Henry IV and Division of Parliament
Kevin Seger
In Act III scene I of Henry IV part II, Henry describes the vulnerability that comes with power and responsibility. He laments, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” (III.i.31). Perhaps the historical Henry IV would have agreed.
When Henry IV ascended the throne, the English state was more centralized than ever. In France, the deposing of Richard and his replacement by Henry was met with fear. The French agreed to help Henry regain his Lancastrian inheritance but they drew the line at his becoming king. They claimed to object to the illegitimacy of Henry’s reign but in truth we know that they were worried that Henry would reject the truce agreed upon by Richard and war would ensue (Corrigan, 196).
However, the fact that he was feared abroad did not promote his success in government. Henry had a great deal of difficulty dealing with Parliament. This was partially due to the manner in which he assumed the throne but mostly due to the actions of Richard II leading up to his deposition. His decisions in the final years of his reign left Parliament divided into groups separated by personal feuds, which would often break out in Parliament.
In his book Lancastrian Kings and Lollard Knights, K.B. McFarlane points out that there were three main groups in the parliament: victims of Richard’s tyranny, willing or unwilling participants of Richard’s tyranny and those who succeed in “remaining aloof” (63). Henry found himself among the first group where he was able to ally himself with several strong members of the government. These relationships were not completely solid but for the most part they “gave no comfort to the enemies of Lancaster,” as McFarlane puts it (66). Among this group, we find many allies of Henry, supporting him throughout his reign and even going on to help his son, Henry V, during his time on the throne.
In the next subdivision of parliament we find those who were instruments of Richard’s tyranny, willingly or unwillingly. Of the eight members of Richard’s council, two had disappeared since his deposition. The remaining six gave Henry varying degrees of trouble. Some of the appellants truly wanted to undo the actions of the previous king.
The first business of the Parliament of 1399 was to reverse all of its predecessor’s acts. All the legal action taken by the Parliament of 1397-1398 were annulled and repealed with general approval.
Holinshed gives us accounts of both of these Parliaments (490, 511). Amid accusations and denials, it became clear to Henry that if he was to rule, it would have to be with a policy of amnesty. With this policy instated, Henry would pardon any of Richard’s men whom he truly felt were honorable and trustworthy. However, the end of the Parliament leaves none of these men.
Those who succeeded in remaining aloof from Richard ultimately turned on Henry as well. The most notable family in this group was the Percys who would go on to betray Henry as they did Richard. Thus, Henry IV set a precedent for his own rule that separated him from Richard: he respected the rights of others and they respected his right as king (78). Despite this, we know from various historical texts that Henry IV had difficulties dealing with Parliament but, as we will learn, this is not entirely Henry’s fault. It would seem that his method of ascending the throne in conjunction with poor advisement from his council would create a turbulent environment for Henry to rule over. The decisions of this council would ultimately set events of rebellion into motion.
When Henry IV ascended the throne, the English state was more centralized than ever. In France, the deposing of Richard and his replacement by Henry was met with fear. The French agreed to help Henry regain his Lancastrian inheritance but they drew the line at his becoming king. They claimed to object to the illegitimacy of Henry’s reign but in truth we know that they were worried that Henry would reject the truce agreed upon by Richard and war would ensue (Corrigan, 196).
However, the fact that he was feared abroad did not promote his success in government. Henry had a great deal of difficulty dealing with Parliament. This was partially due to the manner in which he assumed the throne but mostly due to the actions of Richard II leading up to his deposition. His decisions in the final years of his reign left Parliament divided into groups separated by personal feuds, which would often break out in Parliament.
In his book Lancastrian Kings and Lollard Knights, K.B. McFarlane points out that there were three main groups in the parliament: victims of Richard’s tyranny, willing or unwilling participants of Richard’s tyranny and those who succeed in “remaining aloof” (63). Henry found himself among the first group where he was able to ally himself with several strong members of the government. These relationships were not completely solid but for the most part they “gave no comfort to the enemies of Lancaster,” as McFarlane puts it (66). Among this group, we find many allies of Henry, supporting him throughout his reign and even going on to help his son, Henry V, during his time on the throne.
In the next subdivision of parliament we find those who were instruments of Richard’s tyranny, willingly or unwillingly. Of the eight members of Richard’s council, two had disappeared since his deposition. The remaining six gave Henry varying degrees of trouble. Some of the appellants truly wanted to undo the actions of the previous king.
The first business of the Parliament of 1399 was to reverse all of its predecessor’s acts. All the legal action taken by the Parliament of 1397-1398 were annulled and repealed with general approval.
Holinshed gives us accounts of both of these Parliaments (490, 511). Amid accusations and denials, it became clear to Henry that if he was to rule, it would have to be with a policy of amnesty. With this policy instated, Henry would pardon any of Richard’s men whom he truly felt were honorable and trustworthy. However, the end of the Parliament leaves none of these men.
Those who succeeded in remaining aloof from Richard ultimately turned on Henry as well. The most notable family in this group was the Percys who would go on to betray Henry as they did Richard. Thus, Henry IV set a precedent for his own rule that separated him from Richard: he respected the rights of others and they respected his right as king (78). Despite this, we know from various historical texts that Henry IV had difficulties dealing with Parliament but, as we will learn, this is not entirely Henry’s fault. It would seem that his method of ascending the throne in conjunction with poor advisement from his council would create a turbulent environment for Henry to rule over. The decisions of this council would ultimately set events of rebellion into motion.