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The Fears of Henry IV

The Life of England's Self-Made King

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The Fears of Henry IV

By: Ian Mortimer
Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
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About this listen

King Henry IV survived at least eight plots to dethrone or kill him in the first six years of his reign. However, he had not always been so unpopular. In his youth he had been a great chivalric champion and crusader. In 1399, at the age of 32, he was greeted as the saviour of the realm when he ousted from power the tyrannical King Richard II.

But Henry had to contend with men who supported him only as long as they could control him; when they failed, they plotted to kill him. Adversaries also tried to take advantage of his questionable right to the crown. Such threats transformed him from hero to murderer, prepared to go to any lengths to save his family and throne.

Against all the odds, however, he took a poorly ruled nation, established a new Lancastrian dynasty and introduced the principle that a king must act in accordance with parliament.

©2014 Ian Mortimer (P)2017 Tantor Europe Great Britain Politics & Activism Royalty England Middle Ages Thought-Provoking Tudor

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All stars
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The story can never be less than fascinating. The tyrannical and despotic Richard II and the barons who tried to stay alive. The politics are fascinating. But good grief, the narration was dreadful. Mispronounced words, a weirdly breathless style and a seeming incomprehension of the subject. Read it, but don't listen to it!

The Fears of Henry IV

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Without a doubt, one of the best books I've listened to.

Well researched, well written and well told.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

so it's a trip to Shrewsbury and Canterbury to pay my respects to the greatest king

One Incredible Book

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The book was wonderful. Mortimer has brought Henry1V to life.
The narrator read it as though he was either learning to read, or thought that if he did not speak at a snail's pace we might not understand. Disappointing quality of performance.

Reader

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Praise and appreciation goes to Ian Mortimer for his insightful and memorable exploration of the character and life of Henry IV. It compliments and strengthens my reading on Henry IV thus far Thank you

The real Henry IV

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Fantastic and engagingly written book that gets deep into the personal experiences of both Henry and Richard, the stuff I personally adore - especially their childhoods, and not by just pulling assumptions from thin air. A lot of it has to be guesswork, yes, that's the nature of the topic, but the author never left me wondering what was confirmable fact and what was conjecture, and also never just threw conjecture out without showing the factual roots of it. Many authors will skip or skim over childhoods because the texts and evidence aren't as numerous, so I really can't say enough how much I loved not just the effort put into rebuilding Richard and Henry's childhoods, but the general surrounding details of the period that help bring it all to life in the mind's eye, and in understanding the real lived experiences.

At first I wasn't sure I would like the narration and I can see why some might dislike it, but I actually found that it grew on me immensely in a short time. I have listened to books whose fascinating and well-written content are rendered a slog which goes in one ear and out the other by a reader who delivers the text like a teenager made to read something out in class. The reading for this book is subtle, but absolutely full of life once adjusted to after more performative audiobooks. It's easily earned its place in my favourites.

Wasn't sure before listening; now my favourite!

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I don’t often leave reviews but I have to for this book. I read much about the Plantagenet dynasty and stopped reading Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays as I was not sure about the authenticity of facts. I am really impressed by this wonderful book which really does look at the childhood markers for both Henry and Richard. The violent Plantagenet temper of Richard and the dutiful Henry through adolescence and beyond has put Henry in a totally different perspective for me. I am no historian but I respect the work that Ian has done and substantiated fact against possibility of happening. I have learned so much and I thank you so much for putting this on audio.

What an excellent book!

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This is a fascinating historical piece about one of England's great kings... from upbringing to the throne. Hollywood couldn't come close to what history served up for the ages.

However, it's just as well that the story is so rich because the narration is truly awful. At times, it feels like it has been clipped together by a computer using voice/word samples. Just listen to the narrator say 'Henryyy' with a rising inflexion for 4 chapters, and you'll be looking for a window.

That said, if you have a genuine interest in this great king, then you will not be disappointed with the content, which is 5*.

Epic story that holds up against poor narration

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Well worth listening to. It covers areas of Henry’s life that I have not heard of before. Very well researched.

Excellent book

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This is the second Ian Mortimer book I have read. The previous one being the perfect king, which is one of my favourite books.

I enjoyed Mortimer’s story telling greatly. He has a way on turning history into a addictive, entertaining and romantic story. Henry IV is the king I probably knew the least about. I have read a lot on the Plantagenets and then a lot of the war of the roses but this segment in history I have previously neglected. I’m so glad I read this book to correct this. Henry Bolingbroke’s life is a story that deserves to be told. What is the perfect king? No did he make many mistakes? Yes. But did he lead and incredible life full of adventure, chivalry and daring? Yes absolutely and personally I would rather learn about a historical figure like that than a callous, boring Richard II.

As a massive Shakespeare fan I have to say I am incredibly disappointed with his portrayal of Henry IV. I just really hope more people read books like this so the Shakespearean portrayal of usurper and then cruel father can be dismissed. However, I don’t blame Shakespeare for this, but it highlights yet another way in which the tudors managed to ruined something.

I didn’t like this book as much as the perfect King simply because I love Edward III more than any other King so it is an incredibly bias preference on my part. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves this period of history or wishes to learn more about one of the more forgotten kings of this age. There is no Henry V without this man!!

The nature was good. He made the story interesting and easy to listen to! I felt as if he enjoyed reading this book as much as I did.

The real Henry IV!

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This is a really well researched and written book on a king who seems to have been pretty overlooked ...obviously a conciencious and well intentioned man. My only problem was the narration which although authorative had an odd halting quality, full of short pauses in the middle of sentences which I found rather got in the way. Sorry narrator.

Interesting read on lesser known king

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