A Monarch A Month - Henry IV

Hello all!

So I'm now in to year 2 of 4 of stitching Bothy Thread's Kings and Queens at the slow pace of one monarch per month. How the last year has flown!

This is monarch number thirteen, Henry IV:

Henry IV from Kings and Queens by Bothy Threads

Started - 3rd January 2020

Finished - 4th January 2020

Total stitching time - 5 hours 10 minutes

Here's my summary of  Henry IV's reign. Little seems to have been written about him, suggesting he wasn't one of the more interesting monarchs. Perhaps Shakespeare's Henry IV (parts 1 and 2) might tell you more but I'm not going down that route!

HENRY IV
Preceded by Richard II (cousin)

Succeeded by Henry V (son)
Lived - 1367-1413
Reigned - 1399-1413
Married - Mary de Bohun 1381 (died 1394) and Joan of Navarre 1403
Fathered - 4 sons and 2 daughters by first wife, and 1 or 2 illegitimate sons

Following a successful uprising by Henry against his cousin, Richard II, Parliament declared Richard a tyrant and Henry King.

England finally had their first monarch since the 1066 Norman Conquest whose first language was English rather than French!

Henry was also the first Lancastrian monarch which, unwittingly, initiated The Wars Of The Roses (note 1).

With rumours abundant that Richard was still alive, Henry spent much of his reign fighting off similar rebellions to that which had put him on the throne.

One of the biggest threats was from the self-proclaimed Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr. His rebellions were unsuccessful, but events escalated after Henry's cousin (and potential claimant to the throne) Edmund Mortimer was captured in 1402.

Henry wasn't really bothered by this, but Edmund's ally, Henry Hotspur was. With Welsh and Scottish support, Hotspur rebelled against Henry, culminating in the 1403 Battle of Shrewsbury, where Hotspur was killed.

Henry had Battlefield Church built to remember the thousands who had died that day.

Aided by the French, Owain Glyndwr rebelled again but Henry's son, Prince Henry, ensured the threats were quickly suppressed.

In his last few years Henry suffered bouts of illness. As a result, he allowed his son a limited regency.

Henry's crown was beside him on his deathbed in 1413 and it is said that, when it was thought he had died, Prince Henry took the crown, only to be reprimanded by his still-alive father for being too eager!

Henry is buried in Canterbury Cathedral beside his second wife.

So next month, Henry V.

Note 1 - It was the question of the male-only line of succession from Edward III which was responsible for The Wars Of The Roses - the Lancastrians (Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI descended from Edward III's third surviving son) took the male-only line of succession, whilst the Yorkists (Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III descended from Edward III's second surviving son but via a female descendant) did not. It was not until the succession of Henry VII in 1485 that the Lancastrians and Yorks were united (as far as warring families can be united!) under the Tudor dynasty.

Take care,
Rachel x