Henry IV Coins

King Henry IV Coins

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Henry IV was born in 1367, at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire. One of a large, influential family, Henry was the childhood friend of the eventual King Richard II. The two grew apart as the years passed, and things came to a head when Henry participated in the Lords Appellants' rebellion in 1387.

When Henry's father, John of Gaunt, died in 1399, Richard removed Henry's right to inherit his father's land. The move resulted in Henry deposing Richard and claiming the throne for himself.

Henry suffered from severe illness in his final years; a skin disease (leprosy or psoriasis) left him disfigured, and acute attacks of what could have been epilepsy weakened him further. He eventually died in 1413, and was succeeded by his son Henry V.