The Usurper King
From Outlaw to Usurper, Henry Bolingbroke fought one rebellion after another.
First, he led his own uprising. Then he captured a forsaken king. Henry had no intention of taking the crown for himself; it was given to him by popular acclaim. Alas, it didn't take long to realize that that having the kingship was much less rewarding than striving for it. Only three months after his coronation, Henry IV had to face a rebellion led by Richard's disgruntled favorites. Repressive measures led to more discontent. His own supporters turned against him, demanding more than he could give. The haughty Percies precipitated the Battle of Shrewsbury which nearly cost him the throne—and his life.
To make matters worse, even after Richard II's funeral, the deposed monarch was rumored to be in Scotland, planning his return. The king just wouldn't stay down and malcontents wanted him back.
The Accursed King
What happens when a king loses his prowess?
The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had executed an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God's greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry's health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid.
Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn't willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal. But Henry didn't count on Hal's dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart.
WHAT MOTIVATED HENRY BOLINGBROKE TO TAKE THE CROWN?
by Mercedes Rochelle
Henry Bolingbroke certainly had good reason to harbor resentment toward King Richard II. After the famous tournament that was abruptly stopped between Henry and Thomas Mowbray, both were unfairly exiled from England—Henry for six years and Thomas for life. King Richard promised to let Henry’s lawyers handle his affairs but promptly reneged after John of Gaunt died. He took Henry’s Lancastrian possessions into the crown’s keeping, immediately assigning them to his own favorites. The king claimed this was only until Henry could return from exile and sue for his inheritance. This all sounded too tortuous, and of course, there was no guarantee Richard wouldn’t extend his exile to life.
So when King Richard conveniently took his army to Ireland, he gave Henry an opportunity too good to pass up. It didn’t hurt that Archbishop Arundel, another of Richard’s exiles, showed up and encouraged Henry to go back to England and set things right. He claimed that many people in England were clamoring for his return; Richard had alienated most of his subjects with his tyrannical behavior. Henry wanted to believe him, but the risks were enormous. An exile faced the likelihood of losing his head if caught returning illegally, and anyone supporting him ran the same risk. And even if he gathered an army and forced Richard to return his inheritance, what was to prevent the king from wreaking revenge five or ten years in the future? He had already shown himself perfectly capable of such horrific behavior.
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| Henry leaves Paris, BL Harley MS 4380 f.172v, Creative Commons License |
Nonetheless, it was pretty much Now or Never. Henry returned to England, insisting to one and all that he was only seeking to regain his Lancastrian patrimony—nothing more. He landed at Ravenspur around July 4, 1399 accompanied by a small but faithful retinue, plus the outlawed Archbishop of Canterbury, and the son of the executed Earl of Arundel. His situation garnered a tremendous amount of sympathy from anyone who had something to lose. No one was safe from a king who could destroy their inheritance on a whim.
The first big test—and it happened very soon after Bolingbroke’s landing—was with Sir Harry Percy, known as Hotspur, the son of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. Hotspur’s appearance was a big surprise, and if he had been so inclined, Bolingbroke’s expedition could have come to a screeching halt. But he was not so inclined. Over the last several years, Richard II had been steadily attempting to diminish the Percies’ influence in the North by removing them from key positions. They were already disgruntled, and were quick to anticipate a golden opportunity. Henry assured Hotspur that he only wanted his inheritance back. Did the Percies believe him, or were they already thinking of their own advantages?
And so it began. Bolingbroke quickly garnered more support from the Northerners, making a wide berth around York and stopping off at Pontefract, his family’s stronghold. By now he was sure of his strength and moved on to Doncaster, where he met the earls of Northumberland and Westmorland among many other powerful local magnates. Northumberland had brought a large contingent—some said 30,000 men—which gave Bolingbroke the army he needed to challenge the royalist forces. In a very public ceremony he swore an oath that he had only returned to claim his inheritance, and did not have any designs on the crown. This wouldn’t be the last oath he was to make before changing his mind. It’s more than probable that at this point he also declared his intention to put the king under their control and impose a continual council, as they had in 1386.
Did his followers believe him? Did he believe himself? Historians conjecture that even if Henry had already decided to go for the crown (some think he did even before he landed, though there is no solid evidence), it was too soon to declare his intentions to a guarded populace. They had just barely recovered from Richard’s recent burst of tyranny; would they be willing to expose themselves to another series of threats? But if Bolingbroke came to assert his own rights, unfairly trampled upon, surely this was not treason?
And so, bolstered by a strong army that grew as he marched south, Bolingbroke solidified his credibility when he convinced the regent, Richard’s uncle the Duke of York, to come over to his cause. All along the regent was sympathetic to Henry’s grievances and was seriously distressed by this conflict of interest. After all, he was Henry’s uncle, too. Once again, it seems very likely that Bolingbroke repeated the same oath to York, convincing him to change sides.
The first action Bolingbroke took that indicated a possible change of intention came along shortly thereafter when they subjugated Bristol and executed three of King Richard’s close advisors—an action quite illegal unless ordered by the king. Afterwards, on their way north to Chester, he appointed Percy Warden of the West Marches toward Scotland—another custom reserved for the king. Yet still, Bolingbroke professed that he had no designs on the crown.
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Richard II detained by Percy, BL Harley 1319 Histoire du Roy d’Angleterre
Creative Commons License |
When Percy was chosen to approach King Richard who was by then holed up at Conwy Castle, again it was said that Henry swore the same oath. Did Percy really believe him? He certainly repeated this oath to Richard over a consecrated host, convincing the king to meet Bolingbroke in person. Too bad for Richard! He hadn’t traveled far from his sanctuary when Percy’s hidden soldiers surrounded him and escorted his little party to Flint Castle, prisoners in fact. When meeting the humiliated king in person, according to the eye-witness Jean Creton, Henry said, “My Lord, I am come sooner than you sent for me: the reason wherefore I will tell you. The common report of your people is such, that you have, for the space of twenty or two and twenty years, governed them very badly and very rigorously… But if it please our Lord, I will help you to govern them better than they have been governed in time past.” And Richard answered mildly, “Fair cousin, since it pleaseth you, it pleaseth us well.” So far, it seems Henry continued with the pretense, though the continual council reference couldn’t be ignored.
Although Bolingbroke treated the king like a prisoner, he still did not declare himself. With the king in tow, they all returned to Chester where Henry sent out summonses for a Parliament—in the king’s name—to be held the 30th of September. This would take place about a month-and-half later. While in Chester, he received fifty emissaries from London, who declared that the people renounced their allegiance to Richard and pledged their loyalty to Henry. It was said they even demanded that Henry put the king to death, but of course he refused. By now, his army was so huge he had to dismiss some of the enthusiastic volunteers, because he couldn’t feed them all and the locals were beginning to suffer depredations. I would say at this point, he was willing to bow under pressure and accept the fact that he had to go all the way. He was approached constantly for favors and shown many honors. Richard’s followers had abandoned him, and he had fallen into despondency. How could Henry resist such obvious support?
The mask was off, and from then on, Henry’s actions were all geared toward making the usurpation look legal. His wave of popularity made it all seem inevitable.
