John of Gaunt was not a popular man. He was the richest and most powerful man in England and there was civil unrest. In 1381, the Peasants Revolt exploded in a fire of rage and fury of discontented lower class men and women, outraged at the burdens of taxation that was being thrust upon them. They marched on London, destroying and killing as they went. Powerful figures like the chancellor and treasurer met their grisly ends at the hands of the peasants. John was lucky, in a fashion, as he was on campaign in the north and escaped much of the wrath. He would have been one of the first on the rebels hit list if he had been in reach. His palace at Savoy was destroyed though. But Gaunt's son Henry was not so fortunate. He was in London, holed up at the Tower of London whilst the revolt was taking place, alongside the king. But once the rebels had made their way into the Tower, the fourteen year old Henry was in serious danger. If the rebels couldn't get their hands on the despised Gaunt, then they well might target his son and heir. There are a couple of versions of events that describe Henry's narrow escape. One is that, with the rebels closing in on him, Henry was hastily shoved into a closet to hide by a soldier guarding the Tower. Another was that a guard pleaded for the young boy's life and succeeded. Either way, Henry was saved by the quick thinking of a tower guard.
Despite successfully seeing off the Peasants Revolt before the whole country went up in flames, Richard II's reign soon descended into chaos and largely because of the young king's over inflated ego. In 1385, Richard, now 18, plotted against John of Gaunt and wanted him done away with. Richard was threatened by his over-mighty uncle. Gaunt, rather sensibly, took himself out of harm's way and placed himself in Pontefract Castle and made sure he had plenty of men and provisions to see out this crisis. Relations between he and his nephew were at an all time low. Another welcome distraction for Gaunt was Castile. After his first wife Blanche had died, he'd married again, a woman by the name of Constance of Castile, and he now claimed the title of King of Castile through right of this marriage. He made preparations for his expedition.
Meanwhile, discontent at Richard's reign was growing. Henry, and other members of the nobility, accused members of Richard's government of treason, a most grave charge. The discontented noblemen became known as the Lords Appellant. Matters continued to decline and there was a skirmish at a place called Radcot Bridge. It's given the title of battle but it really was no more than a skirmish. From Radcot Bridge one of the men who had most irked the Lords Appellant, Robert De Vere, was forced to flee. Only a tiny handful of men were killed. But in the Merciless Parliament of 1388, a number of close advisers to the king were executed after they had been formally accused of Treason. To make matters worse, the men accused were not given proper trials and died a traitors death. Richard was not a man who forgave easily and the shadow of this parliament would hang over England for the years to come.
Whilst the situation in England remained grim, Henry decided to go on Crusade on two occasions in the 1390s. Henry took part in the Northern Crusades, an effort to Christianise the parts of Northern Europe that remained Pagan. Whilst Henry's efforts were not overly successful, he made something of a name for himself through his deeds and he also made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But whilst these adventures would have been tremendously exciting for a young man in his 20s, the political reality of England could not be delayed forever. Rather than forgiving the Lords and attempting to bring some desperately needed stability to England, Richard sought revenge. Among those to die were the Earl of Arundel and Thomas of Woodstock, his own uncle. Then, after Henry had fallen into dispute with a man by the name of Thomas Mowbray, Richard had them prepare to joust to solve the matter. Before the two came to blows, Richard, in an act full of drama, stood up and sentenced the pair to exile. Henry for 10 years, Mowbray for life. Mowbray died in 1399 of the plague but Henry, as we now know, would return. Richard had descended into tyranny. There was no legal basis for him to act this way but his ego was still bruised from a decade earlier. Gaunt died in 1399 and the Duchy of Lancaster, the wealthiest in the land, should now have passed to Henry. But with Henry now in exile, Richard decided to enrich himself and keep the duchy. Fortunately Richard wasn't very bright and chose this moment in time to go to Ireland, leaving his kingdom vulnerable. Henry seized his chance. He landed at Ravenspur in Yorkshire to seize his inheritance. But Richard had alienated a lot of people. The crown was there for the taking and so Henry, after capturing Richard in Wales, took his cousin to the Tower of London, formally deposed him and sent Richard to Ponterfract castle. He starved to death the following year. Bolingbroke was now Henry IV.
