Digital List Price:	$17.99
Kindle Price:	$2.99 Save $15.00 (83%)
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add an

audiobook with Audible narration for $7.49

Audiobook Price: $18.05

Save: $10.56 (59%)

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Ian Mortimer

+ Follow

More books from this author

Henry IV: The Righteous King Kindle Edition

by Ian Mortimer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 120 ratings

See all formats and editions

The real life story of the Plantagenet ruler, by “the most remarkable medieval historian of our time” (The Times, London).

The talented, confident, and intelligent son of John of Gaunt, Henry IV started his reign as a popular and charismatic king after he dethroned the tyrannical and wildly unpopular Richard II. But six years into his reign, Henry had survived eight assassination and overthrow attempts.

Having broken God’s law of primogeniture by overthrowing the man many people saw as the chosen king, Henry IV left himself vulnerable to challenges from powerful enemies about the validity of his reign. Even so, Henry managed to establish the new Lancastrian dynasty and a new rule of law—in highly turbulent times.

In this book, noted historian Ian Mortimer, bestselling author of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England and The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England, goes beyond the legend portrayed in Shakespeare’s history play, and explores the political and social forces that transformed Henry IV from his nation’s savior to its scourge.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Mortimer] has an instinctive sympathy for the men about whom he writes, a real understanding of the mentalities of late medieval England, and a vivid historical imagination which lends colour and excitement to his pages-- "Literary Review"

About the Author

Ian Mortimer, PhD, is the author of The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1998 and was awarded the Alexander Prize (2004) by the Royal Historical Society. He lives with his wife and three children on the edge of Dartmoor, in the southwest of England.

James Cameron Stewart is a veteran actor whose performances include roles in theater, film, and television. He was trained at Hull University and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His credits include Outlander, Jericho, Flying Blind, Golden Years, Emmerdale, London's Burning, Eastenders, Coronation Street, and Holby City.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07H14G27C
Publisher ‏ : ‎ RosettaBooks (February 22, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5999 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 639 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #146,692 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #14 in 1066-1485 History of UK
- #60 in History of Medieval Europe
- #106 in Biographies of Royalty (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 120 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Ian Mortimer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Dr Ian Mortimer has been described by The Times newspaper as 'the most remarkable medieval historian of our time'. He is best known as the author of The Time Traveller's Guides: to Medieval England (2008); to Elizabethan England (2012); to Restoration Britain (2017); and to Regency Britain (2020). He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and has published research in academic journals touching on every century from the twelfth to the twentieth.

He also writes in other genres. His latest novel, 'The Outcasts of Time', which takes place across the years 1348-1942, won the 2019 Winston Graham Prize for historical fiction. His first three novels, the Clarenceux Trilogy, set in the 1560s, appeared under his middle names, 'James Forrester'. In the year he turned fifty he wrote a memoir about the meaning of running, Why Running Matters (published in 2019).

He lives on the northeast of Dartmoor, in the southwest of England. For more information, see www.ianmortimer.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

120 global ratings

2 star

0%

1 star

2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Eric

Excellent! Thoughtful and well researched.

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2020

Verified Purchase

Well researched and remarkably thoughtful. Carefully written and a pleasure to read (Audible narration is also excellent). It may be unfair to say that I felt that some interesting points were passed over, on which would have liked to have had the benefit of the author's research and views.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Miss K.

A great biography

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

A well researched and presented biography of an oft neglected King. Detailed and informative. The acid test is that it made me want to read more about the various people involved (eg Richard ll, John of Gaunt, the future Henry V etc). Overall well worth the money. My only quibble concerned the narrator who occasionally sounded flat and monotone. Goodness knows the subject matter is colourful enough, and the voice should reflect it. Nevertheless thoroughly enjoyable. Why oh why don't they produce more of these biographies? The material is out there - many excellent biographies of European monarchs and influential people in book form but not in cd form. What a shame!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

No Witty Name

The Righteous King

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2023

Verified Purchase

This covers a lot of ground in the life of a generally overlooked king. Looked upon by history as a usurper and little more, Mortimer brings his sharp eye to the background of a man, perhaps the exactly right man, thrust into the moment. Mortimer proves more considerate of Henry IV (even though helped push Mortimer's relatives out of the line of royal inheritance), and uses his own unique style of historical investigation to show us a new side of the man who, through tenacity, loyalty, and pragmatism, would win the throne and steer a perilous course between civil war, invasion, and assassination. Well written, as always with Ian Mortimer. I highly recommend it!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

megan

Another excellent royal biography

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024

Verified Purchase

Ian Mortimer knocks another out of the park with his biography of Henry IV. His writing is thoughtful and he clearly considers events from multiple sources.

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

This eminently readable history looks to the truth behind Shakespeare's characterizations in his history cycle. Will written, compelling prose. Some surprising anecdotes. A very good explanation as to why Henry claimed the throne (after deposing his cousin Richard II) through his mother's line - an unusual political tactic. If you are interested in the period of the "War of the Roses" this is an excellent starting point.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Columbo_SL

Great read

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

Great look at a much over-looked leader.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Diane W