Bayeux Talk Series: 3 Henry V, Duke of Normandy

A talk by Professor Anne Curry exploring Henry V’s 1417 campaign in Normandy and how he revived the memory of William the Conqueror during the Hundred Years War, as part of Reading Museum’s Bayeux Talk Series.

Bayeux Talk Series 2026/27 – Talk 3

Henry V, Duke of Normandy: Reviving the Memory of William the Conqueror in the Hundred Years War

On 1 August 1417 Henry V, king of England and would-be king of France, landed in Lower Normandy calling himself Duke of Normandy. His intention was to recreate the link between the English crown and the duchy first begun by William the Conqueror in 1066.

Henry often referred to his Norman ducal ancestors and tried to revive their institutions which had been destroyed by the French conquest of Normandy in 1204. He started a new administrative record, the Norman rolls, to record his acts as duke, and gave lands to Englishmen believed to be descendants of the Normans who had conquered England in 1066.

Professor Anne Curry (Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, University of Southampton; former University of Reading lecturer) presents this talk, drawing on her extensive research and publications on the Hundred Years War and Henry V.

Who: Adults

When: Saturday 6 February 2027, 11am – 12pm

Venue: Victoria Hall, Town Hall

Price: £15 per person (10% discount automatically applied when booking all three talks together via the basket)