The story in one page
King Richard II governs by divine right but struggles with an empty treasury and unruly cousins. After he banishes Henry Bolingbroke and seizes the Duke of Lancaster’s estates, Bolingbroke returns with enough soldiers to make his cousin's divine authority look purely theoretical. Richard is systematically dismantled, forced to hand over his crown in Westminster Hall before he is shuffled off to a dungeon. Bolingbroke steps into the royal vacancy as Henry IV, only to find that the crown comes with immediate blood-guilt and a sudden, urgent need for a religious pilgrimage to atone for his predecessor’s abrupt demise.
Who's who
- King Richard II
Anointed monarch who loses his crown to a successful cousin.
- Henry Bolingbroke
Ambitious cousin who deposes the King to claim the throne.
- John of Gaunt
Loyal uncle and father of the usurping Henry Bolingbroke.
- Exton
Assassin who kills the deposed King to impress the new monarch.
What it's really about
- Divine Right
- The belief that kings are directly appointed by God.
- Usurpation
- The risky business of seizing a crown by force.
Why it's memorable
- A king surrendering his crown while staring into a mirror.
- A coffin presented to a new king who suddenly regrets the murder.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Bolingbroke, now Henry IV, banishes the assassin Exton and declares he will travel to the Holy Land to wash the blood of the previous king from his own hands.
For your book club
- Does a crown sit differently once you have taken it by force?
- Can a king still be holy if he is sitting in a dungeon?