The ''Gesta Henrici Quinti'' ("Deeds of Henry the Fifth") is a medieval
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
chronicle written by an anonymous author.
History
The book was published in 1975 by
Frank Taylor and
John Roskell Smith.
There are currently only two manuscripts of the ''Gesta Henrici Quinti'' and both are preserved at the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
.
Contents
The book chronicles the life of
Henry V of England
Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...
. The books covers the period from Henry's accession in 1413 to 1416. References to Sir
John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle (died 14 December 1417) was an English Lollard leader. Being a friend of Henry V, he long escaped prosecution for heresy. When convicted, he escaped from the Tower of London and then led a rebellion against the King. Eventual ...
being still alive indicate that it was written before 1418.
The author of the book is believed to be either
Thomas Elmham
Thomas Elmham (1364in or after 1427) was an English chronicler.
Life
Thomas Elmham was probably born at North Elmham in Norfolk. He may have been the Thomas Elmham who was a scholar at King's Hall, Cambridge from 1389 to 1394. He became a Benedic ...
or
Joannes de Bordin
Joannes or John ( la, Iohannes; died 425) was western Roman emperor from 423 to 425.
On the death of the Emperor Honorius (15 August 423), Theodosius II, the remaining ruler of the House of Theodosius, hesitated in announcing his uncle's dea ...
, but since the true identity of the author has not yet been confirmed, he is described by most sources as anonymous.
See also
*
Knighton's Chronicon
References
External links
*
Henrici QuintiEscholar
{{morecat, date=August 2021
English chronicles
English-language books