Backstabber Report

Henry IV Backstabs King Richard II

Not yet Henry IV, plain young Henry experienced a rather more strained relationship with King Richard II than his own father, John of Gaunt, who enjoyed a position of considerable influence during much of the reign of Richard II. Henry’s backstabbing, though possibly not unexpected had obviously taken Richard II by surprise at the timing of it.

First cousins and childhood playmates, they were admitted together to the Order of the Garter in 1377, but Henry participated in the Lords Appellant’s rebellion against the King in 1387. After regaining power, Richard did not punish Henry after this first crisis in their relationship (many of the other rebellious Barons were executed or exiled). In fact, Richard elevated Henry from Earl of Derby to Duke of Hereford. An example of “no good deed goes unpunished.”

Henry accompanied Crusaders and during the campaign of 1390 against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in the unsuccessful siege of Vilnius, Henry bought captured Lithuanian princes and then apparently took them back to England. Henry’s second expedition to Lithuania in 1392 had financial benefits to guest crusaders like himself.

However, the relationship between Henry and the King came to a head for a second time. In 1398, a remark by Henry regarding Richard II’s rule was interpreted as treason by Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk. King Richard II called for the two dukes to undergo a duel of honor. However, before the duel could take place, Richard II decided to banish Henry from the kingdom (this, with the approval of Henry’s own father, John of Gaunt). Richard II seems to have had a soft spot for Henry and wanted to avoid bloodshed, but wasn’t without giving some retribution toward Henry.

When Henry’s father John of Gaunt died in 1399, Richard II canceled the legal documents that would have allowed Henry to inherit his father’s land automatically. Richard II only required that Henry had to ask for the lands from his King. Instead, Henry delayed and met with the exiled Thomas Arundel, former Archbishop of Canterbury, who had lost his position because of his involvement with the Lords Appellant. While Richard was on a military campaign in Ireland, Henry and Arundel joined forces and returned to England under the pretense of only fighting to obtain his rightful inheritance.

With Arundel, Henry began his military campaign, confiscating land from those who opposed him and ordering his soldiers to destroy much of Cheshire. Henry quickly gained enough power and support to have himself declared King Henry IV and to imprison King Richard II. Henry’s coronation was performed on October 13, 1399.

Henry IV now had a problem in disposing of Richard II without seeming to approve of having him killed. An early assassination plot which the people were to believe was outside his knowledge, was foiled in January 1400. Henry ultimately decided that Richard would simply starve to death in prison. Letters circulated in France demonstrate Henry had prior knowledge of the death. Richard II died on February 14, 1400, after which his body was put on public display in the old St Paul’s Cathedral to prove to his supporters that he was dead – at the age of 33.

Henry IV’s reign was marked by serious battles with his health. He had a disfiguring skin disease, and suffered acute attacks of an unknown illness in June 1405, April 1406, June 1408, during the winter of 1408–09, December 1412, and the fatal bout in March 1413. Debates are still ongoing regarding the skin disease. Leprosy and psoriasis are the top vote-getters, but arguments are made for other disease. The acute attacks have been given a wide range of explanations, from epilepsy to some form of cardiovascular disease.

As a side note, it was predicted that Henry would die in Jerusalem. Henry took this to mean that he would die on a crusade. In reality, he died at the house of the Abbot of Westminster, in the Jerusalem chamber.