Henry IV | The Usurper

We now enter the House of Lancaster and the beginning of the War of the Roses, aka the Cousins’ War where warring factions of the royal family fought each other for the throne. Henry usurped the throne after deposing his cousin, Richard II and passing over Richard’s son, Edmund, who should have been the rightful heir.  

Quick Facts: 

Born: 15th April 1367, Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire, England 
Died: 20th March 1413 (aged 45), Westminster, London 
Reign: 30th September 1399 – 20th March 1413 
Parents: John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster 
Predecessor: Richard II (cousin) 
Successor: Henry V (son) 
Spouse: Mary de Bohun (1381-1394) and Joan of Navarre 
Children: Henry V King of England, Thomas Duke of Lancaster, John Duke of Bedford, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, Blanche Electress Palatine, Philippa Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.  
Royal House: Plantagenet, Lancaster branch 

Henry was born at Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire and was known as Henry Bolingbroke or Henry of Lancaster prior to becoming King. He was the son of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster and his first wife, Blanche. John was one of Edward III’s younger sons but was overlooked for the throne in favour of his nephew Richard, who was just 10 years old at the time. John, along with another of his brothers was part of the council appointed to help guide the young Richard after his ascension and as such, Richard and Henry were close as children. Being cousins and around the same age, they were childhood friends and would play together, they were both admitted into the Order of the Garter alongside each other in 1377.  

As they grew older however, their relationship soured, with Henry taking part in a rebellion against Richard in 1387. Richard had many of those involved executed, Henry’s life was spared and he was named an Earl in his own right. However, the slight wasn’t forgotten and on the death of John of Gaunt, Richard had Henry disinherited and exiled. 

Henry didn’t go quietly, while Richard was on a military campaign in Ireland, Henry gathered an army and returned to England initially to reclaim his right as Duke of Lancaster, however he gained enough power and support to make a claim on the throne. His army defeated Richard’s and Henry had him deposed and imprisoned in Pontefract Castle. With the support of a number of nobles and parliament, Henry bypassed the heir presumptive, Edmund, and his coronation took place on 13th October 1399 at Westminster Abbey. Henry then ruled from 1399 until his death in 1413.  

Henry as King 

On his coronation, Henry procured an Act of Parliament to make sure that the Duchy of Lancaster would remain in the personal possession of the reigning monarch. He and the other Lancastrian kings all relied on the favour of parliament to keep them in power. While he didn’t want to give too much power away to parliament, he and his successors had to walk a fine line to keep parliament on side. It wasn’t just parliament that Henry struggled to maintain an equilibrium with, during his reign he faced a number of rebellions, most notably from Owain Glyndwr who proclaimed himself to be the ruler of Wales and instigated several skirmishes along the English/Welsh borders. If that wasn’t enough, Richard’s supporters continued to conspire against him, particularly his own cousins, one battle included the Battle of Shrewsbury and another plot involved a doppleganger posing as Richard to prove that he was alive and well. However, following Richard’s death, Henry had the body displayed, partly to prove he was dead and partly to prove that he hadn’t been murdered. Many historians believe that Richard starved to death while imprisoned but it is widely believed that he was denied food.  

The line of succession 

As anyone who comes to the throne through nefarious means, Henry was concerned about the issue of succession. He had two marriages, firstly to Mary de Bohun and secondly to Joan of Navarre. He had several children all of which went on to receive titles. His eldest son, Henry of Monmouth took over the running of the country in 1410 as Henry IV’s health began to fail. He then succeeded the throne in 1413.  

Henry became very unwell in his later years, with historians debating everything from epilepsy to cardiovascular disease to explain his symptoms. He died in Westminster and was buried at Canterbury Cathedral.  

While many historians see Henry’s reign as being an uneasy one, thanks to him being a known usurper, it is worth noting that he was the first of England’s rulers in 300 years whose first language was English rather than French. His taking of the throne sparked a period of rebellion that was continued by his son and grandchildren. 

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Places to visit: 

Battlefield, St Mary’s Church, Shropshire 
The Battle of Shrewsbury took place here where forces under Henry IV defeated supporters of the ousted king, Richard II.  
Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire 
The birthplace of Henry IV  and was used as the administrative centre for the House of Lancaster. 
St Mary's Church, Shropshire
The land around the church was the setting for the Battle of Shrewsbury, one of the early battles in the War of the Roses. The church was built on a battlefield as a memorial to those that died here and an effigy of Henry can be seen on the walls of the church. 
Westminster Abbey
Henry had his coronation here.