Richard II vs Henry IV

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today, we dive into the dramatic tale of two men whose rivalry changed the course of English history. We unravel the complex relationship between King Richard II and his ambitious cousin, Henry Bolingbroke - later crowned Henry IV.

We're joined by Helen Castor, historian, broadcaster and author of ‘The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV’. We discover how this seismic power struggle toppled a king.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi folks, this episode of Down Snow's History is brought to you by Airbnb. I'll let you in on a little
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2:10.1	Hi everyone, welcome to Dan Snow's history here. The two boys were pretty much the same age. They were both grandsons of that greatest of medieval kings.
2:21.4	They both had the same admixture of plantagenet blood in their veins.
2:26.4	That's where the likeness ended.
	...

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