Henry the Fifth

Born in Monmouth Castle in 1387, the future king grew up amid the tangled ambitions of the Plantagenet family. His parents' connections placed him at the crossroads of powerful estates, and his early education—harp strings, grammar books, and a nurturing nurse—hints at a childhood both privileged and precarious. As his father fell from favor and was exiled, young Henry found himself thrust into the political turbulence of Richard II’s reign.

The narrative follows Henry’s uneasy years in Ireland, where he was sent to the ancient stronghold of Trim, and his slow emergence from a fragile health to a confident presence at court. Along the way, the author paints vivid portraits of the men and women who shaped his path—John of Gaunt, the ambitious uncle, and the loyal nurse Joan Waring—offering a sense of the personal forces that forged a future warrior. Listeners will hear how the young prince’s early trials set the stage for the bold decisions that would later define his reign.