Henry IV, known also as Henry Bolingbroke or Henry of Lancaster, was born at Bolingbroke Castle in April 1366. He was the son of John of Gaunt (The Red Prince), nephew of Edward of Woodstock (The Black Prince), and grandson of Edward III of England. He was also the cousin of Richard II.
Henry would later give birth to a son who would one day become Henry V of England, the warrior-king remembered for his victory at Agincourt – undisputedly one of the greatest Plantagenet kings of the Middle Ages.
Henry IV was the first from the House of Lancaster to be crowned King of England. He reigned from 1399 to 1413 and obtained the crown through usurpation; he continued to reign as king despite various rebellions and uprisings against him. He successfully took the throne from Richard II, forcing his cousin to abdicate and then proceeding to imprison him.
Early Life
Being part of the Plantagenet dynasty, Henry was a privileged individual. His father was John of Gaunt, one of the sons of King Edward III. John was a wealthy man, one of the richest in England, and also a key adviser to the Crown. Henry would have greatly benefited from this – he would have likely been educated well, learning literature, religion, and the sciences.
Henry married Mary de Bohun in 1380 when he was just 13 years old. She was the daughter of the Earl of Hereford, and in preparation for this marriage Henry was also gifted the Earldom of Derby. Mary gave birth to the future Henry V in 1387, but unfortunately she died during childbirth in 1394.
Before Henry set his sights on the English throne, he went to Lithuania twice to fight in the Northern Crusades as well as on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Henry also accompanied his father on campaigns in France during the Hundred Years’ War, gaining vital military skills and leadership qualities.
Politics and Exile
When Henry reached his mid-twenties, he had become a prominent baron in England and was making his way up the political ladder. He joined a group of noblemen known as the Lords Appellant who were opposed to King Richard II and his favouritism towards Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford. Robert de Vere was massively unpopular at the time, yet Richard still continued to gift him vast lands and estates, including the Dukedom of Ireland.
The Lords Appellant and Robert de Vere eventually went to war. de Vere fought in the name of Richard II, and the Battle of Radcot Bridge commenced in December 1387. Henry and his companions were victorious, and he later became one of the nobles who took part in the ‘Merciless Parliament’, effectively taking power and authority away from Richard II.
During the 1390s, Henry slowly distanced himself from the Lords Appellant, but tensions still remained between himself and Richard due to political and personal disagreements. However, by 1397 Richard had become older and more mature; he proceeded to round up the five members of the Lords Appellant and have them executed or exiled. Richard had taken back control, but luckily for Henry he wasn’t on the kill list.
In 1398, Henry had a disagreement with Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, the other remaining survivor of the former Lords Appellant. In order to settle the dispute a trial by combat was supposed to take place, but Richard took advantage of the two former allies by exiling them both rather than letting them fight to the death. This was essentially Richard’s revenge for grievances of the past, and de Mowbray was exiled for life; Henry for ten years.
Taking the Crown
When Henry was exiled he went to Paris, but he didn’t spend very long there. In February 1399, John of Gaunt died and the Crown seized all of the Lancastrian estates. However, these were technically Henry’s inheritance. Richard had still not forgiven Henry for their past quarrels and extended his exile to life rather than ten years, once Henry caught wind of this he made his way back to England to try and reclaim his rightful lands.
Henry landed in England in the summer of 1399 with a small army and made his way south to not only take back his inheritance, but also the English crown from the cousin he now despised. Richard II was away in Ireland at this time, giving Henry the perfect opportunity to make his claim to the magnates of the realm. While political tensions had died down somewhat, Richard had still failed to win military endeavours in France or produce a male heir to the throne, which were important factors for a medieval king. The barons were also disgruntled with his unpopular habit of ruling the kingdom like a dictatorship.
Henry was the complete opposite of these things – he had military experience, leadership qualities, and also royal blood which strengthened his claim even more. Henry won the support that he needed, and his next job was to find a way to kick Richard off the throne. His cousin went into hiding at Conwy Castle in Wales in August 1399, negotiations were agreed upon but Henry betrayed Richard and imprisoned him in the Tower of London. By the end of September, Richard had abdicated and Parliament nominated Henry as successor to the crown.
On the 13th October 1399, Henry was crowned King Henry IV of England at Westminster Abbey. Some months later, in February 1400, Richard died in mysterious circumstances. It is possible that Henry had him murdered when a small force loyal to Richard rose up in rebellion to try and help him reclaim his throne, so to quell any further uprisings Henry put Richard’s dead body on public display and claimed that he had died of starvation.
Henry’s Reign
Henry was the first descendant of the House of Lancaster to wear the English crown. With Richard now disposed of, Henry wanted to make sure nobody else would try and take his throne, especially if they had a stronger claim. Henry had already indicated that he was a direct descendant of Edmund Crouchback, who was the son of Henry III of England and brother of Edward I of England.
However, events didn’t turn out as Henry wanted and he was soon facing rebellion in September 1400. Owain Glyn Dwr, a Welsh warrior and nobleman, was declared Prince of Wales by Welsh patriots who were fed up with English oppression. This didn’t bode well for Henry, as Owain had the support of Edmund Mortimer – he was the great-great-grandson of Edward III, thus making him a potential threat to Henry’s throne. A French force had also crossed the English Channel to lend their support to the Welsh.
Meanwhile, rebellion was also brewing in England. Some of the barons were discontent with Henry, these included Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester, the Earl of Northumberland, and Sir Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy, a famous knight of the realm. Henry marched to Shrewsbury in July 1403 to meet his enemies in battle. A truce was first negotiated, but both sides failed to reach an agreement.
The Battle of Shrewsbury commenced, and Henry’s royal army took victory. The king and his son, the real Prince of Wales, both fought on the battlefield; Sir Henry ‘Hotspur’ was killed, and the Earl of Worcester was captured and later executed. However, the Earl of Northumberland fled and began to conspire with the Archbishop of York and Owain Glyn Dwr.
Over the years, the rebels fought tirelessly with Henry and his royalist forces. In 1408, Henry won the Battle of Branham Moor against Welsh and English rebels, Edmund Mortimer was imprisoned so he could not freely make a claim to the throne, and the Archbishop of York and the Earl of Northumberland were both executed for treason.
Owain’s plans were also scuppered when his stronghold at Harlech Castle was taken by the English, putting an end to the declining Welsh rebellion. Owain fled to the mountains and was never heard of again; nothing is known of his final years or his burial place. Ironically, Harlech had been captured by the young Prince Henry, who was by now an already great military leader, a sign of things to come.
Death and Legacy
Henry died on the 20th March 1413. He had been fighting disease since 1406, possibly leprosy, as well as suffering multiple strokes nearer to the end of his life. It is thought these were brought on by various conflicts with his son; he was also wracked with guilt and remorse for how he treated Richard II some years before. He was buried at Canterbury Cathedral and succeeded by his son Henry V, who became one of the greatest Plantagenet kings that ever lived.
While Henry achieved many great things during his lifetime, his reign was plagued with rebellions and uprisings. He certainly had the qualities of kingship, but he was more often than not considered a usurper regardless of his royal blood, and his legitimacy was questioned for the majority of his time on the throne. Henry’s usurpation would mark the start of internal strife in England, eventually leading to what is known as the Wars of the Roses.
References
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-IV-king-of-England
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Henry-IV/
https://www.worldhistory.org/Henry_IV_of_England/