Henry IV

by Bryan Bevan

Henry of Bolingbroke was one of the most important noblemen of the later fourteenth century. Brave, chivalrous and cultured, a talented musician, he excelled at the jousts held at his cousin Richard II's Court, acquiring military experience at Radcot Bridge in Oxfordshire and later fighting with the Teutonic Knights in Prussia. A great medieval traveller, he visited Konigsberg as Earl of Derby, travelling to Danzig, Prague and later Venice and Jerusalem. Bitterly opposed to Richard II's favourites, Bolingbroke as one of the Lords Appellant played a vital part. Henry's most controversial actions were the deposition of Richard II (1399) and the execution of Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York, after he had usurped Richard's throne. As Henry IV, an usurper, the King knew little peace, incessantly engrossed as he was in preserving his throne; and the French and Scots never allowed him to forget his usurpation. For many years he fought a savage and frustrating war against the great Welsh rebel Owain Glyn Dwr, but defeated the immortal Harry Percy (Hotspur) at the Battle of Shrewsbury (1403). In his relations with his Parliaments, Henry showed acumen and praiseworthy restraint, unlike his predecessor who was determined to be an absolute King. His short reign was remarkable for the development of Parliament.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

186 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 1994

About the author

Bryan Bevan was educated at Eton and Jesus College, Cambridge and studied for the Bar.

At the time of publication of 'Robert Louis Stevenson Poet and Teller of Tales' he had had 13 books published and had contributed articles to various journals and The Times newspaper.

He is directly descended on his mother's side from Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Caroline Norton, a Victorain lady who wrote novels and plays.

Reviews

[Jana]

NOTE: This is code for Lisa's postal book which I just finished.

Postal Book Group: Round 4, Book 1

I'll write my review as soon as everyone has had a chance to read it.

PS: I have read Henry IV and I chose this book for a subterfuge as I do not think I'll be doing the author any disservice by messing with his GoodReads ratings ;-)

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I can’t fault the author’s selection of primary source material (largely unfootnoted in classic popular history fashion), he does seem to alternate between straight facts with minimal analysis and broad (often biased) statements. For example, he’s very pro-Richard II (whose worst deeds he referred to as ‘errors,’ ‘mistakes,’ or follies’), which makes a biography of Henry IV (who he described as ‘treacherous,’ ‘cunning,’ and ‘ambitious’) a strange choice. The book also starts out with an almost creepily idealized view of Medieval England, although he does tone this down later in the book. Overall, this is a decent, but not great, biography of the first Lancaster monarch. Low 3 stars.

[Sylvia Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

poor ssense of history, no idea how to treat sources. doesn't distinguish between primary and secondary - e.g. Shakespeare cannot be a source for Henry IV since he lived 2 centuries later!!!!