Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

has been depicted in popular culture a number of times.

Literature

* Almost two hundred years after his death, Henry became the subject of two plays by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, ''

Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'' and '' Henry IV, Part 2'', as well as featuring prominently in ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

''. * As the Earl of Derby, Henry is a character in

Gordon Daviot Josephine Tey was a pseudonym used by Elizabeth MacKintosh (25 July 1896 – 13 February 1952), a Scottish author. Her novel ''The Daughter of Time'' was a detective work investigating the role of Richard III of England in the death of the Prin ...

's 1932 play ''

Richard of Bordeaux ''Richard of Bordeaux'' (1932) is a play by "Gordon Daviot", a pseudonym for Elizabeth MacKintosh, best known by another of her pen names, Josephine Tey. The play tells the story of Richard II of England in a romantic fashion, emphasizing the r ...

''. * Henry appears in a historical novel by

Henry Newbolt Sir Henry John Newbolt, CH (6 June 1862 – 19 April 1938) was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a role as a government adviser with regard to the study of English in England. He is perhaps best remembered for his poems "Vit ...

, ''The New June'' (1909). *

Ellis Peters Edith Mary Pargeter (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her ''nom de plume'' Ellis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translat ...

's novel ''A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury'' (1972, US title ''The Bloody Field'') revolves around the relationship between Henry,

Prince Hal Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...

and Hotspur. * Also in 1972,

Martha Rofheart Martha Rofheart (born Martha Jane Jones, 1917–1990) was an American writer of historical novels, an actress and early in her career, a model. Early life She was born Martha Jane Jones, May 27, 1917 in Louisville, Kentucky, to Evan Jones an ...

wrote a novel featuring Henry IV, ''Fortune Made His Sword'' (UK title ''Cry God For Harry''). * Henry is a supporting character in

Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brothe ...

's 1975 historical novel '' My Lord John'', which details the early life of his son, John of Lancaster. *

Anya Seton Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 – November 8, 1990), born Ann Seton, was an American author of historical fiction, or as she preferred they be called, "biographical novels". Career Seton published her first novel, '' My Theodosia'', in 1941. Seto ...

included Henry in her 1954 novel ''

Katherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and Catherina, other variations are feminine Given name, names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria ...

'' which depicted the relationship between Henry's father John of Gaunt and his eventual step-mother

Katherine Swynford Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (born Katherine de Roet, – 10 May 1403), also spelled Katharine or Catherine, was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth (but third surviving) son of King Edward III. Daughter o ...

. * Henry is a main character in

Sara Douglass Sara Warneke (2 June 1957 – 27 September 2011), better known by her pen name Sara Douglass, was an Australian fantasy writer who lived in Hobart, Tasmania. She was a recipient of the Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel. Biography A ...

's '' The Crucible Trilogy'', a work of historical fiction. * Henry is the king in

Howard Pyle Howard Pyle (March 5, 1853 – November 9, 1911) was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. He was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy. In 1894, he began ...

's fictional ''

Men of Iron ''Men of Iron'' is an 1891 novel by the American author Howard Pyle, who also illustrated it. Set in the 15th century, it is a juvenile "coming of age" work in which a young squire, Myles Falworth, seeks not only to become a knight but to eventua ...

''. The protagonist's father's loyalty to Richard II is the reason that the family is in hiding for most of the book.

Film

Henry has been portrayed on screen by: *

Ian Keith Ian Keith (born Keith Ross; February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Keith grew up in Chicago. He was educated at the Francis Parker School there and played Hamlet in a school p ...

in ''

The Black Shield of Falworth ''The Black Shield of Falworth'' is a 1954 American Technicolor film from Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker and directed by Rudolph Maté. It stars Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, David Farrar, Herbert Marshall, an ...

'' (1954), with

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

in ''

Chimes at Midnight ''Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight)'' ( Spanish: ''Campanadas a medianoche'') is a 1966 period comedy-drama film directed by and starring Orson Welles. The Spanish-Swiss co-production was released in the United States as ''Chimes at Midnight'' an ...

'' (1965), a merger of several Shakespeare plays * Carl Wharton in '' Henry IV - Part 2'' (2012), a film by The Co-operative British Youth Film Academy. *

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his breakout role in ''The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and since then he has had roles in films such as '' Animal Kingdom'' (2010) ...

in '' The King'' (2019), a film by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

Television

Henry has been portrayed a number of times on television, mainly in versions of Shakespeare's plays. In this context he has been played by: *

Clement McCallin Clement Schuyler McCallin (6 March 1913 – 7 August 1977) was a British actor from London. RADA trained, he made his stage debut in 1931, and worked extensively with the RSC and The Old Vic. He was married to actress Brenda Bruce, with whom he ...

in a BBC version of ''The Tragedy of King Richard II'' (1950) *

Kent Smith Frank Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television. Early years Smith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Smith. He was born in New York City and was educated ...

