Henry V was the King of England who fought the French on St. Crispin’s Day of 1415, the Battle of Agincourt. Down five to one, heads low, Henry brought his fighters back to life. In a speech memorialized by Shakespeare, he made clear that victory is about what is in your heart and mind.
The speech is epic, worth listening to again, if you can spare five. Why? It speaks to us over the centuries, about how we win on a battlefield, in politics, in life.
The world will weary you, wants you to give up your beliefs and fight, trade struggle for leisure, work for blame, mercy, and forgiveness, resolve for sloth, bitterness, and evil. Do not do it.
That is Henry’s message. He says stay resolved because we are all honored, blessed, to be able to fight for the right, odds notwithstanding. “The fewer the men, the greater share of honor. God’s will? I pray thee, wish not one more man.”
He says, going into battle, on the field of battle – but it applies to politics and life too, have faith that you are not alone, that this day was intended, and you are in it. “If we are marked to die, we are now to do our country loss, and if to live, the fewer men, the greater share the honor.”
He reminds them of St. Crispen’s Day, making Christian martyrdom of two brothers for their faith in 286 AD, then looks ahead, not back. “This day is called the feast of Crispian. And rouse him at the name of Crispian…Then shall our names be on their flowing cups freshly remembered, that fought with us upon St. Crispin’s day.” The cause, mission, fight, if right, is everything, and worth it all.
What else does he say? “All things be ready, if our minds be so” if they are “in the trim.” He talks of how people remember those who fight for good, with courage.
“This story shall the good man teach his son, and Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.”
He closes saying those not privileged to fight with us, who miss this chance to stand and be counted, to step up and show conviction, will wish they had the chance. They shall “think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap, whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.”
The message is simple, rings true still today – it should animate us all to speak truth, fight for truth with words and inner strength in “the public square,” school board meetings, moments of darkness when we feel outnumbered, or like it might be best not to speak, when the outcome is yet uncertain, even if the truth is clear.
Recently, I rewatched – as I do every year – “The Band of Brothers” series, recounting the ordeal of Easy Company, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in WWII.
Richard Winters – who won the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) – quotes Shakespeare and gives thanks for serving in a “band of brothers.” Says Winters, now older: “I cherish the memory of a question my grandson asked me the other day, when he said ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, “No. But I served in a company of heroes.”
Today, in the context of the political, ideological, spiritual, and testing battle for our freedoms again in our public square, perhaps we can draw inspiration from Henry V and Richard Winters, as we fight to preserve the freedom others nobly gave us.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!
This article describes the right spirit those of us who believe in what this year of 2026 is commemorating , Independence , is all about .That Henry the Fifth speech in 1415 in connection with the battle of Agincourt , ,the Saint Crispin day commemoration . This is the spirit needed here and now in the United States of America as the evil doers want to push the ideas contrary to Independence into communities, businesses, people’s personal lives .The foundation of conservative thought Conservative belief is about limited government. People have the right to determine what they are going to do in this Nation that was founded upon the principles in the Declaration of Independence .To have good character, a sense of purpose, to live by a code of conduct, We cannot let evil doers tell us we must accept ideas that go against what is right, what those principles stand for.. The mention of Shakespeare in this article brought back a fond memory ,In 1999 I had a book on the works of Shakespeare my parents gave me around 1960. I gave it to the woman in my life then , Crystal ,the love of my life for sixteen years who passed away several years ago. She appreciated the book very much. She left it in her car once and the car was broken into,the book was taken and a small box of clothes taken too. It was apparent that an attempt was made to steal the car radio too. I was able to fix the radio easy enough and Crystal said ” Great, let’s see if we can get some Shakespeare on the radio ! ” That gave both of us a great laugh ! Sense of humor , something of importance in keeping the spirit right.. It is better to die fighting for freedom than to surrender to the forces of evil. The band of brothers spirit ,
the Saint Crispin speech by Henry the Fifth spirit , the Richard Winters spirit – this spirit of Commemoration of 250 Years of Independence all make for the right sense of purpose we should all have . With reverence for the spirit of Liberty.
Wonderful article as always, much appreciated by us of certain age, I love history , show it to a young person and you as well might show something written is Swahili, courage, honor, being a man? Please, everybody lies and cheats, only looser tells the truth and no one is on time. Scary but this seems to be the majority. They will be discarded when no longer needed. If only they had a brain between them.
RBC, like you I watch the “Band of Brothers” at least once a year. The other movie I like to watch is “Saving Private Ryan “ knowing that it is a tear jerker. I always enjoy talking with WW2 veterans when I run into them.
Naaaah, RBC. What you suggest would entail folks actually putting down those damned cell phones, and THINKING a little for themselves! NOT listening to their braindead friends, or the internet, or MSM.
You know….they’d have to THINK a bit!
And encourage them to read the book “Agincourt”.by Christopher Hibbert.
Shakespeare left out the reason Henry the 5th ultimately won. The British Long Bows could out shoot the French Crossbows because they could better shoot high to rain down arrows from above AND they could much more rapidly fire off one arrow after the other not having to go through the reloading process of the crossbows! Too hard to simulate in a play however!