Few monarchs have captured the imagination of a nation as much as King Henry V (r. 1413-22). The inspiration behind hundreds of books, plays, and movies, the nine-year reign of this English monarch is deemed as one of the most successful not just of any English king, but of any monarch in history. Read on to discover why he inspired William Shakespeare, how England fared during the Hundred Years War, and why he left behind a legacy that fewif anymonarchs have been able to match ever since.Early LifeHenry V, c. 1550. Source: The National Portrait GalleryHenry was born in Monmouth Castle on September 16th, 1386, which led him to be known as Henry of Monmouth in his early years. His father was Henry of Bolingbroke, who would go on to become King Henry IV of England (r. 1399-1413), and his mother was Mary de Bohun.When Henry was born, his fathers cousin was the King of England (Richard II, r. 1377-99), and as Richard was an unpopular monarch and heirless, the young Henry was deemed a threat to Richards throne in his later years. Henry IV was the son of John of Gaunt, an influential younger son of King Edward III, so young Prince Henry (and his father) both had valid claims to the throne.When Henrys father was exiled in 1398, he was taken under the care of Richard II, who, by all accounts, treated him well. This early experience of kingship would no doubt influence Henrys later life.However, just a year later, John of Gaunt died, and Richard was overthrown by Henrys father, who was crowned as King Henry IV of England. As such, Henry was made the Prince of Wales and was next in line to the throne.During his fathers reign, Henry spent time at Queens College, Oxford, where he was living under the care of his uncle, Henry Beaufort, who was also Chancellor of the University. Henry took a liking to both literature and music, and learned to read and write in English, thus becoming the first English monarch to be educated in such a manner, further adding to his image as the idealistic English monarch.Henrys Rise to the ThroneDepiction of Owain Glyndwr by Arthur Cadwgan Michael, 1918. Source: Wikimedia CommonsOne of the defining moments in Henrys life before he became king was the invaluable military experience that he gained. He fought against the Welshspecifically, Owain Glyndwrin several of the Welsh Wars at the turn of the century.In 1403, at the Battle of Shrewsbury, Henry was hit in the face by an arrow, which entered his skull. He was lucky to survive; most other soldiers would have died from infection if not from the impact, but Henry was fortunate enough to have access to the best physicians in the land. He made a recovery, although he would bear the scar for the rest of his life.Until 1408, it was the efforts of the Welsh leader Owain Glyndwr that took up most of Prince Henrys time, but with his fathers ailing health, he ended up devoting less time to the Welsh campaigns and more to the ruling of the kingdom.The young Prince Henry was also known to have a bit of a wild side as a young man, known to be a womanizer, which caused grievances between the prince and his father. However, by the time he came to the throne, much of this side of Henry had calmed down. However, it did not fail to capture the imaginations of playwrights and other creatives centuries later.A Brief History of Henry Vs ReignThe Battle of Agincourt, by Enguerrand de Monstrelet, c. 1450. Source: BnFHenry IV died on March 20th, 1413, and the next day, Henry claimed the throne as King Henry V of England. His reign would last less than a decade, but the impact he had would live on in the imagination for centuries.When Henry ascended the throne, he not only had the Welsh problem to deal with, but also the Hundred Years War with France. Not since the reign of his great-grandfather, Edward III, had England had as much success in the conflict, and France had taken the upper hand for a number of years by this point.In 1415, Henry renewed the Hundred Years War with France, and this stage came to be known as the Lancastrian Phase of the War (Henry was descended from the House of Lancaster).The most famous victory of all was at Agincourt, on October 25, 1415, when a hugely outnumbered English force defeated the French, to their complete surprise and shock, and Henrys popularity among his troops and back in England inspired feelings of patriotism and proto-nationalism. He was revered as the Hero of Agincourt by many and would go down in history for this underdog victory.Miniature of the battle of Agincourt, from the St Albans Chronicle, 1422. Source: Wikimedia CommonsFrom 1417-20, Henry undertook a second campaign in France, taking advantage of Frances mentally-incapacitated king, Charles VI the Mad, putting huge pressure on him. He took Paris, and France lost more territory under Charles VI than they had lost in the whole of the war, which had been raging on since the 1330s.In 1420, Henry V and Charles VI signed the Treaty of Troyes, which acknowledged that Henrys heirs would become kings of France as well as kings of England, while Henry V himself was recognized as King Regent of France. This meant that Charles had to disinherit his own son, the Dauphin Charles.Furthermore, Henry also married one of Charless daughters, Catherine of Valois, which meant that there was now also a physical union between France and England. However, Henry V died on August 31, 1422, leaving behind a nine-month-old son, Henry VI, but Charles VI outlived him by just two months, throwing plans of the English succession to the French throne into turmoil.How Accurate Was Shakespeares