Henry V In France: 1420-1422

After becoming the legal heir to the kingdom of France following the signing of the Treaty of Troyes, which also arranged for his marriage to the daughter of the French king Charles VI, Henry V of England now turned his attention towards the areas of France that could be troublesome to him if and when he took the crown. He took Sens and Montereau with relative ease before he laid siege to Melun which would prove altogether more problematic. Among Henry's company included the king of Scotland, James I, who had been held captive by the English since 1406 and would remain so until 1424. The siege rumbled on from July of 1420 until November of that year with frequent and determined fighting causing Henry’s army to lose hundreds upon hundreds of men. Eventually the food supplies ran low and those defending Melun were forced to capitulate. This provided Henry with a propaganda opportunity as he allowed those who had defied him to leave unharmed, showing the French he would be a lenient and just king. The siege, nonetheless, came at a price for Henry and he departed for Paris to celebrate Christmas in a calmer environment.

After Christmas was over and the French Parliament had been dissolved, Henry travelled to Rouen where he ensured that Normandy was stable and peaceful. Henry was evidently content with how things had gone in France since the signing of the Treaty at Troyes and now he made arrangements to return to England. Henry landed at Dover on 1st February 1421, accompanied by a small retinue which included his new wife, Catherine of Valois, and his brother, John, Duke of Bedford. Henry spent a few days at Canterbury, probably discussing with the Archbishop about the prospect of Catherine’s coronation. From there, the royal couple returned to London and, not long after, Catherine was crowned in a solemn ceremony at Westminster Abbey. With that out of the way, Henry’s thoughts turned to the future and producing heirs for the succession. A matter of weeks after Catherine had been crowned, she had fallen pregnant and a little boy was born to the couple in December 1421. This baby would become Henry VI.

At this point in time, things appeared to be running smoothly for Henry V but life in the medieval period could change rapidly even for the most powerful and mighty of kings. In France, those opposed to the prospect of Henry taking the French crown gathered themselves in support of Charles The Dauphin and captured the town of Bauge. Another of Henry’s brother’s, Thomas, Duke of Clarence, was killed in the fighting along with many other Englishmen. Henry was urged by his advisers to return to France as quickly as possible to ensure that this rebellion against him did not spiral out of control. For the time being though, Henry was sidetracked by matters with Scotland as the Scots sought to free their captive king. Henry quickly stabilised matters in the North and now sailed to France, at the head of a fresh army.

Landing in France, Henry went in pursuit of Charles The Dauphin but the latter actively avoided fighting Henry and instead chose to lay waste to areas that had been loyal to the king of England. With his pursuit of Charles proving fruitless, Henry instead laid siege to the town of Meaux but this came at a particularly heavy price for Henry, his army and the local peasantry. Henry had ordered his army to pillage the local area for food to boost the army’s dwindling supplies. The land had suffered already from Charles’ actions and this latest pillaging was a disaster for the peasants. The land became virtually unworkable, causing hunger and starvation among the common people, but all complaints that were made fell on deaf ears.

However, as dismissive as the English army may have been about the peasants’ troubles, they would soon have their own issues. Although the Siege of Meaux ended with the English capturing the town, many of Henry’s men died in the fighting and disease spread rapidly through the camp. Henry himself contracted dysentery and, although he would fight it for some months, it was an illness that he would not recover from. As 1422 gradually wore on, Henry became weaker and it was soon clear to his doctors and to Henry himself that he would not recover. He made preparations as best as he could for the future of both England and the English interests in France but Henry was dying at a particularly inopportune moment. His one son and heir was a baby not even one year old yet, meaning that a long regency government was required. Regency governments in the medieval era often ended in chaos. 

When Henry V died on 31st August 1422, English hopes of conquering France totally died with him and the hopes of Charles The Dauphin were renewed. Ironically, Charles VI died only a few weeks after Henry. Had Henry, only 35, lived just a little while longer, he may well have united the English and French crowns in what would have been an extraordinary achievement. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Henry VI, when he had just turned 10 years old, was crowned King of France on 16th December 1431 but this proved a symbolic and hollow gesture. Charles The Dauphin had been crowned two years earlier, thanks to the help of Joan of Arc who had been executed in May 1431. He was now Charles VII. The Hundred Years War would still rumble on for another couple of decades but, with the death of Henry V in 1422, it had turned decisively and permanently against the English.

