Henry IV
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Henry IV

Henry IV

by Chris Given-Wilson

Overview

Henry IV (1399–1413), the son of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, seized the English throne at the age of thirty-two from his cousin Richard II and held it until his death, aged forty-five, when he was succeeded by his son, Henry V. This comprehensive and nuanced biography restores to his rightful place a king often overlooked in favor of his illustrious progeny.
 
Henry faced the usual problems of usurpers: foreign wars, rebellions, and plots, as well as the ambitions and demands of the Lancastrian retainers who had helped him win the throne. By 1406 his rule was broadly established, and although he became ill shortly after this and never fully recovered, he retained ultimate power until his death. Using a wide variety of previously untapped archival materials, Chris Given-Wilson reveals a cultured, extravagant, and skeptical monarch who crushed opposition ruthlessly but never quite succeeded in satisfying the expectations of his own supporters.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300154191
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 04/26/2016
Series: The English Monarchs Series
Pages: 608
Product dimensions: 6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 2.10(d)

About the Author

Chris Given-Wilson is emeritus professor of medieval history, University of St. Andrews, and author of nine books on medieval history. He lives in Fife, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Plates ix

List of Maps and Tables xi

Acknowlegements xii

Abbreviated References xiii

Introduction 1

Part 1 The Great Duchy 1267-1399

1 The House of Lancaster and the Grown (1267-1367) 11

2 Father and Son I (1367-1382) 24

3 The Making of a Dissident (1382-1387) 36

4 Lords of the Field (1387-1389) 48

5 The Making of a Hero (1390-1393) 61

6 Family and Lands (1391-1394) 77

7 The Two Duchies and the Grown (1394-1396) 88

8 Richard Resurgent (1397-1398) 100

9 'A Manifest Miracle of God' (1398-1399) 119

10 The Making of a King (1399) 138

Part 2 A King at War 1399-1405

11 'In This New World' (1399-1400) 157

12 The Parliament of 1401 174

13 The Percy Ascendancy (1401-1402) 190

14 Piracy Rumour and Riot (1401-1402) 202

15 From Humbleton Hill to Hateley Field (1403) 216

16 Louis of Orléans and Owain Glyn Dwr (1403-1405) 233

17 An Empire in Crisis: Ireland and Guyenne (1399-1405) 245

18 The Death of an Archbishop (1404-1405) 262

Part 3 Recovery and Reform 1404-1410

19 The Search for Solvency (1404-1406) 281

20 Archbishop Arundel and the Council (1407-1409) 302

21 Between War and Peace (1405-1410) 317

22 Aliens, Merchants and Englishness 332

23 England, the Papacy and the Council of Pisa (1404-1409) 348

24 Heresy, Piety and Reform 366

Part 4 Lancastrian Kingship

25 The King and his Image 385

26 Council, Court and Household 406

27 The Royal Affinity and Parliamentary Politics 424

28 Nobles, Rebels and Traitors 439

29 War and Diplomacy 451

Part 5 The Pendulum Years 1409-1413

30 The Prince's Administration (1409-1411) 465

31 'The Greatest Uprisings' (1409-1412) 479

32 Burgundians, Armagnacs and Guyenne (1411-1413) 493

33 Father and Son II (1412-1413) 513

Conclusion 526

Epilogue 535

Appendix: Henry IV's Itinerary, 1399-1413 542

Bibliography 546

Index 563

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