Henry IV (1399- )

The usurper

Ever since the Peasants' Revolt, Richard II's reign had gone downhill. He taxed the country heavily to pay his lavish lifestyle, and heaped expensive gifts upon his friends. Meanwhile, he ignored Parliament, and made enemies among his most powerful nobles.

Eventually Richard III 's cousin, Henry, Duke of Lancaster, led a rising against him.

The first Lancastrian king of England.

Richard II 's rightful heir was the Earl of March, the great grandson of Edward III. This made Henry a usurper. For his entire reign, he would face violent attempts to overthrow him.

[Hotspur] 威尔士起义，Owain Glyndwr被称为威尔士王子。To many people in Wales he is a national hero, and the last true Welshman to claim the title of Prince of Wales.

[Shakespeare] Glyndwr appears in William Shakespeare's play Henry IV part I as 'Glendower'. In this play, his is portrayed as a mysterious figure, who claims that he can perform magic.

Henry Percy , or nickname Hotspur.国王的堂兄，倒戈威尔士方，被血腥镇压

《亨利四世》展现了英国中世纪时期迷人的历史，并将演绎出近年来最野心勃勃的一部莎士比亚改编作品。《亨利四世》是莎士比亚历史剧中最成功、最受欢迎的一部，被看成莎士比亚历史剧的代表作。这部作品的主要内容是反映亨利四世和他的王子们与反叛的诸侯贵族进行殊死斗争的过程。莎士比亚突破传统历史剧多条线索交织发展的网状结构，采用了两条线索平行发展的结构——以亨利四世为代表的宫廷生活线索和以福斯塔夫为代表的市井生活线索。