Holinshed and Shakespeare both portray Henry V as very nearly an ideal king, although both also portray the monarch as a less than model prince. Both Holinshed and Shakespeare were mindful that Elizabeth I was their primary audience, and that the way in which English royalty was portrayed, even in a supposedly scholarly work, would affect their perception by the queen. Since Henry V's reign was close to the time of Holinshed, Shakespeare and Elizabeth I, it is not surprising that both writers use the opportunity to encourage loyalty to the monarchy as well as portray the monarch as a benevolent and just leader of the nation.
There is one incident which is illustrative of the way in which both Shakespeare and Holinshed portray Henry V. The incident is small relative to the events described, and takes place in France following the siege of Harfleur. Holinshed relates that an unnamed soldier stole a pax from a church, and that Henry V insisted both that the pax be restored and the offender strangled. The incident is related by Holinshed to illustrate that Henry was intent on ensuring that the French people were treated fairly by his men, and that no injustice should result from the military action. At the same time, the incident also serves to illustrate how quickly Henry dealt with those who failed to follow his explicit orders, and the swift execution of the offender was certainly meant to be an example to the army as a whole. A side benefit of this quick action is that the French people were convinced that Henry was a fair and decent ruler who would treat them well; as a result of this action, according to Holinshed, many in the countryside provided supplies to Henry and his army--a clearly treasonous act.
Shakespeare subtly alters this incident when he relates it in Act III so that it takes on slightly different meaning. In Shakespeare's version, the pax is stolen from the church, but the offender is not a nameless solid...