 

After becoming the legal heir to the kingdom of France following the signing of the Treaty of Troyes, which also arranged for his marriage to the daughter of the French king Charles VI, Henry V of England now turned his attention towards the areas of France that could be troublesome to him if and when he took the crown. He took Sens and Montereau with relative ease before he laid siege to Melun which would prove altogether more problematic. Among Henry's company included the king of Scotland, James I, who had been held captive by the English since 1406 and would remain so until 1424. The siege rumbled on from July of 1420 until November of that year with frequent and determined fighting causing Henry’s army to lose hundreds upon hundreds of men. Eventually the food supplies ran low and those defending Melun were forced to capitulate. This provided Henry with a propaganda opportunity as he allowed those who had defied him to leave unharmed, showing the French he would be a lenient and just king. The siege, nonetheless, came at a price for Henry and he departed for Paris to celebrate Christmas in a calmer environment.

After Christmas was over and the French Parliament had been dissolved, Henry travelled to Rouen where he ensured that Normandy was stable and peaceful. Henry was evidently content with how things had gone in France since the signing of the Treaty at Troyes and now he made arrangements to return to England. Henry landed at Dover on 1st February 1421, accompanied by a small retinue which included his new wife, Catherine of Valois, and his brother, John, Duke of Bedford. Henry spent a few days at Canterbury, probably discussing with the Archbishop about the prospect of Catherine’s coronation. From there, the royal couple returned to London and, not long after, Catherine was crowned in a solemn ceremony at Westminster Abbey. With that out of the way, Henry’s thoughts turned to the future and producing heirs for the succession. A matter of weeks after Catherine had been crowned, she had fallen pregnant and a little boy was born to the couple in December 1421. This baby would become Henry VI.

At this point in time, things appeared to be running smoothly for Henry V but life in the medieval period could change rapidly even for the most powerful and mighty of kings. In France, those opposed to the prospect of Henry taking the French crown gathered themselves in support of Charles The Dauphin and captured the town of Bauge. Another of Henry’s brother’s, Thomas, Duke of Clarence, was killed in the fighting along with many other Englishmen. Henry was urged by his advisers to return to France as quickly as possible to ensure that this rebellion against him did not spiral out of control. For the time being though, Henry was sidetracked by matters with Scotland as the Scots sought to free their captive king. Henry quickly stabilised matters in the North and now sailed to France, at the head of a fresh army.

Landing in France, Henry went in pursuit of Charles The Dauphin but the latter actively avoided fighting Henry and instead chose to lay waste to areas that had been loyal to the king of England. With his pursuit of Charles proving fruitless, Henry instead laid siege to the town of Meaux but this came at a particularly heavy price for Henry, his army and the local peasantry. Henry had ordered his army to pillage the local area for food to boost the army’s dwindling supplies. The land had suffered already from Charles’ actions and this latest pillaging was a disaster for the peasants. The land became virtually unworkable, causing hunger and starvation among the common people, but all complaints that were made fell on deaf ears.

However, as dismissive as the English army may have been about the peasants’ troubles, they would soon have their own issues. Although the Siege of Meaux ended with the English capturing the town, many of Henry’s men died in the fighting and disease spread rapidly through the camp. Henry himself contracted dysentery and, although he would fight it for some months, it was an illness that he would not recover from. As 1422 gradually wore on, Henry became weaker and it was soon clear to his doctors and to Henry himself that he would not recover. He made preparations as best as he could for the future of both England and the English interests in France but Henry was dying at a particularly inopportune moment. His one son and heir was a baby not even one year old yet, meaning that a long regency government was required. Regency governments in the medieval era often ended in chaos. 

When Henry V died on 31st August 1422, English hopes of conquering France totally died with him and the hopes of Charles The Dauphin were renewed. Ironically, Charles VI died only a few weeks after Henry. Had Henry, only 35, lived just a little while longer, he may well have united the English and French crowns in what would have been an extraordinary achievement. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Henry VI, when he had just turned 10 years old, was crowned King of France on 16th December 1431 but this proved a symbolic and hollow gesture. Charles The Dauphin had been crowned two years earlier, thanks to the help of Joan of Arc who had been executed in May 1431. He was now Charles VII. The Hundred Years War would still rumble on for another couple of decades but, with the death of Henry V in 1422, it had turned decisively and permanently against the English.