Did the vain, silly Dauphin in Shakespeare’s Henry V represent the prince who, with Joan of Arc’s help, went on to become King Charles VII of France? Or was he supposed to be a different Dauphin? The Wikipedia article says Charles VII was the fifth son of Charles VI – the other four sons all enjoying the title of Dauphin in turn and all predeceasing their father. One of Charles’ elder brothers, Louis, Duke of Guyenne, died in 1415 – the same year of the Battle of Agincourt, but it’s not clear whether he died at that battle. Shakespeare’s play does not portray the Dauphin’s death (at least, not in the Kevin Branagh film adaptation).
The Wikipedia article says that the Dauphin’s name was Lewis, which was the name of one of Charles’ brothers who was dauphin. Charles would have been twelve when the Battle of Agincourt was fought, which is kind of young but not totally ridiculously young to be the dauphin in the play. Louis (Charles’ older brother) died in 1415, but I can’t find anything saying whether he died before or after Agincourt. Charles was the dauphin by the time Henry V died.
Don’t forget that Shakespeare did have a tendency to play fast and loose with chronology- he has Richard III fighting in a battle at a time when he was actually a very young child.
The battle was in October, Louis died in December. Insomuch as the first Dauphin died young in 1409 and the future Charles VII was all of twelve in 1415, Henry V’s Dauphin must be referring to Louis.
- Tamerlane
Oh and John of Touraine, Charles’ other elder brother, was Dauphin 1415-1417 after Louis’ death. Obviously he was post-Agincourt.
- Tamerlane