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King of Kings - by Lewis Lavoie
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| Wikipedia: Henry was the son of Henry IV. As prince of Wales, 'Prince Hal' spent his teenage years putting down Owain Glyndwr's revolt in Wales, eventually defeating a force led by the Percy family at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, where he was wounded in the face by an arrow. On his accession to the throne, he decided that the best policy was to pardon his father's enemies. These included the Percy family, whose fortunes he restored. He also reburied Richard II at Westminster to prevent a cult developing around the king who had been deposed (and probably murdered) by his father. In 1415, two years after becoming king, he invaded France to assert his right to the French crown, which the English had claimed since Edward III. The famous battle of Agincourt, which was won by the English archers, with Henry at the helm, made him a national hero, a position he enjoyed until his premature death from dysentery at the age of 34. Before then, however, he conquered Normandy (in 1417), and married Catherine, daughter of the French king Charles VI (in 1420). By the treaty of Troyes, Charles recognised him as his heir. If Henry had lived just a little while longer, he would have become king of France, as Charles died a month after he did. Despite a misspent youth, as king Henry was an efficient manager as well as soldier and kept the Church sweet, ensuring that there was little to worry him on the domestic front. By the time Henry died, he had not only consolidated power as the King of England but had also effectively accomplished what generations of his ancestors had failed to achieve through decades of war: unification of the crowns of England and France in a single person. In 2002 he was ranked 72nd in the 100 Greatest Britons poll. |
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