History: The House of Lancaster

This course will look at how the succession after Edward III struggled to maintain its legitimacy and how this affected English society at large in the late 14th century and beyond, as well as the wider, longer-term consequences for the ongoing struggle against France. We will consider the social impact of the Peasants’ Revolt, and how the continued mismanagement of Richard II would ultimately lead to his downfall. We will examine in some detail the circumstances through which then Henry Bolingbroke was able to seize power, and how his authority as king became established. We will go on to consider in more detail the challenges faced within English society during Henry IV’s time, such as the rise of Lollardism, the opposition the Earl of Northumberland against Plantagenet authority (and the importance of the battle of Shrewsbury), and the continued defiance of Prince Owain Glyndwr in Wales. We will then go on to consider the decline in relations between England and France and the circumstances which prevailed at the time; looking in particular at reasons why, by the later years of the reign of Henry IV, hostilities threatened to resume once more.