#black cap

King Henry V

Artist: Unknown Artist

Date: Late 16th century

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: National Portrait Gallery, London, United Kingdom

Henry V of England

Henry V (11386 – 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1413 until his death in 1422.

Did you know? Henry V was the first king of England since the Norman invasion to use English as his primary language. His predecessors had all preferred French.

On October 25, 1415, an English army of 6,000 defeated a 20,000-strong French force against all odds. Playwright William Shakespeare immortalized the scene, giving Henry a stirring speech to his men.

The king won a series of victories in France, capturing Caen and Rouen, and in 1420, under the Treaty of Troyes, married Catherine, daughter of French king Charles Vi, was made French regent, and was recognized as heir to the French throne.

He had proven himself a great warrior during a raucous youth in which, as a teenage Prince of Wales, he led the battle against Welsh rebel Owain Glyndwr, and was involved in ambushes, a midnight fight in a London tavern, and practical jokes at court.

Bartolomeo Bianchini

Artist: Francesco Francia (Italian, 1447-1517)

Date: ca. 1493-1495

Medium: Oil on wood

Collection: The National Gallery, London, United Kingdom