The Duel That Never Happened: Henry Bolingbroke and Thomas Mowbray
Henry Bolingbroke, Duke
of Hereford, was the son of John of Gaunt. Many of us Tudor fans are aware of John
of Gaunt, as the Tudor line descended from Gaunt, the third living son of King
Edward III. Bolingbroke had a tense relationship with his cousin, King Richard
II. Although, outside of Richard II’s few favorites, I’m quite sure everyone
had a tense relationship with Richard II. It is the background of their
relationship and the threat that Bolingbroke posed to Richard II, that lay the
backdrop for one of the most famous duels in history.
Richard II was the son of
the famous Black Prince, first son of King Edward III. The Black Prince died
before he was able to inherit his father’s throne. Upon the death of Edward
III, his grandson ascended to the throne as Richard II. Richard II had a tumultuous
relationship with all his uncles, including John of Gaunt. Gaunt was the Duke
of Lancaster, and as a result, was very wealthy and had vast lands. Richard II
viewed Gaunt as a threat, even though Gaunt was loyal to a fault. Gaunt only
had his heart set on becoming King of Castile, never King of England. Richard
II knew that Henry Bolingbroke was set to inherit all of Gaunt’s wealth and
power, so he kept a sharp eye on his cousin.
Tensions between Richard
II, Gaunt and Bolingbroke were set to explode in 1397. Thomas Mowbray, Duke of
Norfolk, had been childhood friends with Richard II. Mowbray continued to rise
in favor with the king, while Bolingbroke consistently fell further. There was
even a plot for the assassination of Gaunt put in motion by Mowbray and his
friends. Bolingbroke did not take this lightly.
As time went on, Mowbray
began to fall out of favor with Richard II. Mowbray attempted to join forces
with Bolingbroke in the beginning of 1397. One day, Mowbray met Bolingbroke while
on the road. Mowbray informed Bolingbroke of Richard II’s plot to have them both
killed. But Bolingbroke didn’t trust Mowbray. Was this information the truth?
Or was Mowbray attempting to lure Bolingbroke into a treasonous plot so Richard
II would be able to do away with him? Bolingbroke turned to his father for
advice. Ever the loyal subject to his nephew, Gaunt told Bolingbroke to take
the information to Richard II and allow him to make a judgement.
This just happened to work to Richard II’s advantage perfectly. He immediately had both Bolingbroke and Mowbray arrested. In one quick move, Richard II was able to isolate both Dukes that constantly threatened the sole power that he desperately wanted. The conflict instantly turned into a he said, he said situation and the issue could not be resolved. The two men refused to make amends. Richard II ordered the only solution possible- the two would have to duke it out (pardon the pun!) in a duel set to take place in Coventry. An old-fashioned trial by combat was to take place. But was this really the only solution? If Bolingbroke died, his wealth and lands would be forfeit to the crown and Richard II would rid himself of his pesky cousin.
Invitations to the duel
were dispatched throughout the Continent. It was set to be the spectacle of the
year! Months of preparation went into the duel. It was bound to be a great show
as both Bolingbroke and Mowbray were experienced and skilled jousters.
The duel was set to take
place on 16 September 1398. This was several months after the conflict, so the
argument could be made that Richard II perhaps intended the delay to allow
cooler heads to prevail. Unfortunately, that did not happen. At 9 AM on 16
September, King Richard II entered the lists, followed by Henry Bolingbroke and
Thomas Mowbray. The two men went to their respective sides and prepared for combat.
Armor on and weapon in hand, Bolingbroke and Mowbray climbed onto their horses.
Just as the men prepared for the charge, Richard II abruptly stood up, stopping
the advance. A hush fell over the crowd as confusion grew. People had travelled
from near and far to be entertained by the event of the year. What was
happening?
Richard II shockingly
called off the duel and walked away from the lists. The confusion would have been
unbearable for Bolingbroke and Mowbray. Two men had entered the lists that
morning but only one was going to exit with his life. The torment they must
have endured while preparing their souls for possible death, would
have been unbearable. After what was most likely an agonizing two hours, King Richard
II returned to the lists with his verdict. Perhaps sensing a victory by
Bolingbroke, Richard II declared the two men would not duel to the death,
rather Bolingbroke was to be exiled for ten years and Mowbray for life.
Bolingbroke’s sentence was later lessened to six years of exile.
It was the most famous duel
in history, that never happened. Perhaps Richard II would come to regret that
decision in the years to come. Bolingbroke would later return to England,
depose his cousin and become King Henry IV.