Henry is praised for his kingly qualities. Wise and prudent, he is said to have had good judgement. If this is indeed the case then Henry must have known, as a usurper, that he had set a precedent and that if he could depose a king, then he too would be vulnerable. A plot to assassinate Henry at Windsor Castle and restore Richard was soon unearthed. The perpetrators were caught and executed and this would have confirmed to Henry the necessity to remove Richard for good, cousin or not. What might have especially concerned Henry is the range of men behind the plot. Not just knights but also members of the clergy too. The most persistent of problems for Henry came from Wales and a man by the name of Owain Glyndwr. Glyndwr claimed lands that were rightfully his were being denied to him and so he went into open rebellion. Henry marched into Wales and put down these first flames of revolt but Glyndwr would remain a nuisance for the entirety of Henry's reign. Henry then received at his court a most remarkable visitor. This was Manuel II, the Byzantine Emperor. Manuel was the only Eastern Roman Emperor to ever visit England which shows the desperate nature of his plight. The Byzantine empire was in decline and at constant danger from the Ottomans. He came seeking aid, which Henry provided and whom treated Manuel with the hospitality a man of his stature demanded. But for all the assistance Henry and other western rulers provided for Manuel, there was, by this stage, no long term hope for the Byzantine empire and it would fall just over half a century later.
Henry, at this stage, was unmarried. His first wife Mary, mother of his eventual successor Henry V, had died some years earlier. His second wife, and now queen, was Joan of Navarre, whom he married in 1403. That same year, Henry faced his next serious rebellion. This came in the form of a powerful nobleman in the north, a man called Henry Percy. He is better known to history as Harry Hotspur. Hotspur's forces engaged the King's men in battle at Shrewsbury. Perhaps trying to live up to his name, Hotspur charged into battle and was cut down and the king's army was victorious. More worryingly for Henry though was the injury suffered by his son, Prince Henry. The 16 year old had taken an arrow to the face. He survived but was permanently scarred. Henry's reign continued to be dogged by revolts. Hotspur's successor, another Henry Percy, stirred up trouble in the North of England and Henry even had to execute his Archbishop of York. Despite being quite successful in the North, Henry had far greater difficulty in subduing Wales. Glyndwr continued to pester him and, to add insult to injury, Henry lost vast treasure during thunderstorms, including his crowns. Wales had always been a difficult country to keep in line and Henry was finding that out for himself. In 1406, the Scottish king, the 12 year old James I, was captured on his way to France and brought to Henry IV. If the Scots now wished to cause trouble, Henry had a powerful weapon to use. Also that year was the long parliament where after a painstaking amount of time, an unpopular tax was passed. As the reign went on, Henry IV's health gradually grew worse and worse and his heir Prince Henry became more influential. The king is said to have suffered from leprosy. Whatever his condition was, it's clear that it became so severe that it was beginning to affect his rule and Prince Henry, with the backing of other members of the nobility, asked the king to abdicate in favour of himself. In a last statement of defiance, Henry refused his son's request and, as if to prove a point, went on a tour of the country. But his health failed him soon after and he died in 1413. It's not really a surprise Henry IV's reign was a short one. Constant rebellions must have taken a tremendous toll on the king's health and try as he might, his kingdom never had true peace under his kingship.
