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fictionfan's review
4.0
Peaceful pursuits of the warrior-king...
In his introduction, Malcolm Vale suggests that Henry V's reputation as a warrior-king shows only one aspect of his character, and not necessarily the most important one in letting us understand the man. To make his case, Vale looks at Henry's other activities – how he carried out the daily business of government, how he dealt with matters of the Church, his involvement in encouragement of the arts, etc. Since, unusually for the time, Henry often wrote letters in his own hand, Vale suggests that for the first time we get to hear the actual 'voice' of a monarch.
This book is neither a history of the period nor a full biography of Henry. It is an extremely detailed look at various aspects of Henry's reign, but makes no attempt to tell his whole 'story'. Because of its focus on Henry's peaceful activities, it only touches on his wars in passing. It's academic in tone and assumes some familiarity on the part of the reader with the events and main players of the time. It's therefore not a book for beginners. Since I most definitely am a beginner to this period of history, I would have struggled badly had it not been for the fortunate circumstance that I very recently read a biography of Henry IV, which gave me some background to the political situation in England and Europe. However, this is not in any way a criticism of the book. Vale sets out his agenda clearly in his introduction and fully meets it.
Each chapter covers one aspect of Henry's reign. Vale starts with a look at how the daily business of government was carried out, showing the high level of personal involvement of Henry in decisions large and small. He shows how a bureaucracy grew up to streamline this and take some of the pressure off the King, and also to provide a consistent approach during Henry's long absences in France. Vale goes into great detail over the uses of the various seals and signets and under what circumstances each was used. Henry is shown as having taken his duty as a monarch seriously, trying to provide justice and working closely with his council. Vale shows that, more than previous Kings, Henry's own manual signature often appears on documents, suggesting that this was done as an extra indication of his personal will in certain matters.
Vale also discusses Henry's involvement in Church matters, both at home and abroad. Henry is shown as genuinely religious, with a desire to support and protect religious establishments while expecting them to live up to their part of the bargain by curbing absenteeism, reforming some of the areas of abuse and tending to the cure of souls. Partly because of the weakness of papal authority due to the Schism, Henry had considerable power over appointments, and Vale suggests that he was effectively head of the church within his own territories, two centuries before Henry VIII's break with Rome.
Henry's interest in the peaceful arts comes under scrutiny too, showing his direct involvement in encouraging and even participating in them. It appears he may have composed music himself, as well as playing the harp. He read fairly widely, both religious and imaginative works, and commissioned translations. He also commissioned artistic work that formed part of the trappings of power – tapestries and textiles, ornamental and military metalwork, etc.
The chapter I found most interesting discusses Henry's increasing use and promotion of the English language as his reign progressed. At the beginning of the reign, Norman French and Latin were still the languages of government, but from about the middle of his reign on, English begins to appear more often and Henry himself begins to write letters in that language. Vale suggests that this is a result of Henry's desire to show that, should he succeed in gaining the crown of France, the two countries would remain separate, distinct entities with their own laws and identities. At that time, English was seen as an unsophisticated language without the vocabulary or nuance required of a language of government. Vale shows how much of the formal language was adopted wholesale from Norman French, either anglicised or literally translated. He also shows that even now, six centuries later, some of the phrases put into use in Henry's time are still used in formal Parliamentary documents. This was the time of Chaucer and other early writers in English, and Vale discusses the literary development of the language, suggesting that the King's influence in promoting English was crucial in its growth.
In conclusion, I feel Vale makes his case that there was much more to Henry V than simply being the warrior of Agincourt fame. The research that has gone into the book is clearly immense and it is well written and presented. Obviously I am not qualified to judge the accuracy of the facts or conclusions, but I found it a convincing read. Personally I found parts of it a little dry and repetitive and perhaps too detailed, but I put that down to a mismatch between reader and book. In tone, I would suggest it is aimed more at the academic reader, or at least a knowledgeable and enthusiastic amateur, than at the casual reader. Nonetheless I learned a good deal, not just about Henry, but about governance of the time, the growth of the English language, and the relationships between monarchy, religious institutions and the Papacy. 4 stars for me, but I'm confident this would be a 5-star read for someone with greater pre-knowledge of the period.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Yale University Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
In his introduction, Malcolm Vale suggests that Henry V's reputation as a warrior-king shows only one aspect of his character, and not necessarily the most important one in letting us understand the man. To make his case, Vale looks at Henry's other activities – how he carried out the daily business of government, how he dealt with matters of the Church, his involvement in encouragement of the arts, etc. Since, unusually for the time, Henry often wrote letters in his own hand, Vale suggests that for the first time we get to hear the actual 'voice' of a monarch.
