Book description
* Henry V is regarded as the great English hero. Lionised in
his own day for his victory at Agincourt, his piety and his
rigorous application of justice, he was elevated by Shakespeare into a
champion of English nationalism for all future generations. But what
was he really like? Does he deserve to be thought of as 'the greatest
man who ever ruled England?'
* In this groundbreaking and ambitious book, Ian Mortimer
portrays Henry in the pivotal year of his reign. Recording the
dramatic events of 1415 on a day-by-day basis, he offers the fullest,
most precise and least romanticised view we have of Henry and what he
did. In addition, the king's story is told against the background of
other important developments in Europe, in particular the struggle for
power within the Catholic Church and official attempts to eradicate
any deviant religious beliefs. In so doing the reader encounters
unexpected and eye-opening explanations for why Henry tried to unify
the kingdoms of England and France - and why he was prepared to burn
men alive as heretics.
* The result is not only a fascinating reappraisal of Henry; it
brings to the fore many unpalatable truths which biographers and
military historians have largely ignored. While Henry retains
the essential qualities of his greatness, his legend is stripped of
its Shakespearean rhetoric and compassion. At the centre of the book
is the campaign which culminated in the battle of Agincourt: a
slaughter ground designed not to advance England's interests directly
but to demonstrate God's approval of Henry's royal authority on both
sides of the Channel.
* 1415 was a year of religious persecution, personal suffering and
one horrendous battle. This is the story of that year, as seen over
the shoulder of its most cold-hearted, most ambitious and most
celebrated hero.
Ian Mortimer has BA and PhD degrees in history from Exeter University
and an MA in archive studies from University College London. He was
elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1998, and was
awarded the Alexander Prize (2004) by the Royal Historical Society for
his work on the social history of medicine. He is the author of three
medieval biographies,
The Greatest Traitor: The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer
(2003),
The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III
(2006), and
The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King
(2007) as well as the bestselling
The Time Traveller's Guide to
Medieval England
(2008). He lives with his wife and three children on the edge of
Dartmoor.
