| Our Island Story|
|by H. E. Marshall|
|A child's history of England from earliest legendary times delightfully retold. Beginning with the stories of Albion and Brutus, it relates all the interesting legends and hero tales in which the history of England abounds through the end of the reign of Queen Victoria. Ages 9-12 |
HENRY IV. OF BOLINGBROKE—THE STORY OF THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY
 HENRY IV. knew quite well that he was not the real heir to
the throne, although he tried to make people believe that he
was. The real heir was Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March.
Richard II. was the son of Edward the Black Prince, who was
the eldest son of Edward III. Edmund Mortimer was descended
from Lionel of Clarence, who was the third son of Edward
III. Henry Bolingbroke was descended from John of Gaunt, who
was the fourth son of Edward III. So, of course, Edmund
Mortimer had a better right to the throne than Henry
Bolingbroke had. But Edmund Mortimer was only a little boy,
and, like so many other little princes, he was passed over
and forgotten. The people chose rather to have a strong man
who could really rule, than a little boy who could rule only
in name. But Henry was afraid of Edmund, and kept him a
prisoner in Windsor Castle, although he was not otherwise
unkind to him.
Henry had seized the throne in an unlawful manner, and he
found that it was no easy matter to keep it. No sooner was
he crowned than plots thickened around him, and people who
had hated Richard were now sorry that they had put Henry on
 The Welsh, who had been conquered by Edward I., had never
been content to live under the rule of English kings, and
Owen Glendower, a Welsh nobleman, now rebelled against
Henry. He called himself the Prince of Wales, claiming to be
descended from Llewellyn, that Welsh prince whom Edward I. had defeated and killed.
Nearly all Wales joined Owen Glendower, and although Henry
went against them with a large army, he was not able to
subdue them. The Welsh took several of Henry's nobles
prisoner, among them Sir Edmund Mortimer. This Sir Edmund
was an uncle of the young Earl of March, whom Henry kept in
prison at Windsor. Henry was quite pleased that Sir Edmund
should be a captive, because he was afraid that he might at
some time try to put his nephew on the throne.
The Scots had meanwhile also been fighting with the English,
and had been defeated by the Earl of Northumberland and his
young son, who was called Harry Hotspur. He was called
Hotspur because he was so quick and brave in battle.
Harry Hotspur and his father had taken the Scottish leader,
Douglas, prisoner. They expected to get a large ransom from
the Scots for him. But Henry said the Douglas must be given
up to him. This made the Percies, as Harry Hotspur and his
father were called, very angry. They thought that, as they
had taken the Douglas prisoner, they had a right to the
money which would be paid for his release.
The Percies then asked Henry to send money to Owen Glendower
to ransom Edmund Mortimer, for Edmund was Harry Hotspur's
dear friend. But Henry refused. He did not wish Edmund to be
free, because he was afraid of him. This refusal made the
Percies still more angry.
 The Percies had helped to put Henry on the throne, but now
they became so angry with him that they were sorry that they
had done so, and they turned against him.
Instead of giving up the Douglas to Henry, the Percies set
him free, on condition that he should help them to fight
against the King. They made friends with Owen Glendower, who
set Edmund Mortimer free, and persuaded him also to join
them against Henry.
When the King heard of this great rebellion, he marched with
a large army to Shrewsbury, and there he defeated the
Percies before Owen Glendower could come with his soldiers
to their help.
King Henry had been told that some of the rebel nobles had
sworn to kill him, so he went into battle in plain armour,
while four or five knights went dressed like the King. These
knights were all killed, Douglas himself killing three of
them. "I marvel to see so many kings rise thus one after the
other," he said. "I have this day slain three."
But the real king was not among them, although he was in the
battle fighting bravely.
The Prince of Wales, or Prince Hal, as he was often called,
was only a boy, but he did great deeds at this battle, and
even when he had been badly wounded, he would not leave the
field until victory for his father was sure.
Harry Hotspur was killed, the Douglas taken prisoner, and so
with this one battle the rebellion was almost at an end.
Henry next marched against Owen Glendower, but still he
could not subdue him. Owen fought against Henry all his
life, and at last died among the lonely mountains of Wales,
still free and still unconquered.
Henry IV. had a very unquiet reign; he was in
con-  stant fear of rebellion in England, and besides the Welsh, the Scots
and the French were always fighting with him. But a great
misfortune fell upon the Scottish king, which forced him to
make peace with Henry.
The Scots and the French had always been good friends, and
now King Robert III. sent his little son, James, to France
to learn French. But while on his way there his ship was
captured by the English, and Prince James, who was only nine
years old, was taken a prisoner to London.
Henry was very glad to have Prince James in his power, for
the Scots were now afraid to fight against him in case he
should do some harm to their little Prince.
"If the Scots had been kind," said Henry, "they would have
sent their Prince to me. I could teach him the French
language as well as any Frenchman."
When the King of Scotland heard that his son had fallen into
the hands of his enemy, he was so sad and afraid that he
died of a broken heart.
The King's brother, the Duke of Albany, wanted to rule
Scotland himself, so he was pleased that James was a
prisoner, and did not try to make Henry set him free.
Although King Henry kept Prince James in prison, he allowed
him to have books and teachers, who taught him many things
which were afterwards useful to him, and helped him to
become a good king. He also wrote some very beautiful poetry
while he was in prison, so those years were not altogether
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