1415: Henry V's Year of Glory

An epic account of King Henry V and the legendary Battle of Agincourt, from the author of the bestselling Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.Henry V is regarded as the great English hero. Lionised in his own day for his victory at Agincourt, his piety and his rigorous application of justice, he was elevated by Shakespeare into a champion of English nationalism for all future generations. But what was he really like? Does he deserve to be thought of as 'the greatest man who ever ruled England?'In Ian Mortimer's groundbreaking book, he portrays Henry in the pivotal year of his reign. Recording the dramatic events of 1415, he offers the fullest, most precise and least romanticised view we have of Henry and what he did.The result is not only a fascinating reappraisal of Henry; it brings to the fore many unpalatable truths which biographers and military historians have largely ignored. At the centre of the book is the campaign which culminated in the battle of Agincourt- a slaughter ground designed not to advance England's interests directly but to demonstrate God's approval of Henry's royal authority on both sides of the Channel.

Ian Mortimer's 1415: Henry V's Year of Glory is compelling, exuberant and erudite - combining the vivid drama of medieval character and battle with the vigour of revisionist history -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin
Mortimer creates a new and convincing likeness of medieval England's most iconic king -- Nick Rennison Sunday Times
Mortimer writes biographical history with formidable energy and panache... This is the most illuminating exploration of the reality of fifteenth-century life that I have ever read Independent
Ian Mortimer... has virtually single-handedly put medieval history back in the hands of ordinary readers, combining scrupulous research with a wonderfully iconoclastic approach to storytelling -- Dominic Sandbrook Daily Telegraph
Bold...new and unexpected -- Anne Wroe The Economist

Dr Ian Mortimer is the author of the bestselling Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England, eight other books and many peer-reviewed articles on English history between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and was awarded the Alexander Prize (2004) for his work on the social history of medicine in seventeenth-century England. In June 2011, the University of Exeter awarded him a higher doctorate (D.Litt.) by examination, on the strength of his historical work. He also writes historical fiction, published under his middle names (James Forrester). He lives with his wife and three children on the edge of Dartmoor, in Devon. For further information about him and a full bibliography, see his website-

'Remarkable... in its highly original approach to the presentation of a single year and his scorching criticism of Henry V... Mortimer writes biographical history with formidable energy and panache...This is the most illuminating exploration of the reality of 15th-century life that I have ever read' Independent 'Ian Mortimer has virtually single-handedly put medieval history back in the hands of ordinary readers, combining scrupulous research with a wonderfully iconoclastic approach to storytelling... a genuinely three-dimensional portrait of a man who was of his times but came to transcend them' Daily Telegraph 'Compelling, exuberant...vivid' Simon Sebag-Montefiore Henry V is regarded as the great English hero. Lionised in his own lifetime for his victory at Agincourt, his piety and his rigorous application of justice, he was elevated by Shakespeare into a champion of English nationalism. But does he really deserve to be thought of as 'the greatest man who ever ruled England'? In Ian Mortimer's groundbreaking book, he portrays Henry in the pivotal year of his reign; recording the dramatic event of 1415, he offers the fullest, most precise and least romanticised view we have of Henry and of what he did. The result is not only a fascinating reappraisal of Henry; it brings to the fore many unpalatable truths which biographies and military historians have largely ignored. At the centre of the book is the campaign which culminated in the battle of Agincourt: a slaughter ground designed not to advance England's interest directly but to demonstrate God's approval of Henry's royal authority on both sides of the channel. 'A new and convincing likeness of medieval England's most iconic king' Sunday Times

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