Portrayal of Henry V?William Shakespeare, by John Taylor, c. 1611. Source: ArtukWhenever Henry V is mentioned, most people think of one of the many movies (which will be discussed next) or of Shakespeares Henry V, which was written in 1599.For the most part, William Shakespeares interpretation of Henry V is accurate. He got most of his information from the Tudor historian and writer Raphael Holinshed, but there are, naturally, some exaggerations in favor of the nationalistic spirit and propaganda.It is important to remember that Shakespeare was writing in a time when English national fervor was at an all-time high, so he had to showcase the power of the English against other forces and portray the English as saints, rather than sinners.Two of the key events that Shakespeare portrays well in his play are the relationship between Catherine of Valois and Henry V. They are portrayed as being a genuinely loving couple, and by most accounts, this seems to be the case of what the royal couple was actually like. Secondly, another area that Shakespeare portrays very accurately is the Battle of Agincourtthe focal point of the play, and of Henry Vs reign in general.Henry V receiving a book, 1411-2. Source: British LibraryHowever, some elements have been inserted in the play for dramatic effect, which is only natural given that it is a dramatic adaptation of the life and reign of King Henry V, but also goes to show that we as historians should not take for granted the work of playwrights, and instead turn to historical sources like chronicles and books.One of these elements is the St Crispins Day speech. While rousing and patriotic, this is simply credited to Henry V for dramatic effect, and there is no evidence to suggest that he gave such a speech. Secondly, Shakespeare also simplifies the role of Charles VI, portraying him as a fairly stable king, rather than the mentally incapacitated monarch that he actually was. Whether this was done out of respect for Charless condition we do not know, but the more likely answer is because it showed Charles as even more pathetichow could a mentally stable ruler be such a bad king, and let his enemy (Henry V) take over France in the way that he did? This again highlights the patriotism and feelings of national pride that Shakespeare was aiming for when writing the play.So overall, while the play is a solid reflection on Henry Vs life and reign, it is worth taking Shakespeares interpretation of the man and the king with a pinch of salt. Dramatic effect is one thing, but generating a feeling of patriotism and proto-nationalism was perhaps the main aim behind the writing of the play about one of Englands finest kings, almost two centuries after his death.Henry V on the Big ScreenTom Hiddleston as Henry V, in The Hollow Crown, by LPSoulX. Source: DeviantartSimilarly, other interpretations have been made of Henry V, predominantly in the 20th century, when the medium of cinema was at arguably its golden age. People wanted the life and reign of a man they had read about in books, in classrooms, and seen on the stage brought to life in the cinema.There are three main movies about Henry V: one released in 1944, another released in 1989, and a third released in 2019. All of them show the king in slightly different ways.The 1944 movie, starring the legendary actor Laurence Olivier as King Henry V, is arguably the most famous. Again, the context is important: Britain was fighting in the Second World War, and feelings of national pride were important, not just for good morale at home, but for showing how England had previously come from being underdogs to emerge victorious. This film naturally shows Henry V as the legendary underdog monarch, who emerges victorious against the French.The 1989 adaptation (starring Kenneth Branagh as Henry V) is similarly patriotic. The Cold War was coming to an end, and British popular nationalism was at an all-time low. While the Falklands War of 1982 had brought back some popular feeling, for much of the country, rule under Margaret Thatcher for the previous decade, who had attempted to bring patriotism back, had felt tight and restricted. This movie shows more about Henry as a ruler, rather than Henry as the all-winning, quintessential English hero.Finally, the most recent adaptation, released in 2019 and starring Timothe Chalamet as Henry V and titled The King, came under criticism for its historical inaccuracies. While the movie itself focuses on the young Henry rather than his role as king (despite the name), the play took the focus away from feelings of national patriotism (perhaps wise in the wake of the Brexit referendum three years prior). It was based more loosely on Shakespeares plays Henry IV and Henry V. While not historically accurate, it is an interesting interpretation of the life of the young king.Henry Vs LegacyMorning of the Battle of Agincourt, by John Gilbert, 1884. Source: ArtukHenry V is undoubtedly one of the greatest monarchs to ever rule England, and a testament to that is how often he has been portrayed through works of historical fiction. From Shakespeares 16th-century play to interpretations of the king being made into films as recently as 2019, the idea that Henry V was a hugely important monarch has never left the British imagination.Brits are known for loving an underdog story, so perhaps this is what draws Henry V to the attention of so many of us. Either way, it goes without saying that Henry V was one of the greatest monarchs to ever sit on the English throne, and he will be remembered long past the end of the 21st century.