Dan Snow’s History Hit – Richard II vs Henry IV

Guest: Helen Castor | Date: October 19, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Dan Snow explores “one of the great dramas of English royal history”—the fraught relationship between King Richard II and his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, later Henry IV. With historian Helen Castor, the discussion goes deep into how their personalities, upbringings, and claims to the throne set the stage for crisis and civil war, reshaping the Plantagenet dynasty and prefiguring the Wars of the Roses.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Cousins: Contrasting Characters and Backgrounds

• Richard II: Crowned at age 10, described as haughty, insecure, unworldly, and raised “in a cocoon of gilded cotton wool.” His upbringing left him entitled, sensitive to slights, obsessed with the image and majesty of kingship, but lacking practicality and connection.
• Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV): Just three months younger, son of the powerful John of Gaunt. Raised amid political tumult, energetic, martial, politically savvy, charismatic, and able to make alliances—a grounded contrast to Richard.
• Helen Castor’s assessment:

  “Richard loves the majesty and the magnificence of kingship... Henry loves books, Henry has friends... He makes friends really easily and really deeply wherever he goes. That’s not the case with Richard." (15:01)

2. The Burden and Nature of Medieval Kingship

• Medieval kingship demanded both military and judicial authority—a balance Richard struggled with.
• Castor’s description of the royal seal:

  “On one side... the King on horseback, in armour... half the job is to be a soldier. On the other side...the King on a throne... it’s the king’s job to keep order inside the country.” (06:57)

• A 10-year-old simply could not be expected to discharge these responsibilities, setting up Richard's reign for crisis from the start.

3. The Peasants' Revolt (1381) – Richard’s 'Great Moment'

• The largest popular uprising in medieval England tested Richard’s supposed authority.
• The rebels believed in “the good king,” blaming ‘evil counselors’ rather than Richard himself.
• Richard rode out to meet the rebels and appeared to agree to their demands—only to oversee brutal retribution later.

  “It’s a lesson...I suspect we're already seeing a king who struggles to see any issue... in any terms other than his own. In other words, I think we’re seeing a narcissist developing before our eyes.” (20:26)

4. The Role of Parliament & the Crisis of Authority

• The 1380s were marked by parliamentary confrontations: the Wonderful Parliament, the Merciless Parliament.
• Parliaments demanded accountability as foreign threats loomed, but Richard dismissed their concerns (“I would not dismiss Scullion from my kitchen at your request.” - 24:53).
• Tensions peaked as Richard sought to redefine treason to suppress opposition, leading to a legislative and constitutional crisis.

5. Henry Bolingbroke’s Political Education and Position

• Present during the Peasants’ Revolt, nearly killed, later saved by a Kentish peasant—a formative trauma.
• By the late 1380s, Henry joined the Lords Appellant opposing Richard’s government, taking a decisive risk on behalf of the realm and his own future.

6. Richard’s Coup and Tyranny

• After a brief period of apparent moderation, Richard struck back in 1397, arresting and executing or exiling his former opponents, including his own uncle and former friends.
• He began building a personal military retinue, raising alarm:

  “He’s beginning to build up his own personal military retinue... You’ve got to ask yourself, why does he want a personal military retinue when he’s the King?” (43:11)

7. Henry’s Exile and Return

• Both Henry and Thomas Mowbray, fearing Richard, were banished after a stage-managed duel was called off at the last minute (48:05).
• Upon John of Gaunt's death, Richard seized the Lancastrian inheritance, breaking an explicit promise and threatening the nobility’s security—prompting Henry’s return and revolution.

8. The Fall of Richard II

• Henry returned almost alone—yet support flooded in, exposing Richard’s “house of cards.”
• Richard was captured, forced to abdicate, then deposed by Parliament on grounds of perjury (breaking his coronation oath).
• Helen Castor explains the political complexity:

  “If you can persuade Richard to put his seal on a document of abdication, so much the better. But there’s also this really serious process...the Key charge that they come back to again and again... is perjury... because he’s broken his coronation oath.” (52:34)

9. The Bloodless Coup's Aftermath and Legacy

• Richard died (probably starved or murdered) in captivity.
• Henry IV, though skilled, endured constant rebellion, ill health, and the suspicions directed at any usurper.
• The precedent of deposition haunted English monarchy, laying “the seeds of what would become known as the Wars of the Roses.”
• Castor's caveat:

  “It is called upon in 1460, 1461... and it’s called upon in the 1640s...But it’s not that the Lancastrian dynasty was always inevitably going to fall. I think Henry V shows what’s possible with the difficult legacy he inherited.” (56:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On young Richard’s upbringing:

  “The only problem is there’s a 10 year old sitting there listening to himself being described as the Messiah. And the trouble is, that lesson seems to have gone in far too deep.” (11:24) —Helen Castor

• On the reality of kingship:

  “With great power comes great responsibility, as we learn from Spider Man. And it’s as true in the 1380s as it is now.” (30:47) —Helen Castor

• Richard’s early narcissism:

  “For Richard, he is the center of the universe and his interests are the only ones...with one possible exception...that are really real and meaningful to him.” (20:26) —Helen Castor

• Parliament’s desperation:

  “If you keep behaving like this, I’m going to have to ask my cousin, the King of France, for help, and I’d rather submit myself to him than to my own subjects.” (25:44) —Helen Castor, quoting Richard

• On the tyranny of arbitrary power:

  “If the king can do that to the most powerful nobleman in the country, if he can snap his fingers and say the law doesn’t apply, I’m taking your property. Who can’t he do that to?” (49:38) —Helen Castor

• On Richard’s downfall:

  “Richard thought he had built this extraordinary, glittering edifice of kingship...But what he hasn’t realized is that his glittering edifice is a house of cards. And the minute Henry comes back...people start flocking to him.” (51:15) —Helen Castor

Key Timestamps

• 01:41 – Dan’s introduction of the key players and historical background
• 04:46 – Helen Castor joins the episode
• 11:24 – Richard’s formative years and self-image
• 13:28 – Introduction to Henry Bolingbroke and his family dynamics
• 16:36 – Causes and nature of the Peasants’ Revolt
• 24:53 – Richard’s imperious attitude to Parliament (“Scullion” quote)
• 38:38 – Henry’s European travels and knightly education
• 43:11 – Richard begins accumulating personal military power
• 46:56 – Richard’s 1397 coup against the Lords Appellant
• 48:31 – The aborted duel and banishment of Henry and Mowbray
• 49:55 – Richard’s seizure of the Lancastrian inheritance
• 52:34 – Richard’s deposition and the legal/ceremonial process
• 56:21 – The legacy of 1399 for the Plantagenets and English monarchy

Tone and Style

The conversation is lively, engaging, and accessible, driven by Dan Snow’s curiosity and Helen Castor’s clarity and wit. Castor punctuates the narrative with sharp asides, memorable analogies (Spider-Man, “house of cards”), and wry observations about the perennial tensions of power. Both speakers balance scholarly accuracy with relatable commentary, helping listeners connect medieval drama with timeless political dilemmas.

Conclusion

The episode unpacks not only the personalities and policies that defined Richard II and Henry IV but also the structural tensions of medieval monarchy—where personal rule, the whims of anointed kings, and emergent parliamentary power collided with lasting effect. The fall of Richard and the rise of Henry marked a pivot for England’s monarchy and, as Castor notes, left a template for both legitimacy and usurpation haunted by precedent for centuries to come.

Recommended reading:
Helen Castor, The Eagle and the Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV.