Henry IV and his Council
Kevin Seger
One of the accusations justifying the rebellion against Richard II was that Richard had surrounded himself with poor advisors, something that Henry IV seemingly hoped to repel in his reign. After Richard II was deposed, his council was dissolved and Henry made no great public effort to create a new one. However, according to Baldwin in The King’s Council in England During the Middle Ages, we know that a council was appointed and sworn by the end of the King’s first month on the throne (149). This information is supported by Holinshed, who mentions the appointing of Henry IV’s officers at the beginning of the account of his reign (1118).
Although Holinshed makes no mention of this, we learn from Baldwin that those nobles whom Henry relied on most were not able to give their regular attendance as councilors (148). These men were engaged in various military efforts to quell revolts around the country and were also simultaneously concerned with their own estates. Thus, we learn that Henry IV was forced to appoint men from a lower class than was expected at the time. This was his first big mistake.
Baldwin also tells us that many of the leading officers were delinquent in their duties, so it is no surprise to discover that many of them were replaced within a year (152). The council did not advise the king on policies or appointments but they did determine questions of administration, such as conflicting grants of money. As a result of this symbiotic relationship, Parliament granted the Council the authority to make decisions on minor measures. Next, Parliament took advantage of this newly bestowed power by placing numerous petitions before the Council, all with non-altruistic goals, most of which were approved.
The decision to grant the council this power came back to haunt Henry’s government as this council seemed to be as equally inefficient as its predecessor. One of the most notable events that resulted from the Council’s inefficiency was the revolt of the Percys. In 1403, Northumberland addressed a letter to the council regarding payment for his military service. Baldwin tells us that when the Percys received no reply at all to this request, they made their revolt later that same year with the goal of restoring a competent ruler to the throne (153). It is worth mentioning that these are the same terms that Bolingbroke based the final stages of his revolution on in 1399. Henry defeated the revolt, but then realized that the criticism and complaints about his rule were justified. As a result, Henry attempted to get serious about the members of his council. It was not until several years later at the Long Parliament of 1406, however, that Henry himself framed a bill that named a council and defined its powers.
The effect of this choice was considerable despite that the changes made to the council’s personnel were miniscule (Baldwin, 156). Then, in an effort to avoid all future conflicts between the Council and Parliament, the Commons put forth copious ordinances on conduct, all of which were reluctantly approved. However, these ordinances prove to be more like restrictions and less like a reference guide for conduct. In fact, these ordinances essentially gave Parliament the control to make any inquiry into the crown that they pleased. As a result, for the next year Henry was at the mercy of Parliament. In 1407, the lords of the council requested a pardon from the ordinances demanded by Parliament, a request that Henry granted. Henry made it clear that he was ruling for his people and thus he was finally able to achieve control over the council.
Over the next several years the actions of the Council resulted in greater success than ever before. However, in the waning years of his reign, Henry IV grew ill and the Council assumed the role of the ruling body. In his final year, Henry attempted to regain control of his government by reappointing allies who had previously been removed from the Council, but otherwise his last year was uneventful and he died in 1412.
Although Holinshed makes no mention of this, we learn from Baldwin that those nobles whom Henry relied on most were not able to give their regular attendance as councilors (148). These men were engaged in various military efforts to quell revolts around the country and were also simultaneously concerned with their own estates. Thus, we learn that Henry IV was forced to appoint men from a lower class than was expected at the time. This was his first big mistake.
Baldwin also tells us that many of the leading officers were delinquent in their duties, so it is no surprise to discover that many of them were replaced within a year (152). The council did not advise the king on policies or appointments but they did determine questions of administration, such as conflicting grants of money. As a result of this symbiotic relationship, Parliament granted the Council the authority to make decisions on minor measures. Next, Parliament took advantage of this newly bestowed power by placing numerous petitions before the Council, all with non-altruistic goals, most of which were approved.
The decision to grant the council this power came back to haunt Henry’s government as this council seemed to be as equally inefficient as its predecessor. One of the most notable events that resulted from the Council’s inefficiency was the revolt of the Percys. In 1403, Northumberland addressed a letter to the council regarding payment for his military service. Baldwin tells us that when the Percys received no reply at all to this request, they made their revolt later that same year with the goal of restoring a competent ruler to the throne (153). It is worth mentioning that these are the same terms that Bolingbroke based the final stages of his revolution on in 1399. Henry defeated the revolt, but then realized that the criticism and complaints about his rule were justified. As a result, Henry attempted to get serious about the members of his council. It was not until several years later at the Long Parliament of 1406, however, that Henry himself framed a bill that named a council and defined its powers.
The effect of this choice was considerable despite that the changes made to the council’s personnel were miniscule (Baldwin, 156). Then, in an effort to avoid all future conflicts between the Council and Parliament, the Commons put forth copious ordinances on conduct, all of which were reluctantly approved. However, these ordinances prove to be more like restrictions and less like a reference guide for conduct. In fact, these ordinances essentially gave Parliament the control to make any inquiry into the crown that they pleased. As a result, for the next year Henry was at the mercy of Parliament. In 1407, the lords of the council requested a pardon from the ordinances demanded by Parliament, a request that Henry granted. Henry made it clear that he was ruling for his people and thus he was finally able to achieve control over the council.
Over the next several years the actions of the Council resulted in greater success than ever before. However, in the waning years of his reign, Henry IV grew ill and the Council assumed the role of the ruling body. In his final year, Henry attempted to regain control of his government by reappointing allies who had previously been removed from the Council, but otherwise his last year was uneventful and he died in 1412.