Henry V A History of His Most Important Places and Events

Henry V A History of His Most Important Places and Events written by Deborah

Fisher and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardcover - Pages 208

There are many books about King Henry V, several of which concentrate entirely on his

victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. This one looks at his life from a different point

of view, concentrating on places that were important in his life and can still be visited by

those interested in getting a better feel for the man and understanding how his character

was shaped by his environment.

Henry spent much of his youth on military campaigns in Ireland, Wales and the Marches. As Prince of Wales, he became battle-hardened as a teenager when he received a near-fatal wound at Shrewsbury. Despite a fraught relationship with his father, he quickly reinvented himself as a model king and set his eyes firmly on the crown of France. Thereafter, much of his nine-year reign was spent on military campaigns beyond the British Isles.

The book takes its reader on a journey from the rural areas around Monmouth, where he was born, to Harlech Castle, where he put an end to Owain Glyndwr's rebellion, and from his coronation at Westminster Abbey to his private retreat at Kenilworth. We see him seize Harfleur and take the long road to Calais, culminating in the Battle of Agincourt, one of the most spectacular victories ever won by an English army. We follow his continued campaigns in France, through his marriage to Catherine of Valois at Troyes, to his eventual, tragically premature, death at Vincennes.

This book wants the reader to explore their knowledge about a person in this case through Henry V, some of the prominent places they stayed at or visited during their lifetime. This is a fascinating book as your getting the history and how certain places were important to that person. I particularly enjoyed the Welsh bits of this book and learnt quite a bit I didn’t know before, the author in fact has tried to concentrate on places or locations that are still around today. This will enable people today to visit these places through the handy appendix at the back of the book. The author Deborah Fisher has done a really good job with this book, and the up-to-date locations idea brings this book more of a modern feel to it. I would highly recommend this book.

Soldier Rebel Traitor John Lord Wenlock & the War of the Roses

Soldier Rebel Traitor John Lord Wenlock & the War of the Roses - written by

Dr Alexander R. Brondarbit and published by Pen & Sword Books - £19.99

- Hardback - Pages 224

John Wenlock, first Lord Wenlock, was a leading diplomat, courtier and soldier during

the Wars of the Roses whose remarkable career offers us a fascinating insight into one

of the most turbulent periods in English medieval history. And yet he has hitherto been

overshadowed by his more illustrious contemporaries. Alexander Brondarbit’s

meticulously researched and perceptive biography is overdue. It establishes Wenlock

as a major figure in his own right and records in vivid detail how this shrewd nobleman

found his way through the brutal conflicts of his times.

Wenlock served in Henry V’s military campaigns in France in the 1420s before moving on to a career in the royal households of Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou and Edward IV. As a diplomat, he led multiple embassies to Burgundy and France and, in addition to the kings he served, he was closely connected with other notable figures of the age such as Richard Neville, earl of Warwick. But Wenlock’s speciality was on the battlefield – he took part in many raids, skirmishes and sieges and in three major battles including the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 where he lost his life.

Using primary sources as well as contemporary assessments in chronicles and letters, Alexander Brondarbit gives a nuanced description of the main episodes in Wenlock’s long career and throws new light on the motivation of a man who has been labelled a ‘Prince of Turncoats’ because of his frequent changes of allegiance.

Very much a many of many talents or wearer of many hats John Wenlock war is primarily known as very much a military man at heart. Fighting in a number of battles and skirmishes during the Wars of the Roses he would eventually be killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury 1471. It would turn out that Wenlock was very much a major player during Henry V’s reign, but would also serve other kings and major players of the time.

The author Dr Alexander Brondarbit has done a really good job in writing this book a very clear, descriptive and informative text. As someone who is relatively new to this period of history, the author wrote the book very well and was very easy to read and whereas in some other books the people can be various this was very easy to understand and clear. In fact, it just makes me want to read more about this period of history. I would certainly recommend this book to others as it was a really good read, and I would have thought those that are more into this period than me would enjoy the book too.