king Henry IV

King Henry IV was born April 4, 1366 at Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire. In 1398 Henry IV was banished by Richard II, however a year later he returned eager and leading a revolt to depose Richard II. Henry IV’s revolt was a success, and he then became the King of England and the 1st monarch of the Lancastrian dynasty. In January of 1400, when Richard II was still alive, Henry quashed a conspiracy of the deposed king's supporters. Unfortunately, while Richard II was imprisoned he starved to death. Henry IV was a good and noble leader; however, he spent much of this reign defending himself against plots, rebellions, and assassination attempts. Throughout the Canterbury Tales King Henry IV only played one major role, this was the “The Complaint of Chaucer to His Purse”.
“The Complaint of Chaucer to His Purse” was a poem written by Chaucer in a humorous manner; however it served as a true petition to the king. In this poem Chaucer was begging Henry IV to renew his annuity, which was previously granted to him by Richard II. Henry IV did in fact grant Chaucer a generous new annuity of 40 marks per year over and above the 20 marks that King Richard II had granted him. Therefore the poem accomplished multiple goals in just the few short lines. This kind act showed that Henry IV was a fair and generous ruler.
King Henry IV was known for being an honorable king. Although Henry had conducted himself fairly honorably, he was considered a usurper, and his reign was plagued with conflict and rebellion. Many of the magnates who supported him in defeating Richard were more interested in building their own power bases than in helping the crown. Henry IV had gained many enemies as well as supporters.