This book is neither a history of the period nor a full biography of Henry. It is an extremely detailed look at various aspects of Henry's reign, but makes no attempt to tell his whole 'story'. Because of its focus on Henry's peaceful activities, it only touches on his wars in passing. It's academic in tone and assumes some familiarity on the part of the reader with the events and main players of the time. It's therefore not a book for beginners. Since I most definitely am a beginner to this period of history, I would have struggled badly had it not been for the fortunate circumstance that I very recently read a biography of Henry IV, which gave me some background to the political situation in England and Europe. However, this is not in any way a criticism of the book. Vale sets out his agenda clearly in his introduction and fully meets it.
Each chapter covers one aspect of Henry's reign. Vale starts with a look at how the daily business of government was carried out, showing the high level of personal involvement of Henry in decisions large and small. He shows how a bureaucracy grew up to streamline this and take some of the pressure off the King, and also to provide a consistent approach during Henry's long absences in France. Vale goes into great detail over the uses of the various seals and signets and under what circumstances each was used. Henry is shown as having taken his duty as a monarch seriously, trying to provide justice and working closely with his council. Vale shows that, more than previous Kings, Henry's own manual signature often appears on documents, suggesting that this was done as an extra indication of his personal will in certain matters.
Vale also discusses Henry's involvement in Church matters, both at home and abroad. Henry is shown as genuinely religious, with a desire to support and protect religious establishments while expecting them to live up to their part of the bargain by curbing absenteeism, reforming some of the areas of abuse and tending to the cure of souls. Partly because of the weakness of papal authority due to the Schism, Henry had considerable power over appointments, and Vale suggests that he was effectively head of the church within his own territories, two centuries before Henry VIII's break with Rome.
Henry's interest in the peaceful arts comes under scrutiny too, showing his direct involvement in encouraging and even participating in them. It appears he may have composed music himself, as well as playing the harp. He read fairly widely, both religious and imaginative works, and commissioned translations. He also commissioned artistic work that formed part of the trappings of power – tapestries and textiles, ornamental and military metalwork, etc.
The chapter I found most interesting discusses Henry's increasing use and promotion of the English language as his reign progressed. At the beginning of the reign, Norman French and Latin were still the languages of government, but from about the middle of his reign on, English begins to appear more often and Henry himself begins to write letters in that language. Vale suggests that this is a result of Henry's desire to show that, should he succeed in gaining the crown of France, the two countries would remain separate, distinct entities with their own laws and identities. At that time, English was seen as an unsophisticated language without the vocabulary or nuance required of a language of government. Vale shows how much of the formal language was adopted wholesale from Norman French, either anglicised or literally translated. He also shows that even now, six centuries later, some of the phrases put into use in Henry's time are still used in formal Parliamentary documents. This was the time of Chaucer and other early writers in English, and Vale discusses the literary development of the language, suggesting that the King's influence in promoting English was crucial in its growth.
In conclusion, I feel Vale makes his case that there was much more to Henry V than simply being the warrior of Agincourt fame. The research that has gone into the book is clearly immense and it is well written and presented. Obviously I am not qualified to judge the accuracy of the facts or conclusions, but I found it a convincing read. Personally I found parts of it a little dry and repetitive and perhaps too detailed, but I put that down to a mismatch between reader and book. In tone, I would suggest it is aimed more at the academic reader, or at least a knowledgeable and enthusiastic amateur, than at the casual reader. Nonetheless I learned a good deal, not just about Henry, but about governance of the time, the growth of the English language, and the relationships between monarchy, religious institutions and the Papacy. 4 stars for me, but I'm confident this would be a 5-star read for someone with greater pre-knowledge of the period.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Yale University Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
lisa_setepenre's review
5.0
In the past half-century or so, there has been attempts to re-evaluate Henry V, to separate his character and reign from the hyperbole that surrounds him. Was he really the “greatest king” to ever rule England? Was he a bad man but a good king? Or a bad king and a worse man? What really was his legacy? But in the midst of all these debates, the one constant of Henry V is that he was a warrior king.
