In early 1421 Henry returned to England, motivated by the need to acquire more funds and mollify Parliament, which had requested his return and given no new grants, before returning to France in June to continue the fight against the Dauphin. He spent the winter besieging Meaux, one of the Dauphin's last northern strongholds, before it fell in May 1422. During this time his only child had been born – Henry, on December 6th - but the king had also fallen ill and had to be literally carried to the next siege. He died on August 31st 1422 at Bois de Vincennes.
Henry V: Arguments For
Henry V perished at the apex of his fame, only a few months short of Charles VI's death and his own crowning as King of France. In his nine year reign he had demonstrated the ability to manage a nation through hard work and an eye for detail – the constant crosss-channel flow of parchment enabled Henry to continue governing in detail while abroad – although he improved rather than innovated. He had shown a charisma which inspired soldiers and a balance of justice, forgiveness, reward and punishment which united a nation, providing the groundwork on which he moved ever forward, piling success on success. He had proved himself a planner and commander equal to the greatest of his era, keeping an army in the field constantly overseas for three years. While Henry had benefited greatly from the civil war being waged in France – it certainly facilitated the Treaty of Troyes – his opportunism and ability to react enabled him to exploit the situation fully. Furthermore, Henry fulfilled every criteria demanded of a good king; with this source material, it is easy to see why contemporaries and legends alike lauded him. And yet…
Henry V: Arguments Against
It is entirely possible that Henry died just at the right time for his legend to remain, and that another nine years would have tarnished it greatly. The goodwill and support of the English people was definitely wavering by 1422, the money was drying up and Parliament had mixed feelings towards Henry's seizure of the crown of France. The English people wanted a strong, successful king, but they feared being subordinated to their ruler's new crown and the interests of a nation they increasingly viewed as a foreign enemy, and they certainly didn't want to pay for a prolonged conflict there. If Henry, as King of France, wanted to fight a civil war in France and subdue the Dauphin, the English wanted France to pay for it.
Indeed, historians have little praise for Henry and the Treaty of Troyes and, ultimately, everyone's view of Henry is coloured by their view of it. On the one hand, Troyes made Henry the heir to France and named his line as future kings. However, Henry's rival heir, the Dauphin retained strong support and rejected the treaty. Troyes thus committed Henry to a long and expensive war against a faction who still controlled roughly half of France, a war which might take decades before the treaty could be enforced and for which his resources were running out. Most historians regard the task of properly establishing the Lancastrians as dual kings of England and France as impossible, but many also consider the dynamic and determined Henry as one of the few people able to do it.
Henry V's Personality
Henry's personality also undermines his reputation. His confidence was part of an iron will and fanatical determination - historians have often called him Messanic - and sources hint at a cold, aloof character masked by the glow of victories. Furthermore, Henry seems to have focused on his rights and goals above those of his kingdom. As a prince Henry pushed for greater power, and his last will made no provision for the care of the kingdom after his death (only scanty codicils from his deathbed tried that), instead arranging twenty-thousand masses to be performed after said event. Henry was also growing more intolerant of enemies, ordering ever more savage reprisals and forms of war and may have been becomming increasingly autocratic.
Conclusion
Henry V of England was undoubtedly a gifted man, one of few to shape history to his design, but his self-belief and ability came at the expense of personality. He was one of the great military commanders of his age who acted from a genuine sense of right, not a cynical politician, but his ambition may have committed him to treaties beyond even his ability to enforce. Despite the achievements of his reign - including uniting the nation around him, creating peace between crown and parliament, winning a throne – Henry left no long-term political or military legacy. The Valois reconquered France and resumed the throne within forty years, while the Lancastrian line lost their other crown and England collapsed into civil war during the same period. What Henry did leave was a legend – one which later monarchs were taught to, and tried to, follow, and one which gave the public a folk hero – and a greatly enhanced national consciousness, thanks in great part to his introduction of vernacular English into government.