in an American version of ''Richard II'' (1954) * Tom Fleming in the BBC series ''An Age of Kings'' (1960), which contained all the history plays from ''Richard II'' to ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'' *

Erik Hell Erik Hell (11 August 1911 – 11 March 1973) was a Swedish actor. Hell was born in Kalliokoski, Finland, to a Norwegian father and a Finnish mother. He moved to Sweden with his family in 1918 during the Finnish Civil War. He married the actre ...

in ''Henrik IV'' (1964), a Swedish version of ''Henry IV'' *

Hartmut Reck Hartmut Reck (17 November 1932 – 30 January 2001) was a German television and film actor. He also appeared in the American-produced epic film, '' The Longest Day''. He also acted in the German film dubbing industry, dubbing into German the voi ...

in ''König Richard II'' (1968), a West German version of ''Richard II'' *

Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West, CBE (born 20 October 1934) is an English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on both stage and television, including stints in both ''Coronation Street'' (as Eric Babbage) and ''EastEnders'' (as Stan Carter) ...

in another BBC version of ''The Tragedy of King Richard II'' (1970) *

Sándor Lukács Sándor is a Hungarian given name and surname. It is the Hungarian form of Alexander. It may refer to: People Given name * Sándor Apponyi (1844–1925) was a Hungarian diplomat, bibliophile, bibliographer and great book collector * Sándor B ...

in ''II. Richárd'' (1976), a Hungarian version of ''Richard II'' *

Jon Finch Jon Finch (2 March 1942 – 28 December 2012) was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles. Most notably, he starred in films for directors Roman Polanski (''Macbeth'', 1971) and Alfred Hitchcock (''Fren ...

in the BBC Shakespeare version of ''King Richard the Second'' (1978) and both parts of ''Henry IV'' (1979) * Michael Cronin in the BBC series ''The Wars of the Roses'' (1989), which included all of Shakespeare's history plays performed by the

English Shakespeare Company The English Shakespeare Company was an English theatre company founded in 1986 by Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington to present and promote the works of William Shakespeare on both a national and an international level. Funding came from th ...

Nikolai Lavrov Lavrov, Nikolai Vladimirovich (russian: Лавро́в, Никола́й Влади́мирович) (1802–1840) was a well-known Russian baritone opera singer. He sang in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theatre. He possessed a voice of beautiful timbr ...

in ''Richard Vtoroi'' (1992), a Russian version of ''Richard II'' *

Ronald Pickup Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in ''Doctor Who''. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific sta ...

in a BBC film, ''Henry IV'' (1995), a version of ''Henry IV, Part 1'' *

Richard Bremmer Richard Bremmer (born 27 January 1953) is an English actor. Early life Bremmer was born and brought up in Warwickshire. Career Bremmer first began his career in the short film of ''Couples and Robbers'' before being in his first full-length fi ...

in a British TV film, ''Richard II'' (1997) * Veit Schubert in another German version of ''Richard II'' (2001) * Liam Brennan in another BBC film, ''Richard II'' (2003), broadcast live from the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

in the TV miniseries ''

The Hollow Crown ''The Hollow Crown'' may refer to: * a passage in Shakespeare's play ''Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward t ...

'' (in the 'Henry IV' episodes) (2012) *

Rory Kinnear Rory Michael Kinnear (born 17 February 1978) is an English actor and playwright who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. In 2014, he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of William S ...

also played the younger Henry IV (Bolingbroke) in ''

'' (in the 'Richard II' episode) (2012) Henry has also been played on television by: *

Ralph Truman Ralph du Vergier Truman (7 May 1900 – 15 October 1977) was an English actor, usually cast as either a villain or an authority figure. He possessed a distinguished speaking voice. He was born in London, England. Truman originally studied at t ...

in a BBC adaptation of ''Richard of Bordeaux'' (1938) *

John Arnatt John Edwin Arnatt (9 May 1917 – 21 December 1999) was a British actor. Early life and education John Arnatt was born in Petrograd, Russia on 9 May 1917. His parents were Francis and Ethel Marion (née Jephcott) Arnatt. He attended Epworth ...

in another BBC adaptation of ''Richard of Bordeaux'' (1955)

Video

*Henry was played by Barry Smith in a straight-to-video film adaptation of Shakespeare's ''Richard the Second'' (2001). *

Paul Shenar Albert Paul Shenar (February 12, 1936 − October 11, 1989) was an American actor and theater director, known for portraying the Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa, in '' Scarface'' (1983). A veteran Broadway and Shakespearean actor, he was one ...

played him in an American video ''Richard II'' (1982), in an Elizabethan style stage production of the play.

Naming

Henry IV of England has also influenced an increased precedence in the use of "Henry" as a first name. In fact, it was so popular as to top the Telegraph's list of most popular baby names in 2014. Examples of the name in use include

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...

, whose given name is Henry, and Henry Fippinger.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 04 Of England, Cultural Depictions Of