Henry V (Revealing History) [Hardcover]

Keith Dockray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001 | Series: Revealing History

The wild and headstrong prince of Shakespeare’s Henry IV blossoms in Henry V into a veritable hero-king: an epic embodiment of military valour, concerned for the welfare of his subjects, and above all, an archetypal man of action. Such a portrayal reflected not only Shakespeare’s Tudor sources but contemporary estimates of King Henry V. To his earliest biographer, a royal chaplain and well-informed insider, he was a model Christian prince, clearly carrying out God’s wishes both at home and abroad; the chronicler Thomas Walsingham, writing in 1422, judged him a pious, prudent, and warlike ruler; and, to the humanist Tito Livio in 1437, he was an energetic, just, and shrewd military commander who, at Agincourt, fought “like an unvanquished lion.” Modern historians have perpetuated the flattery of chroniclers, but should they? Was the real Henry V a national hero, a jingoistic bigot, or neither?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A clear, well–written book.” -- Choice

From the Publisher

The wild and headstrong prince of Shakespeare’s Henry IV blossoms in Henry V into a veritable hero–king: an epic embodiment of military valour, concerned for the welfare of his subjects and, above all, an archetypal man of action. Such a portrayal reflected not only Shakespeare’s Tudor sources but contemporary estimates of King Henry V. To his earliest biographer, a royal chaplain and well–informed insider, he was a model Christian prince, clearly carrying out God’s wishes both at home and abroad; the chronicler Thomas Walsingham, writing in 1422, judged him a pious, prudent and warlike ruler; and, to the humanist Tito Livio in 1437, he was an energetic, just and shrewd military commander who, at Agincourt, fought “like an unvanquished lion”. Modern historians have perpetuated the flattery of chroniclers, but should they? Was the real Henry V a national hero, a jingoistic bigot, or neither?

Keith Dockray was formerly Senior Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern History at the University of Huddersfield. His other books include William Shakespeare, the Wars of the Roses & the Historians (also published by Tempus) and Richard III.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tempus (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752430467
• ISBN-13: 978-0752430461
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,091,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of Opinions of Henry, September 15, 2005

By 

Victoria I. Adams "Cymgal" (Vienna, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry V (Revealing History) (Hardcover)

This is less a biography than it is a overview of how Henry has been treated by historians, dramatists, and population culture. The actual life and assessment of the man takes up less than a third of the book and is pretty standard stuff. The analysis of how history has treated Henry is interesting and good source material but the absence of any real coherant theme under the analysis or final summing up undermines its value. I would say this is good source material for a college paper if you didn't want to read the orginal texts and helpful for the reader to learn where to go next, but not the best source for an understanding of various interpretations of Henry.