Hi Bernard, I absolutely loved Azincourt and hope that the movie does come through and is actually good, because the battle and the buildup are masterfully crafted. What really fascinated me about the book is its, by your standards, very non-cynical portrayal of Henry V, especially given the number of historians who attribute greed and ego to his actions. I noticed that this portrayal of Henry means that the story tallies neatly with the Bard's rendition, so is it a case of you deferring to the language's greatest author, or do you think Harry was simply that nice a bloke? I suppose on the law of averages their needs to be some pleasant monarchs.. (I also considered that the story's entirely from Nick's point of view, so his view of the politics is undoubtedly a fairly simple one..)
Jared Hansen
Hmmmm - I'm not sure Henry was a 'nice bloke' at all, though he was certainly the greatest general of his age. I rather dislike him, mainly because of his fanatical attachment to his religion which caused him to acts of supreme cruelty (in dealing with the lollards who were, by any measure, harmless and even admirable). Henry comes into his own on the battlefield and he was an inspirational leader, fortified, of course, by his belief that God was on his side!