Whilst the situation in England remained grim, Henry decided to go on Crusade on two occasions in the 1390s. Henry took part in the Northern Crusades, an effort to Christianise the parts of Northern Europe that remained Pagan. Whilst Henry's efforts were not overly successful, he made something of a name for himself through his deeds and he also made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But whilst these adventures would have been tremendously exciting for a young man in his 20s, the political reality of England could not be delayed forever. Rather than forgiving the Lords and attempting to bring some desperately needed stability to England, Richard sought revenge. Among those to die were the Earl of Arundel and Thomas of Woodstock, his own uncle. Then, after Henry had fallen into dispute with a man by the name of Thomas Mowbray, Richard had them prepare to joust to solve the matter. Before the two came to blows, Richard, in an act full of drama, stood up and sentenced the pair to exile. Henry for 10 years, Mowbray for life. Mowbray died in 1399 of the plague but Henry, as we now know, would return. Richard had descended into tyranny. There was no legal basis for him to act this way but his ego was still bruised from a decade earlier. Gaunt died in 1399 and the Duchy of Lancaster, the wealthiest in the land, should now have passed to Henry. But with Henry now in exile, Richard decided to enrich himself and keep the duchy. Fortunately Richard wasn't very bright and chose this moment in time to go to Ireland, leaving his kingdom vulnerable. Henry seized his chance. He landed at Ravenspur in Yorkshire to seize his inheritance. But Richard had alienated a lot of people. The crown was there for the taking and so Henry, after capturing Richard in Wales, took his cousin to the Tower of London, formally deposed him and sent Richard to Ponterfract castle. He starved to death the following year. Bolingbroke was now Henry IV.
Henry is praised for his kingly qualities. Wise and prudent, he is said to have had good judgement. If this is indeed the case then Henry must have known, as a usurper, that he had set a precedent and that if he could depose a king, then he too would be vulnerable. A plot to assassinate Henry at Windsor Castle and restore Richard was soon unearthed. The perpetrators were caught and executed and this would have confirmed to Henry the necessity to remove Richard for good, cousin or not. What might have especially concerned Henry is the range of men behind the plot. Not just knights but also members of the clergy too. The most persistent of problems for Henry came from Wales and a man by the name of Owain Glyndwr. Glyndwr claimed lands that were rightfully his were being denied to him and so he went into open rebellion. Henry marched into Wales and put down these first flames of revolt but Glyndwr would remain a nuisance for the entirety of Henry's reign. Henry then received at his court a most remarkable visitor. This was Manuel II, the Byzantine Emperor. Manuel was the only Eastern Roman Emperor to ever visit England which shows the desperate nature of his plight. The Byzantine empire was in decline and at constant danger from the Ottomans. He came seeking aid, which Henry provided and whom treated Manuel with the hospitality a man of his stature demanded. But for all the assistance Henry and other western rulers provided for Manuel, there was, by this stage, no long term hope for the Byzantine empire and it would fall just over half a century later.
Henry, at this stage, was unmarried. His first wife Mary, mother of his eventual successor Henry V, had died some years earlier. His second wife, and now queen, was Joan of Navarre, whom he married in 1403. That same year, Henry faced his next serious rebellion. This came in the form of a powerful nobleman in the north, a man called Henry Percy. He is better known to history as Harry Hotspur. Hotspur's forces engaged the King's men in battle at Shrewsbury. Perhaps trying to live up to his name, Hotspur charged into battle and was cut down and the king's army was victorious. More worryingly for Henry though was the injury suffered by his son, Prince Henry. The 16 year old had taken an arrow to the face. He survived but was permanently scarred. Henry's reign continued to be dogged by revolts. Hotspur's successor, another Henry Percy, stirred up trouble in the North of England and Henry even had to execute his Archbishop of York. Despite being quite successful in the North, Henry had far greater difficulty in subduing Wales. Glyndwr continued to pester him and, to add insult to injury, Henry lost vast treasure during thunderstorms, including his crowns. Wales had always been a difficult country to keep in line and Henry was finding that out for himself. In 1406, the Scottish king, the 12 year old James I, was captured on his way to France and brought to Henry IV. If the Scots now wished to cause trouble, Henry had a powerful weapon to use. Also that year was the long parliament where after a painstaking amount of time, an unpopular tax was passed. As the reign went on, Henry IV's health gradually grew worse and worse and his heir Prince Henry became more influential. The king is said to have suffered from leprosy. Whatever his condition was, it's clear that it became so severe that it was beginning to affect his rule and Prince Henry, with the backing of other members of the nobility, asked the king to abdicate in favour of himself. In a last statement of defiance, Henry refused his son's request and, as if to prove a point, went on a tour of the country. But his health failed him soon after and he died in 1413. It's not really a surprise Henry IV's reign was a short one. Constant rebellions must have taken a tremendous toll on the king's health and try as he might, his kingdom never had true peace under his kingship.
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