Henry Bolingbroke was not raised to be a king. He was the only son of the powerful John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and would have had his hands full taking care of the dukedom. But fate intervened, and Henry was placed in an impossible situation when King Richard confiscated his inheritance. His father had died while he was stuck in France, victim of an unwarranted (in his opinion) exile. No self-respecting duke would tolerate such an imposition.
So Henry of Lancaster returned to England and was gratified to discover that almost the whole country was behind him. The nobles saw how he had been treated and didn’t feel safe from King Richard’s arbitrary behavior. The commons were disgruntled with Richard’s notorious “blank charters”, holding everyone hostage for their good behavior. Everyone. Henry represented a new beginning.
And in fact, things started very well for him. Men flocked to his standard—so many that he had trouble controlling his army and had to send some home. He was cheered everywhere he went. And when it came time to claim the crown, his support was almost unanimous. Richard was deposed and Henry elected king, regardless of the fact that the Parliament was no real Parliament (only the reigning king could call Parliament, and Richard was incarcerated). Apparently, his future subjects only considered that a technicality.
The honeymoon lasted three whole months. Unfortunately, the new nobles created by King Richard were intent on saving him. Though recently pardoned by King Henry, the Counter-Appellants (who had helped Richard destroy his enemies), instigated a revolt on the Epiphany. But they acted too soon; Englishmen were still enamored with their new king. Most of the instigators suffered the indignity of being killed by the citizenry who took the law into their own hands. Henry was saved. But little did he know, this was only the first of many rebellions against his rule.
During most of Henry’s reign, the country was bankrupt—or nearly so—and the first few years were the worst. It didn’t take long for the populace to cry foul, for as they remembered it, he promised not to raise taxes (untrue). Things were supposed to get better (they didn’t). Mob violence was everywhere. Even tax collectors were killed. Meanwhile, a fresh source of trouble reared its head: the Welsh. Repeated Welsh raids unsettled his border barons, who were quick to complain. During parliament—only one year after Henry’s coronation—the Commons insisted on enforcing the most repressive anti-Welsh legislation since Edward I. The Welsh were in no mood to acquiesce, and their rebellion gained steam for the next several years, sapping an already exhausted exchequer.
And then there were the Percies. The Earl of Northumberland and his son, Harry Hotspur were instrumental in putting Henry on the throne. They also ruled the north as though it was their own kingdom. This would not do, and Henry followed his predecessor’s strategy of raising up other great families as a counter to their ambitions. Disappointed that Henry did not appreciate them as much as they expected, Harry Hotspur launched a totally unexpected assault in 1403. The resulting Battle of Shrewsbury was a very close call. The fighting was ferocious; it was only Hotspur’s death on the battlefield that determined which side had won the day.
Needless to say, Hotspur’s father, Earl Henry was out for revenge. He was back two years later, leading another rebellion in conjunction with a rising led by Richard Scrope, the Archbishop of York. Northumberland’s thrust was repelled before he gained much speed, yet Scrope’s forces waited for him at York for three days before being tricked into disbanding by the Earl of Westmorland, Percy’s nemesis. Abandoned by Henry Percy, poor Archbishop Scrope became the focus of King Henry’s rage. Despite resistance from all sides, the king ordered him to be executed, creating a huge scandal and a new martyr.
Divine retribution was soon to follow. The very night after Scrope’s execution, Henry was struck with a terrible burning on his skin and he woke up shrieking “Traitors! Traitors! You have thrown fire over me!” His companions were horrified to discover that he was covered with lesions across his face and neck, and they all concluded that he was stricken with leprosy—a disease associated with God’s punishment. Although his skin healed in a few days, the symptoms came and went for the rest of his life. But there was more. A year later, Henry was struck with what he referred to as une grande accesse, and at the same time he complained of une maladie in his leg. Did he have a stroke? If not then, he certainly seems to have had another one a few years later, when witnesses thought he was dead for quite a few hours. The progressive weakness in his legs and associated attacks took away his strength and reduced him to an invalid, although he retained his clarity until the end.
However he was increasingly unable to attend the stringent duties ruling his kingdom. By then, the Welsh rebellion was coming to an end and Prince Hal (later Henry V) was available to pick up the proverbial reins of government. Shouldn’t Henry have been grateful? Well, it seems that, aided by his uncle Henry Beaufort (the king’s half-brother), Hal did too good of a job on the ruling Council. His father increasingly resented their participation. So when the day came that Beaufort and Hal approached his father and gently suggested Henry retire, the king was furious. He immediately dismissed the both of them and returned to work. For about a year. Ultimately it was too much for him and he succumbed to his illness, but not before he took his son back into his good graces. Henry V was raised to the kingship without any resistance. But the rest of Europe still considered his dynasty usurpers. He had much to prove.
