King Henry the Fifth

I decided to read about Henry the Fifth- because Henry the Fifth was well respected and one of the best warrior kings. I got the Henry the Fifth, Warrior King Book because I wanted to learn about a particular time in history- King Henry the Fifth’s reign and how he changed England

King Henry the Fifth’s reign; preluded some modern developments. King Henry the Fifth set the standards for English kings that caused the American Revolution. Under King George, before the American Revolution, he treated the Welsh citizens like second class citizens. This caused major turmoil – and the Welsh Rebelled. Welsh citizens, did not have control over taxes, were put in other countries prisons, and did not have the same rights as the British. Many points in the American Constitution and Bill of Rights, were part of this, which included things like no taxation without representation, and a part of it that banned sending citizens to prisons overseas. We can still see this today- it has returned in the Trump administration. One example of this is sending immigrants abroad to prisons- without due process. King Henry the Fifth, did things that would lead to the American Revolution, did things that were banned by the American Constitution and Bill of rights, and was a prelude to the Trump administration. [1]

King Henry the Fifth was cruel, domineering and Hard. He wasn’t merciful, he was harsh. When he wanted to pass a policy- he would be harsh and push his policy very hard. However, one positive quality- was that he was a big proponent of Justice- which was one positive quality. Henry the Fifth fought wars against the French in wars in his reign. The Burgundian and the Holy Roman Empires were diplomatically beneficial to the Kingdom of England- during the wars against France.

Funnily enough- some of the same people Prince Henry the Fifth discriminated against- are the same people that he came from. Prince Henry the Fifth became king, in 1420. He married a women named Catherine in 1417.  King Henry the Fifth, was the Precursor- to King George- which caused the revolutionary war- and parts of what were in the American Constitution and bill of rights.

King Henry the Fifth was an example and may have been part of the problem that led to the American Revolution. King Henry the Fifth’s actions were an example – or a precedent for King George’s actions during the American Revolution. It’s possible that King George took some of the ideas from King Henry the Fifth, that lead to what Americans now call the constitution, bill of rights, and the Decleration of independence. King Henry the Fifth, was a cruel, but justice focused leader- who put his own people as a second class, discriminated group of people.

Bibliography:Jones, Dan. Henry V: The Warrior King of 1415. London: Head of Zeus, 2022.

Encyclopædia Britannica, s.v. “Henry V,” last modified June 19, 2025, Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry‑V‑king‑of‑England. britannica.com

BBC History, “Henry V (c. 1387 – 1422),” BBC, accessed via archived page, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/henry_v_king.shtml.

[1] Footnote (First Citation):

1.       Dan Jones, Henry V: The Warrior King of 1415 (London: Head of Zeus, 2022), page number.