AIthough he may have learned some aspects of successful play writing from other dramatists of his time, William Shakespeare remains a major innovator of the English history play. Such early Shakespeare plays as Henry VI and Richard III were among the first to achieve any sort of commercial success. In Henry IV, Part I, Shakespeare continues his tradition of re-enacting the history of his native land.
The reign of Henry IV. Because he had actively opposed Richard II, the reigning king of England from 1376 to 1399, Henry Bolingbroke was living in exile when he succeeded his father as Duke of Lancaster. Immediately following this inheritance, King Richard seized Henry's lands and his title and ordered him into exile for life. Henry soon returned to England with a band of supporters and sought to usurp the kingship. Charging Richard with whimsical and oppressive rule, the rebels rather easily overthrew his regime in 1399. Although Richard had named Edmund Mortimer as his successor, Henry's leadership during the revolt earned him the crown. The distribution of England's political power following the revolution, however, made it difficult for Henry to maintain his authority.
