October 6th Henry left Harfleur with an army of around 7,000 men to travel to Calais. There he would formulate plans for the recovery of the French …
In December 1414, with the insurrection of the Lollards dealt with, Henry might have muttered: ‘Oldcastle, Oldcastle, what an irritating old rascal! To have me captured and toppled, he made a dash! Where is he now? Just a mere pile of smouldering ash!’ Sir John Oldcastle’s final moments. The appalling stench of roasted human flesh, …
King Henry V. As the new reign of Henry V dawned, so did a serious religious problem that could not be left to fester. Some years before, John Wycliffe, a priest and scholar at Oxford university had attacked Roman Catholic beliefs. He held that the Bible should be translated from Latin into English and that …
Duty is the ultimate beauty. ‘Well, that is what he thought! And boy, how the young king fought!’ But, first things first. Henry’s coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on Passion Sunday, 1413 in the midst of a snowstorm. The young king cut a distinctive figure as he strode towards the throne in his coronation …
‘No, you insolent young pup! Don’t you tell me that my time as king is up!’ So said the old, tired hound, King Henry IV to the eldest of his litter, Prince Hal! Henry was angry beyond measure that his son would suggest that he should abdicate as king. Teaching Prince Hal a lesson! The …
‘To be constantly poorly and ill! It has a terrible effect on a man’s strength of will!’ Whatever satisfaction Henry might have derived from putting down the final Percy rebellion, it was to be short-lived. Less than four months later he was stricken by a serious stroke on June 8th 1408, the third anniversary of …