Henry in Exile

After the Trial by Combat affair in 1398 between Henry Bolingbroke and Thomas Mowbray (which was supposed to be to the death), King Richard II exiled Mowbray for life and Henry for 10 years. They were each allowed a few weeks to put their affairs in order, and they were granted annuities to live on. Henry went to France.

In 1399, Henry's father, John of Gaunt, died. Word came to Henry that Richard was not going to allow Gaunt's land to automatically go to Henry. Henry would have to request the lands from Richard. This was an insult on top of exile (which many people felt Henry did not deserve).

He sought out Thomas Arundel, the former archbishop of Canterbury who had been exiled by the Lords Appellant, who had taken over Richard's administration to root out corruption. Henry had been one of those Lords Appellant, but he met with Arundel and made peace with him.

While Richard was in Ireland on a campaign to deal with Irish defiance and a shrinking English population due to plague. While in Ireland, and struggling in the mountainous terrain, word came that Henry had arrived in England and was gathering an army.

Richard rushed back to England, but Henry was already gathering popular and military support. He had Arundel with him as an advisor. The stated goal was to claim the title of Duke of Lancaster that was his father's. Enough support flocked to him, however—and enough of Richard's supporter's deserted the king—that the goal shifted to replace Richard with himself.

What fighting there was didn't last, and Henry Bolingbroke was crowned King Henry IV on 13 October 1399. He was the first king to address the crowd in English since before 1066.

Henry was a remarkable man due to his various interests and skills, and his reign is worth discussing, but what about the "road not taken"? If Henry had not acted, or if he and Richard had died during this conflict, who would have been king? Richard had named an heir, someone who would have known that he was next in line should the king die, but then saw his opportunity for glory slip away when Bolingbroke return. Tomorrow, let's visit the life of Edmund Mortimer.