[Chad Arnow]

I wrote a short article in 2005 or 2006 on the arms and armour of England's Henry V (http://myArmoury.com/feature_mow_henryv.html). Scholarship in the intervening years has added a great deal to our knowledge of many arms and armour subjects, and the supposed arms of Henry V have been the subject of some really fine scholarship in recent years. In light of that, I must point out that my article is out of date.

Publications like Boydell and Brewer's "The Funeral Achievements of Henry V" (which is great) have added a great deal to our understanding of these items. We know much more about the helm, shield, and sword now than we did then. Regarding the sword specifically, there is far more evidence that it wasn't Henry V's than that it was. If it belonged to any King Henry, it was more likely Henry VII.

I love that scholarship marches on. I hate, though, that a sword I've always loved is almost certainly not associated with a king that interests me. Alas....

Perhaps some day I'll be able to write an update to it. In the meantime, please check out the amazing work being done by so many people to move our understanding of historical objects forward.