Henry V : Kissed by History

Henry V is often regarded as one of England's finest kings. However, Felipe Fernández-Armesto argues that the reality is very different from the legend.

"Henry V, in English myth, is the ideal Englishman: plucky and persevering, austere and audacious, cool-headed, stiff-lipped and effortlessly superior: 'simply the greatest man,' as my generation of undergraduates learned, 'ever to rule England'. Elizabethan dramatists boosted the image. With a bit of help from deluded historians and mythopoeic film-makers, Shakespeare turned Henry into a box-office hero and a romantic lead. The myth became more important than the man - just as well, for those who like their past to be comforting or inspiring. The reality, stripped out of the myth, is vicious and dispiriting..."

Felipe Fernández-Armesto is a Professorial Fellow in History and Geography at Queen Mary, University of London.
His works have been translated into twenty-two languages and include Before Columbus (1986), The Times Illustrated History of Europe (latest edition 1996), Columbus (latest edition 1996), Millennium: a History of the Last Thousand Years (latest edition 1999), Civilizations (2000) and Food: a History (2001).
He presents Analysis on BBC Radio 4 and Millennium was the subject of a ten-part CNN television series also shown on BBC2.

Henry V : Kissed by History finished on: 27 June 2003