Henry IV: The Righteous King

by Ian Mortimer, James Cameron Stewart (narrator), Tantor Audio (publisher)

The talented, confident, and intelligent son of John of Gaunt, Henry IV started his reign as a popular and charismatic king after he dethroned the tyrannical and wildly unpopular Richard II. But six years into his reign, Henry had survived eight assassination and overthrow attempts.

Having broken God's law of primogeniture by overthrowing the man many people saw as the chosen king, Henry IV left himself vulnerable to challenges from powerful enemies about the validity of his reign. Even so, Henry managed to establish the new Lancastrian dynasty and a new rule of law - in highly turbulent times.

In this book, noted historian Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan London, explores the political and social forces that transformed Henry IV from his nation's savior to its scourge.

Genres: British Literature

Audible Audio

Published October 3, 2017

About the author

AKA James Forrester.

Dr Ian Mortimer is a historian and novelist, best known for his Time Traveller's Guides series. He has BA, MA, PhD and DLitt degrees from the University of Exeter and UCL. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and was awarded the Alexander Prize by the Royal Historical Society in 2004. Home is the small Dartmoor town of Moretonhampstead, which he occasioanlly introduces in his books. His most recet book, 'Medieval Horizons' looks at how life changed between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries.

He also writes in other genres: his fourth novel 'The Outcasts of Time' won the 2018 Winston Graham Prize for historical fiction. His earlier trilogy of novels set in the 1560s were published under his middle names, James Forrester. In 2017 he wrote 'Why Running Matters' - a memoir of running in the year he turned fifty.

At present he is concentrating on writing history books that have experimental perspectives on the past. One example is a study of England as it would have appeared to the people living in his house over the last thousand years. This is provisionally entitled 'The History of England through the Windows of an Ordinary House'. It is due for completion in December 2024 and publication in 2026.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always been interested in English history, I feel it is just an extension of American History. What I like about this book is that the author trys to understand the outlook of the 14th century English nobility. The book has much more detail than I needed to know about the political infighting among the key characters around Henry IV, but I found the book worth reading. The author seems to want to avoid discussing the probability that Richard II was gay, This seems odd, given that his inability to produce an heir and his inappropriate favoritism of ‘close male friends’ were critical factors in Henry’s success in overthrowing him. Henry IV was the only English king to kill an Archbishop since Thomas Becket, foreshadowing Henry VIII? The book is a complete biography but probably too complete and detailed for most readers. I would recommend it only if you have a strong desire to know everything possible about Henry IV.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an exceptionally well written history of a complex, tumultuous time, with family bonds shattered, shocking betrayal, loyalties tested, wars waged Mortimer presents a clear, linear narrative of the rise of Henry IV.
Richard II betrayal of his loyal close family members, his uncle John of Gaunt, his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, as well as his betrayal of the British people left me stunned at the depth of his selfish, egoistical manner of someone so very privileged, who feigned mercy, but not very convincingly.

I stayed up late reading this, and operated on much less sleep the next day. I highly recommend this book to history geeks like myself.