Henry V: The Background, Strategies, Tactics and Battlefield Experiences of the Greatest Commanders of History Paperback (16 page)

English campaigns in France, 1 4 2 1 - 2 2

before it could be fired, which left him only the market to deal with. Even Opposite: The capture of so it held out for a further two months while Henry moved his artillery ever Pont-de-l'Arche by Henry V

closer and closer. The inner fortifications finally surrendered on 10 May, on 20 July 1418 gave him with the Armagnac leaders being executed.

control of a major crossing

The siege of Meaux, as with many other of the sieges in Normandy, had over the Seine and meant

seen outbreaks of disease amongst both the defenders and attacking forces, that he was able to take his with dysentery being the principal culprit. On this occasion Henry also army into upper Normandy

became ill, and, although he attempted to carry on with his campaigns, by and towards the principal July he could not mount a horse and was compelled to abandon his attempt object of his campaign,

to relieve Cosne-sur-Loire. He returned to the royal castle at Bois-de-Vincennes Rouen. (Author's collection) to the east of Paris where, having arranged the care of his kingdoms of France

and England, as well as the upbringing of his infant son Henry (born on

6 December 1421), he died on the night of 31 August 1422. His body rested

in state at Saint-Denis and Rouen before being taken across the channel on

31 October, being buried in Westminster Abbey on 7 November 1422.

47

Top Left: The Tour Jeanne

d'Arc from the fortifications

of Rouen. This tower is the

only remaining structure of

Rouen Castle, which was

built by Philip Augustus

from 1204 and demolished

in the French Wars of

Religion in 1591. Legend

has it that Joan of Arc was

held in this tower prior to

her trial in 1430-31.

(Author's collection)

Top Right: A medieval

house in Rouen. The capital

and most important town

of the region, Rouen was

the target of Henry's 1418

campaign, and fell after a

six-month siege when the

city's supplies had been

long exhausted and no

relief force was in sight.

(Author's collection)

Middle: The chateau at

Nogent-le-Retrouin

the Perche region of

Normandy. Constructed

from the middle of the

11th century onwards,

the castle formed part

of the border region

of Normandy and was

captured by the English

under Edward III in 1359.

It is possible that Henry's

forces reached this far in

his campaigns of 1417-20,

but it only finally fell into

English hands following

the battle of Verneuilin

1424. (Author's collection)

48

Left: ALL that remains in

Meaux from the period of

the Hundred Years War is

the cathedraL, which dates

from the 12th to 16th

centuries. The siege of

Meaux dragged on for two

months, by which time

Henry V was terminaLLy ill,

probabLy with dysentery.

(Author's coLLection)

O P P O S I N G C O M M A N D E R S

Henry's lengthy military career at home and in France saw him set against

a range of opponents. From the Welsh rebellion that occupied his years as

Prince of Wales, though the aristocratic revolts that bedevilled his father and

spilled over into the early years of his reign to the royal family and great lords

of France, who confronted him on the battlefield at Agincourt and vainly

attempted to prevent his conquest of Normandy thereafter.

Owen Glendower

The leader of the Welsh revolt of 1400, Owen Glendower (or Owain Glyn Dwr)

was born into an Anglo-Welsh gentry family at some point in the 1350s. He

was descended on his mother's side from the welsh prince Llewellyn-ap-Graffyd

who had fought against Edward I in the late 13th century, while on his father's

side were the hereditary rulers of Powys Fadog. Owen was educated in the Opposite, bottom: Having

Anglo-Welsh tradition, comfortable in both languages and cultures; he even secured the cities of Paris appears to have studied law at the Inns of Court in London for seven years.

and Chartres on his return

He served under Richard II as a soldier in both France and Scotland, being to France in June 1421, knighted by Richard in 1387. He also saw service with Henry Bolingbroke, Henry took the bulk of

later Henry IV, at the battle of Radcot Bridge in 1387 against the interests of his forces eastwards Richard II.

to the town of Dreux,

However, Welsh sympathy was largely with Richard in his dispute with which was an Armagnac

Bolingbroke and the other Lords Appellant and it is against this background stronghoLd around 80km that he revolted against the Lancastrian monarch in September 1400, from Paris, besieging it

declaring himself the true Prince of Wales as the monarch was a usurper.

on 18 July. The town fell

The immediate context to Owen's actions was a series of property disputes just over a month Later.

with his immediate neighbour, Lord Reginald de Grey of Ruthin, who was a

(Author's coLLection)

49

close intimate of Henry IV. Grey summoned Glendower

late to a royal muster for the invasion of Scotland in

1400 and then accused him of treachery when he

failed to appear. Glendower retaliated by sacking

the town of Ruthin and plundering across the

marcher lands and into Shropshire. When Henry

IV returned from his Scottish expedition he found

Wales on fire with rebellion and undertook a

campaign to pacify the principality, outlawing

Glendower and seizing his estates. However, this campaign

failed to crush Glendower's revolt and he managed to

capture Conwy Castle in April 1401 and win the battle of

Mynydd Hyddgen in June 1401.

In the winter of 1401-02 he attacked Ruthin and

managed to capture Grey himself; he then managed to

defeat an English force under Sir Edmund Mortimer in

the summer of 1402 at the battle of Pilleth, taking him

captive as well. Although Grey was ransomed, Henry IV

would not pay for Mortimer and he eventually sided with

Glendower, marrying his daughter.

The seal of Owen

By 1403 the English presence was reduced to isolated fortresses, but they

Glendower, showing the

were beginning to fight back. Prince Henry managed to sack Glendower's

Welsh lord sitting under

properties at Sycharth and Glyndyvrdwy and his defeat at Carmathen on

a canopy and holding a

12 July meant that he was unable to join up with the Percys at the battle of

sceptre. The only surviving

Shrewsbury, where their revolt was crushed.

copy of this seal was

Despite this setback, the fortunes of the Welsh revolt under Glendower were

attached to the treaty

at their highest point in 1404 when, with active French support, Glendower

between Glendower and

was able to capture Harlech and Aberystwyth, holding court at the former

Charles VI of France,

and announcing a parliament and reform of the church and political system

signed in 1404, and the

in Wales. The year 1405 was to see a further alliance between Glendower,

text around the outside

Mortimer and the Earl of Northumberland, who are supposed to have intended

most probably reads:

to divide the country between the three of them in the 'triple indenture'.

'OWEINUS DEI GRATIA

However, despite the presence of French forces in the country - who advanced

PRINCEPS WALLIAE',

as far as Worcester - 1405 was to see a number of setbacks for the revolt, with

'Owen by the grace of god,

Prince Henry achieving successes in the field and Northumberland's conspiracy

Prince of Wales'.