Henry V: The Background, Strategies, Tactics and Battlefield Experiences of the Greatest Commanders of History Paperback Read Free

undertook an expedition to Ireland, taking
    Henry of Monmouth and his uncle, Henry Beaufort, with him. While Richard
    was attempting to bring the rebellious Irish to heel, Bolingbroke returned to
    England with a small retinue on 4 July 1399, ostensibly to claim his Duchy of
    Lancaster. The Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland, along with other
    northern magnates, rapidly joined him. Hearing the news in Ireland, Richard
    is supposed to have said to the young Henry of Monmouth: 'Henry, my boy,
    see what thy father hath done to me! He hath invaded my land and put my
    subjects to death without mercy, through these unhappy doings thou wilt
    perchance lose thine inheritance/
    While Richard delayed his return from Ireland, Bolingbroke's party
    gathered strength, and by the time Richard returned in early August he
    had very little support left. Around 10 August, Richard surrendered to
    Northumberland and Thomas Arundel, later Archbishop of Canterbury, at
    Conway Castle and was escorted to Chester as a prisoner. From this point
    onwards events moved rapidly. Richard was escorted to London where,
    on 29 September, he resigned the throne, presumably under some duress.
    On 30 September Parliament assembled and renounced homage and fealty to
    Richard, and Henry Bolingbroke claimed the throne of England through his
    line of descent from Henry III. He was acknowledged as Henry IV of England
    and his eldest son, Henry of Monmouth, was acclaimed as his heir.
    On 15 October Henry, who had by now been brought back from Ireland,
    was granted the titles once held by the Black Prince: Prince of Wales, Duke of
    Cornwall and Earl of Chester; he was also made Duke of Lancaster on
    10 November 1399. His cousin, the deposed King Richard, was taken as a
    prisoner to Pontefract Castle, where he would end his days in February 1400.
    As heir to the throne of England the 13-year-old Henry's position and
    expectations had been transformed. He was now one of the most important
    figures in the country and, militarily, was required to assist his father in the
    establishment of the new, Lancastrian dynasty.
    T H E M I L I T A R Y L I F E
    The first parliament of Henry IV's reign in 1399 had seen incursions by the
    Scots into northern England - no doubt taking advantage of the absence of
    the Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland, who were at Westminster
    - while Robert III of Scotland refused to recognize Henry IV's assumption of
    the throne, as did Charles VI of France. Henry therefore announced on
    10 November 1399 his intention to lead an army against the Scots in the
    first military operation of his reign. His eldest son would go with him.
    The expedition set off in May 1400 and would prove to be the future Henry
    V's first military experience. A large army of over 13,000 men was assembled
    and the army crossed the border into Scotland on 14 August. The expedition
    proved to be inconclusive, as Robert III withdrew in the face of the English

    The campaigns of Henry V
    advance while Edinburgh Castle was strongly garrisoned and, having been
    misled by Scottish negotiators, Henry IV withdrew from Scotland at the end
    of August having exhausted his supplies and achieving very little. By this
    stage a new threat had arisen in Wales with the revolt of Owen Glendower.
    This Welsh lord (see pp.49-50) had declared himself the true Prince of Wales on
    16 September 1400, before sacking the nearby town of Ruthin and other towns
    and centres in the region. The initial impetus of the revolt was slowed when
    Glendower was defeated near Welshpool on 24 September. On their return from
    Scotland, Henry IV and Prince Henry led an expedition into Wales, though it
    only lasted for a week or so and failed to bring Glendower to battle.

    Prince Henry was left at Chester to deal with the
    problem in his own principality; owing to his youth
    he was given a council to assist him, at the head of
    which was the son of the Earl of Northumberland,
    Henry Hotspur. The revolt stretched