" Henry IV (April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. Henry's grandfather Edward III had begun the Hundred Years War by claiming the French throne in opposition to the House of Valois, a claim that Henry would continue during his reign. However, unlike his forebears, Henry was the first English ruler whose mother tongue was English rather than French, since the Norman Conquest, over three hundred years before.[4] "

" With Henry of the House of Lancaster taking power at the end of the last play, the first part of Henry IV, written around 1596-8, shows us the difficulties he faced once king. His reign was plagued by rebellion and unrest and Shakespeare gave the king the added complication of a wayward son, Prince Harry. Part I shows Henry defending his crown and trying to wrest Harry away from the notorious Sir Falstaff, who knows the young prince as Hal. The play sees Harry stepping into his role as future king when the crown is forced into battle against the powerful Percy family. He is given a high command and kills the rebel Harry "Hotspur" Percy. Despite this famous victory, the war is not yet over, with Part II continuing the story. There is more comedy from Falstaff and his friends, but Harry is now largely separate from them. When the king sickens and dies, Harry takes the throne as Henry V and rejects Falstaff and his former associates.