Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. XXVIII · Unit 9: The end of the Middle Ages
36. Henry the Fifth
Goal: Your child can tell how wild Prince Hal became a serious king, and what happened at Agincourt and at the siege of Rouen.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter XXVIII (1413-1422): Prince Hal draws his sword on a judge and is sent to prison; he jokes with fat Sir John Falstaff; as king he gives up his wild friends. He claims Normandy and France, invades, and with about fifteen thousand men defeats a much larger French army at Agincourt. He starves Rouen into surrender, takes Normandy, enters Paris, and is promised the French crown and the hand of Princess Katherine, but dies within two years; all is later lost except Calais.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Agincourt in the north of France, near Calais and Crécy. Then find Rouen on the Seine. Say: This is the same war the Black Prince fought, sixty years later.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter XXVIII aloud. It begins:
Of all the kings that England ever had Henry V was perhaps the greatest favorite among the people.
Heads-up: at Rouen, twelve thousand country people are put out of the city and starve between the walls and the English trenches. Read ahead and decide how much to read aloud.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What did the judge do when Prince Hal threatened him?
- What did Henry tell his wild companions when he became king?
- What did he say when an officer wished for more soldiers?
- How did Henry take Rouen?
Story or history?
SaySir John Falstaff is a character from Shakespeare's plays about Henry IV and Henry V. He was made up for the plays, though Shakespeare drew on stories about young Hal's wild days.
Talk it over
Read Henry's words the night before the battle:
If God give us victory, it will be plain we owe it to His grace. If not, the fewer we are, the less loss for England.
Then read what he said at Rouen:
War has three handmaidens,—fire, blood, and famine. I have chosen the meekest of the three.
Ask: Was famine really the "meekest"? What do you think of how the people of Rouen were treated?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "1415 Battle of Agincourt." Say: The English archers won it with their longbows, just as at Crécy.
Afterwards
Ask your child to compare Henry V with the Black Prince: how were they alike?
Tip
The judge story is a good one for children: even a prince had to obey the law, and his father was glad of it.
Answers to the book's problems
He bravely ordered the prince arrested and put in prison, and Hal accepted his punishment. He told them his wild days were over and advised them to lead better lives. He said he would not have a single man more: victory would show God's grace, and defeat would mean less loss for England. He dug trenches round the city so no food could get in, and starved it until it surrendered on generous terms.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.