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The Fears of Henry IV

The Life of England's Self-Made King

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The Fears of Henry IV

By: Ian Mortimer
Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
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About this listen

King Henry IV survived at least eight plots to dethrone or kill him in the first six years of his reign. However, he had not always been so unpopular. In his youth he had been a great chivalric champion and crusader. In 1399, at the age of 32, he was greeted as the saviour of the realm when he ousted from power the tyrannical King Richard II. 

But Henry had to contend with men who supported him only as long as they could control him; when they failed, they plotted to kill him. Adversaries also tried to take advantage of his questionable right to the crown. Such threats transformed him from hero to murderer, prepared to go to any lengths to save his family and throne. 

Against all the odds, however, he took a poorly ruled nation, established a new Lancastrian dynasty and introduced the principle that a king must act in accordance with parliament.

©2014 Ian Mortimer (P)2017 Tantor Europe Great Britain Politics & Activism Royalty England Middle Ages Thought-Provoking Tudor
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As in the title of my review - interesting story about one of less known English monarchs and written almost like a good fiction book. I learnt a lot and the same time I enjoyed it very much.

Another good one from Ian Mortimer

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I don’t often leave reviews but I have to for this book. I read much about the Plantagenet dynasty and stopped reading Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays as I was not sure about the authenticity of facts. I am really impressed by this wonderful book which really does look at the childhood markers for both Henry and Richard. The violent Plantagenet temper of Richard and the dutiful Henry through adolescence and beyond has put Henry in a totally different perspective for me. I am no historian but I respect the work that Ian has done and substantiated fact against possibility of happening. I have learned so much and I thank you so much for putting this on audio.

What an excellent book!

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Praise and appreciation goes to Ian Mortimer for his insightful and memorable exploration of the character and life of Henry IV. It compliments and strengthens my reading on Henry IV thus far Thank you

The real Henry IV

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Without a doubt, one of the best books I've listened to.

Well researched, well written and well told.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

so it's a trip to Shrewsbury and Canterbury to pay my respects to the greatest king

One Incredible Book

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Well worth listening to. It covers areas of Henry’s life that I have not heard of before. Very well researched.

Excellent book

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