This is what makes Malcolm Vale’s Henry V: The Conscience of a King so interesting. He is not interested in making a moral judgement of Henry V or categorising Henry as “good” or “bad”. He is not interested in exploring of Henry’s military career and achievements. Instead, his focus is on Henry V as a king outside of the military arena and explores Henry’s actions relating to the “everyday business” of kingship, the peaceful arts, the promotion of the English language, the personalisation of kingship, and the Church. Above all, Vale locates his study of Henry V in the evidence of his direct action and engagement, in his words and deeds.
This is not a conventional biography, focusing more around a themed study of Henry’s character. To that end, I would only recommend this to readers already familiar with Henry’s life. However, Vale’s writing is clear and accessible and although he quotes copiously from primary sources, these are rendered in modern English (often with the original text noted in the footnotes).
As indicated above, Vale is not interested in making a moral judgement on Henry V and he never does, though he does critique some of the harsher judgements on Henry’s character. The portrait I gleaned from these pages is one of a man with extraordinary focus and abilities, concerned with precepts of justice and fairness, exacting and demanding, pious and a skilled composer of music.
For me, Henry V: The Conscience of a King is a book that anyone interested in understanding, researching or writing about Henry V should read. While there is no denying Henry V’s martial abilities, Vale’s biography throws light on areas of his character often neglected or overshadowed by his military triumphs and reveals a man far more complex and extraordinary than we might previously have guessed.
This is what makes Malcolm Vale’s Henry V: The Conscience of a King so interesting. He is not interested in making a moral judgement of Henry V or categorising Henry as “good” or “bad”. He is not interested in exploring of Henry’s military career and achievements. Instead, his focus is on Henry V as a king outside of the military arena and explores Henry’s actions relating to the “everyday business” of kingship, the peaceful arts, the promotion of the English language, the personalisation of kingship, and the Church. Above all, Vale locates his study of Henry V in the evidence of his direct action and engagement, in his words and deeds.
This is not a conventional biography, focusing more around a themed study of Henry’s character. To that end, I would only recommend this to readers already familiar with Henry’s life. However, Vale’s writing is clear and accessible and although he quotes copiously from primary sources, these are rendered in modern English (often with the original text noted in the footnotes).
As indicated above, Vale is not interested in making a moral judgement on Henry V and he never does, though he does critique some of the harsher judgements on Henry’s character. The portrait I gleaned from these pages is one of a man with extraordinary focus and abilities, concerned with precepts of justice and fairness, exacting and demanding, pious and a skilled composer of music.
For me, Henry V: The Conscience of a King is a book that anyone interested in understanding, researching or writing about Henry V should read. While there is no denying Henry V’s martial abilities, Vale’s biography throws light on areas of his character often neglected or overshadowed by his military triumphs and reveals a man far more complex and extraordinary than we might previously have guessed.
caidyn's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
When I think of Henry V, the first thing that pops into my mind is his military prowess and Agincourt. That's the thing that lives in my mind for the most part. Next is the portrayals of Henry V in Shakespeare's plays. But, I liked how this book examined different parts of him and his lasting influence in other ways, such as the use of the English language, arts, and religion. It definitely makes me want to read a full biography of him because I have a feeling I would have appreciated this book more if I had read some other books about him first. Still, an interesting read and I like that this takes a different angle than one would expect with the subject.
stephend81d5's review against another edition
4.0
this book looks more at the mannerisms of the king rather than a standard biography. His injuries suffered at the Battle of Shrewsbury (1403) which may influenced him more than other historians had noted. Felt this was a refreshing approach to the subject matter.
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