Henry Bolingbroke's Desire for Crusading
Matt Camacho
The word "crusade," which is derived from the Latin phrase cruce signati ("signed with the cross"), never appears in Shakespeare’s Henriad. To modern readers, it feels archaic, calling to mind religious strife or Muslims and Christians locked in fierce combat, which are scenarios that also do not occur in any of Shakespeare’s Second Tetralogy (Richard II, Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, and Henry V.). At first glance, many of the conflicts in the Henriad are entirely secular, concerned more with money and taxation than with holy warfare. Yet, Shakespeare’s version of Henry Bolingbroke, later Henry IV, finds himself thinking of sacred Jerusalem and God at various points during his reign. Although his desire for religious satisfaction is indirect and unshared by any of the other characters, its development throughout Richard II reflects the inner conflict of a man at odds with his own ideals.
Thoughts of crusading linger in Henry’s mind long before he becomes king. When he prepares to duel Mowbray in Richard II, he states that they "are like two men / That vow a long and weary pilgrimage" (Richard II, I.iii.87-88). Just prior to this, he declares Mowbray "a traitor foul and dangerous / To God of heaven, to Richard, and to me." (I.iii.39-40). Henry, whether subconsciously or intentionally, has just connected pilgrimage (travell to a holy location for spiritual benefits) to combat and Mowbray’s treason to sacrilege; combat and religion are intertwined for the future king. Moreover, Henry declares his banishment an "enforced pilgrimage" (I.iii.253), which seems to suggest that, of the two, religion is more important to Henry than war.
This ironically connects him to motifs shared by crusaders throughout history, as they were pilgrims first and soldiers second (Madden, 10). Their primary goal was to visit a location such as Jerusalem. They just happened to carry around swords to carve their way there. In addition to this, crusaders were considered "the avengers of an injured God," the very God that Henry claims that Mowbray has threatened through his actions (Madden, 9). Henry is the spitting image of a crusader whether he acts upon it or not. James Black summarizes his mood well in stating that "pilgrimage is in fact coloring Henry’s imagination from the earliest scenes of Richard II." (Black, 20).
Yet, Henry does not spend his time abroad travelling to holy sites, unlike his former rival. Upon hearing that Mowbray has "fought / for Jesu Christ in glorious Christian field, / Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross / Against black pagans, Turks, and Saracens," (Richard II, IV.i.83-86), Bolingbroke responds not with anger, but with a newfound admiration. This foreshadows the final lines of the play. Just as Mowbray endured his banishment by fighting religious enemies, Henry reacts to Richard II’s death with an oath:
Thoughts of crusading linger in Henry’s mind long before he becomes king. When he prepares to duel Mowbray in Richard II, he states that they "are like two men / That vow a long and weary pilgrimage" (Richard II, I.iii.87-88). Just prior to this, he declares Mowbray "a traitor foul and dangerous / To God of heaven, to Richard, and to me." (I.iii.39-40). Henry, whether subconsciously or intentionally, has just connected pilgrimage (travell to a holy location for spiritual benefits) to combat and Mowbray’s treason to sacrilege; combat and religion are intertwined for the future king. Moreover, Henry declares his banishment an "enforced pilgrimage" (I.iii.253), which seems to suggest that, of the two, religion is more important to Henry than war.
This ironically connects him to motifs shared by crusaders throughout history, as they were pilgrims first and soldiers second (Madden, 10). Their primary goal was to visit a location such as Jerusalem. They just happened to carry around swords to carve their way there. In addition to this, crusaders were considered "the avengers of an injured God," the very God that Henry claims that Mowbray has threatened through his actions (Madden, 9). Henry is the spitting image of a crusader whether he acts upon it or not. James Black summarizes his mood well in stating that "pilgrimage is in fact coloring Henry’s imagination from the earliest scenes of Richard II." (Black, 20).
Yet, Henry does not spend his time abroad travelling to holy sites, unlike his former rival. Upon hearing that Mowbray has "fought / for Jesu Christ in glorious Christian field, / Streaming the ensign of the Christian cross / Against black pagans, Turks, and Saracens," (Richard II, IV.i.83-86), Bolingbroke responds not with anger, but with a newfound admiration. This foreshadows the final lines of the play. Just as Mowbray endured his banishment by fighting religious enemies, Henry reacts to Richard II’s death with an oath:
Lords, I protest my soul is full of woe
That blood should sprinkle to make me grow.
Come mourn with me for what I do lament,
And put on sullen black incontinent.
I’ll make a voyage to the Holy Land
To wash this blood off from my guilty hand.
March sadly after. Grace my mournings here
In weeping after this untimely bier. (V.v.45-52)
Given the deeply religious language of his oath, it is not a stretch to say that Henry was perhaps inspired by Mowbray’s actions. Just as his courtiers will “march sadly after” the king in mourning, so too will they follow him to the Holy Land. While his announcement seems sincere, he laments that it took Richard’s death to spark it. Previously, Henry had only been toying with the ideal of becoming a pilgrim or crusader. Mowbray, whose sins in some ways started the play’s conflict, suddenly feels like the greater man in comparison to Bolingbroke. Instead of avenging an injured God, Henry returned and figuratively injured England, Richard, and God ("braving arms against thy sovereign," II.i.111). Shakespeare takes the themes of the crusader and flips them upside down, sending Bolingbroke to attack England rather than the Holy Land. In the process, he presents a realistic portrayal of a man who lost sight of his desires and morals in seeking justice.