Dan Jones

From the New York Times, I'm Anna Martin.

From the New York Times, I'm Anna Martin.

I ain't saying you treated me unkind. You could have done better, but I don't mind. You just kind of wasted my precious time. Don't think twice, it's all right.

I ain't saying you treated me unkind. You could have done better, but I don't mind. You just kind of wasted my precious time. Don't think twice, it's all right.

Yeah, well, I mean, the story of Henry V takes place across the late 14th, early 15th century. And by that point, nobody has really known in England any other form of government than a monarchy, a monarchy sort of limited and in some senses assisted, in some senses resisted by institutions, parliament.

Yeah, well, I mean, the story of Henry V takes place across the late 14th, early 15th century. And by that point, nobody has really known in England any other form of government than a monarchy, a monarchy sort of limited and in some senses assisted, in some senses resisted by institutions, parliament.

Yeah, well, I mean, the story of Henry V takes place across the late 14th, early 15th century. And by that point, nobody has really known in England any other form of government than a monarchy, a monarchy sort of limited and in some senses assisted, in some senses resisted by institutions, parliament.

councils of nobles and the church and so on but but monarchy is like age old at this point i mean you think about the regnal numbers of english kings we're talking about henry v richard ii henry iv these date back to a very specific time and that's the norman conquest of 1066 when william duke of normandy william the bastard as he became known william the conqueror came invaded England.

councils of nobles and the church and so on but but monarchy is like age old at this point i mean you think about the regnal numbers of english kings we're talking about henry v richard ii henry iv these date back to a very specific time and that's the norman conquest of 1066 when william duke of normandy william the bastard as he became known william the conqueror came invaded England.

councils of nobles and the church and so on but but monarchy is like age old at this point i mean you think about the regnal numbers of english kings we're talking about henry v richard ii henry iv these date back to a very specific time and that's the norman conquest of 1066 when william duke of normandy william the bastard as he became known william the conqueror came invaded England.

And from that point, kings are numbered one, two, three, according to the frequency of that name in the succession. There had been kings long before that as well. The great challenge prior to the Norman conquest had been to impose a single kingship on the whole of England. The great break of the Norman conquest is that

And from that point, kings are numbered one, two, three, according to the frequency of that name in the succession. There had been kings long before that as well. The great challenge prior to the Norman conquest had been to impose a single kingship on the whole of England. The great break of the Norman conquest is that

And from that point, kings are numbered one, two, three, according to the frequency of that name in the succession. There had been kings long before that as well. The great challenge prior to the Norman conquest had been to impose a single kingship on the whole of England. The great break of the Norman conquest is that

from that point on kingship really does apply to the whole of england there'd been these phases where kings alfred the great had tried to hold the whole of england but then the thing had splintered you'd had invasions from denmark and scandinavia it's an age-old system by this point but really that i mean the the moment everyone's numbering things from is 1066

from that point on kingship really does apply to the whole of england there'd been these phases where kings alfred the great had tried to hold the whole of england but then the thing had splintered you'd had invasions from denmark and scandinavia it's an age-old system by this point but really that i mean the the moment everyone's numbering things from is 1066

from that point on kingship really does apply to the whole of england there'd been these phases where kings alfred the great had tried to hold the whole of england but then the thing had splintered you'd had invasions from denmark and scandinavia it's an age-old system by this point but really that i mean the the moment everyone's numbering things from is 1066

Right. I mean, so that the... Basic principles, we're talking about a dynasty that today we call the Plantagenet dynasty. They had been in power in England since 1154, Henry II, and there had been a sort of England being part of an empire, for want of a better word, which included parts of France as well and claims over Ireland and Scotland and such.

Right. I mean, so that the... Basic principles, we're talking about a dynasty that today we call the Plantagenet dynasty. They had been in power in England since 1154, Henry II, and there had been a sort of England being part of an empire, for want of a better word, which included parts of France as well and claims over Ireland and Scotland and such.

Right. I mean, so that the... Basic principles, we're talking about a dynasty that today we call the Plantagenet dynasty. They had been in power in England since 1154, Henry II, and there had been a sort of England being part of an empire, for want of a better word, which included parts of France as well and claims over Ireland and Scotland and such.

By the time we get to the late 14th century, there's been a pretty lineal descent of kings, actually. In the 14th century, a great king, Edward III, great by the acknowledgement of the people of his day and thereafter, rules England, wins lots of victories in the wars against France, has a lot of children. Edward III dies after a 50-year reign in 1377 and is succeeded by his grandson, Richard II.