"HENRY V WAS THE PERFECT MEDIEVAL KING"

Historian Dan Jones discusses the kingship of Henry V and his passion for medieval history.

- Emily Staniforth

Renowned historian and broadcaster Dan Jones has become one of history's most recognisable faces. Having written and presented documentaries on a variety of topics from the Middle Ages, his newest book sees him delve into the life of one of England's greatest medieval kings, Henry V. We sat down with Dan to talk all things Henry V, as well as discussing his love for medieval history and his hugely successful career.

Where did your passion for medieval history begin?

I had a great teacher at school and that's a story I know will be either familiar or enviable to readers. I think history is a subject that's highly dependent on good teachers and I had a good teacher called Robin Green when I was about 16 years old.

We studied Tudors and Nazis at school on repeat, and when I was going to Cambridge in the autumn of 1999 I asked Mr Green what I should study that's not the Tudors and Nazis.

He said: "I don't know, medieval?" So I checked the box that said medieval and, nearly 25 years ago to the day, I arrived as an undergraduate at Pembroke College and was sent off to my first ever supervision with Helen Castor, who taught me for two papers of my first year. She was a really inspirational teacher and gave me the bug for medieval history.

Were there any particular medieval topics that first caught your attention at university?