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House Of Lancaster

Henry IV (1399 – 1413 AD)
Henry Bolingbroke was the first king of the House of Lancaster; his claim to the throne rested on his descent from Edward III, his grandfather. Henry and Richard II were childhood companions, but Richard’s extravagance had made him enemies at court and led to the barony turning to Henry when he returned from exile in France.

Henry’s youth was spent campaigning – in the Teutonic Order’s attacks on Vilnius in Lithuania and also in the Holy Land. He gained a reputation as a man of action and seasoned campaigner from these adventures. In England he was associated with the scheming of his father, John of Gaunt, but seems to have preferred the direct challenge of combat rather than political manoeuvring. In 1381 he married Mary de Bohun, by whom he had six children.

Once he came to the throne, Henry spent a great deal of time dealing with plots, rebellions and rumours that Richard II was still alive and residing at the Scottish court. Henry continued to maintain a presence on the wider European scene and to frustrate the attempts of the Scottish and French courts to overthrow him.

Henry’s health declined from 1405, with an unidentified skin disease and other symptoms progressively debilitating him. In life Henry had been devoted to the cult of Thomas Becket, and he was therefore buried in Canterbury Cathedral close to Becket’s tomb in 1413. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Henry.