Unit 17. The Continuation of the Hundred Years` War. Henry V

Henry IV was followed by his son Henry V on the 21^st of March, 1413. On his father's exile in 1398, Richard II took the boy into his own charge and treated him kindly. He was well educated by the standards of his time. He was fond of music and reading and became the first English king who could both easily read and write in English. In 1403 he took over actual command of the war against the Welsh rebels, a struggle that absorbed much of his energy until 1408. After it he began to demand a voice in government and a place on the council, in opposition to his sick father and Thomas Arundel, archbishop of Canterbury. Henry started his reign with setting Edmund Mortimer free and returning estates to some of his father`s enemies. But soon his position was threatened by a conspiracy (July 1415) of Richard of York in favour of Edmund Mortimer. On each occasion Henry was forewarned and the opposition was suppressed without mercy. In foreign policy his ambition was to continue the war and seize the French throne. He also claimed Normandy, and parts of France that had never been in English hands. He demanded the French princess for marriage. King Charles V refused to meet Henry`s demands and England began warlike preparations. Henry V was a true genius of diplomacy and a master of strategy. He made attempts to deprive France of maritime assistance and after the Battle of the Seine (August 1416), England's naval mastery of the Channel was not seriously disputed. Henry turned to the systematic financing of his invasion, partly through borrowing, partly through parliamentary taxation, which was given with generosity because of the national enthusiasm for the war. His main objective in the war was the systematic reduction of the great towns and fortresses of northern France. His first campaign brought the capture of Harfleur (September 1415) and the great victory of Agincourt (Oct. 25, 1415). Then he returned to the war of sieges and the gradual conquest of Normandy. Rouen, the capital of northern France, surrendered in January 1419, and the murder of Duke John of Burgundy in September 1419 brought him the Burgundian alliance. The French had to agree to the Treaty of Troyes on 21^st of May. Henry was recognized as heir to the French throne and regent of France, and Catherine, the daughter of Charles, was married to him. He was now at the height of his power: but his triumph was short-lived. His health grew worse at the sieges of Melun and Meaux, and he died of camp fever at the chateau of Vincennes in 1422.

Read the text, translate it into Russian.

Memorize the words, answer the questions:

actual – действующий, реальный	What was Prince Henry fond of?
absorb - поглощать	What language could the king read and write easily?
threaten - угрожать	How did Henry V start his reign?
generosity - щедрость	What was his main objective in the war?
triumph - триумф	What was the greatest victory won by Henry V?
short-lived - краткий	What was the result of his war campaigns?
naval – военно-моpской