The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King

Ian Mortimer creates a readable and thoroughly researched biography of Henry IV, the first English monarch since the Norman conquest to overthrow the sitting monarch and successfully assume kingship in his place. Mortimer attempts to explain Henry the man as well as Henry the king, resulting in a nuanced and fascinating look at a king often overshadowed by his more glamorous son. The narrative is enjoyable and well-paced, with occasional stops to explain an obscure or often-misunderstood point. Mortimer also explains his conclusions clearly; specific textual evidence is always cited and explained. Not exactly a light read, but a treat for anyone with an interest in medieval history.

Henry IV is known primarily for grabbing the throne and holding on to it long enough to pass it on to his more famous son. Nevertheless, he is a pivotal figure in English history, and I can think of no better introduction to him than this vivid biography. When I started it, I had just finished a biography of Richard II, the king he replaced. It was fuill of typically academic hedging like "some sources say he was in York at this time, others that he was in Calais." Mr. Mortimer quotes the conflicting sources in a case like this, then tells you that his credit card receipts (or the medieval equivalent) place him in Calais. The breadth of his sources, and his willingness to select from them to create a coherent narrative and compelling psychological portraits of his characters make this one of the best biographies I have ever read. Whether you are reading for pleasure or information, you can't go wrong here.

For years, indeed centuries Henry IV has been thought of as the dastard who took poor Richard II's throne away from him and then brutialy suppressed every opposition that rose in England. Mortimer takes a very different approach, one that most historians have to agree on. First he tells us that Richard II was no poor, pitaful king. He was a self-obsessed tyrant, unstable, and above all a murderer we begin to understand Henry's situation. Add the facts that Henry was intelligent, brave, religious, could play the lark, and read and we see that the story has been told wrong for almost five hundred years. Henry wasn't a murderer, but a savior. Mortimer did a great job balacing scholarship and adventure in The Fears. I widely recommed this book.

For many of us, Henry IV is the king who deposed Richard II, fathered Henry V and features in three of Shakespeare's historical plays. He reigned as King of England from 1399 to 1413 and while the significant events of his reign are documented in history, the man himself largely remains in the shadows. In this book, Ian Mortimer sets out to bring Henry IV out of the shadows by providing both context and perspective for his actions. Mortimer's research and energetic writing do shed light, but it is not quite enough to infuse Henry IV with personality and life. The people around Henry IV largely remain in the shadows and it is their perspectives that would enable us to get a clearer picture of the man who was the king. Ian Mortimer has provided comprehensive notes and a wealth of information in his select bibliography. This book is a wonderful starting point for those who want to know more about the life and times of Henry IV. I hope that at some stage someone will write a book that will be able to shed more life on the man himself. Was Henry IV a usurper or a saviour? Ian Mortimer has a view, and while I largely agree with him I'm not entirely convinced. Yet. Jennifer Cameron-Smith