Henry was one of the Lords Appellant who persecuted many of Richard II's advisors, but his excellence as a soldier gained him King's favor - Henry was created Duke of Hereford in 1397. In 1398 the increasingly suspicious Richard banished him for ten years. Henry invaded England while Richard was on campaign in Ireland, taking the throne. In Wales, Owen Glendower led a national uprising that lasted until 1408; the Scots waged continual warfare throughout Henry's reign; the powerful families of Percy and Mortimer (the latter possessing a stronger claim to the throne than Henry) revolted from 1403 to 1408; and Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York, proclaimed his opposition to the Lancastrian claim in 1405.

Henry V was born in 1387. As per arrangement by the Treaty of Troyes, he married Catherine, daughter of the French King Charles VI. His only child, the future Henry VI, was born in 1421. Henry was an accomplished soldier. Henry, possessed a masterful military mind and defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt in October 1415, and by 1419 had captured Normandy, Picardy and much of Capetian. By the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, Charles VI not only accepted Henry as his son-in-law, but passed over his own son to name Henry as heir to the French crown. Had Henry lived a mere two months longer, he would have been king of both England and France.

The only child of Henry V and Catherine of Valois, Henry came to the throne of both England and France as an infant. Hostilities in France continued, with the appearance of Joan of Arc in 1428. The seventeen year old was instrumental in rescuing the French Dauphin Charles in 1429; he was crowned at Reims as Charles VII. Henry married Margaret of Anjou in 1445; the union produced one son, Edward, who was killed in battle one day before Henry's execution. He lost Brittany (1449), Normandy (1450) and Gascony (1453), which led to the conclusion of the Hundred Years' War in 1453. Henry lost his claim to all French soil except for Calais.

Edward IV failed to capture Henry and his queen and they were able to flee into exile abroad. Queen Margaret was determined to win back the throne on behalf of her husband and son, and eventually formed an alliance with Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who had fallen out with the new king. After marrying off his daughter to the Prince of Wales, Warwick returned to England, defeated the Yorkists in battle, and restored Henry VI to the throne on October 30, 1470. His return to power lasted a very short time. Warwick over reached himself by declaring war on Burgundy, whose ruler responded by giving Edward IV the assistance he needed to win back his throne by force. The Prince of Wales was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

Hammered Coin Book References:

S = Coins of England and the United Kingdom