15/09/2025
The Boy from Monmouth who Became England’s Hero: The Birthplace of Henry V. Fiona's Weekly Blog
One of my favourite kings in history has always been Henry V. In fact, I like him so much that I even named my son after him. There’s something about his story that has always fascinated me — the mix of romance, legend, and sheer determination. His tale begins not in London or Windsor, but in Wales, in Monmouth Castle.
Henry’s birth is surrounded by a bit of mystery. Was it 9 August or 16 September? Was it 1386 or 1387? No one wrote it down properly, because at the time he was so far removed from the line of succession that his arrival hardly seemed important. Most historians now agree on 16 September 1386, but the uncertainty only adds to the sense of legend.
His parents were Henry Bolingbroke — who would later seize the throne as Henry IV — and Mary de Bohun, just sixteen when she gave birth. His grandfather was the mighty John of Gaunt, one of the most powerful men in England. Yet Henry’s early life wasn’t gilded. His mother died in childbirth in 1394, and he was raised instead by his grandmother, the Duchess of Hereford.
Soldier First, King Later
As a boy, Henry received a very unusual education. His uncle, Cardinal Henry Beaufort, schooled him in religion and statecraft, while Harry “Hotspur” Percy, a man who would one day become his enemy, taught him the arts of war. By the time he was a teenager, Henry already had the makings of a soldier king.
He wasn’t an easy child. Cold, distant, and focused only on soldiering, his relationship with his father was tense. For a while, he even lived in the household of King Richard II, almost as a hostage, yet he grew surprisingly close to Richard. He fought alongside him in Ireland and was knighted by him in 1399.
But everything changed when Henry’s father returned from exile, overthrew Richard, and claimed the throne. Henry wasted no time shifting his loyalties. On the very day of his father’s coronation, he was made Prince of Wales.
Wales Shapes a King
That title came with real responsibility. Almost immediately, Henry was thrown into the long, grinding war against Owain Glyndŵr, the Welsh prince leading rebellion against English rule. For nearly ten years, Henry fought across the hills and marshes of Wales. It was there he learned the hard lessons of siege warfare, discipline, and endurance — lessons that would serve him well later in France.
In 1403, he faced an even greater test at the Battle of Shrewsbury. On the field was none other than Harry Hotspur, his former tutor turned rebel. Henry’s victory secured his father’s throne, though not without cost: an arrow struck him in the face. Miraculously, he survived thanks to the extraordinary skill of royal physician John Bradmore, who extracted the arrowhead with a specially made instrument and treated the wound with honey and alcohol. Henry bore the scar for life — a mark of both his survival and his destiny.
The Warrior King
When Henry became king in 1413, his gaze shifted firmly to France. Just two years later, he led his outnumbered army to one of England’s greatest military triumphs at Agincourt. The campaigns that followed — Harfleur, Rouen, and the steady conquest of Normandy — cemented his reputation as a warrior king.
And then, just as his star was burning brightest, Henry’s life ended suddenly. In 1422, at the siege of Meaux, he died of dysentery, only 35 years old.
My Henry
For me, Henry V will always be more than just a figure in a history book. He was the boy from Monmouth who became England’s great warrior king, a man shaped by Wales as much as by England. His story has a kind of grit and poetry that few others match. That’s why he’s one of my favourites — and why I was proud to name my son after him.
Thanks Fiona for that beautifully written and personal story. If you enjoyed it please let us know in the comments!
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