The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Castor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Eagle and the Hart is the story of two cousins, both grandsons of Edward III, who became kings of England. Richard was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Edward III’s oldest son, and Henry was the son of John of Gaunt, the third son of Edward III. After the death of his father, Richard was the heir to his grandfather, and indeed inherited the crown when he was about 10 years old.

One of the problems Richard faced was that his father and especially his grandfather did not plan very well for the transition. Although Richard did quite well when put to the test – for example during the Peasants Revolt of 1381 – he increasingly relied on his favorites and did not get along well with his council and Parliament. Eventually, he could not tolerate any dissent, and this led to the crisis of 1399, when his cousin Henry, who had been banished, returned to England and deposed Richard.

Henry became Henry IV – he was the closest to Richard in the male line of descent, but not in the female line. He was much more successful as king, though he was marked as having usurped the throne. And he always struggled financially. His health suffered too, especially in the last years of his reign. For many years it was thought that he had leprosy, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.

His son succeeded him as Henry V, but the issue of the female line vs. the male line resurfaced during the reign of his grandson Henry VI. This was one of the issues of the Wars of the Roses, but that’s a story for another day.

I really enjoyed this book. The author does a great job of leading us through the story. It can be a little confusing, but thankfully there are genealogical tables and a list of who the main characters are and how they are related. I knew the basics of the story of these two cousins, but I really learned quite a bit by reading the book. I recommend it if you are interested in this period of history.