Violent Ends (Violent Delights Book 19)

Afterword for Part 1

I'm doing the afterwords individually, with a massive references at the end. If you just read part 1 and would like the 'true story', come here now then go on. If you read them all in order as written, that's fine as well. I'm going to refer to the Henries as H4, H5, and H6 for sake of time.

The location of Henry IV's death, the Jerusalem chamber of Westminster Abby, and who was present at his death, is accurate. H4 left no written will that we know of. H5 did hold his body for Thomas to come visit, and he did bury it with little ceremony. H5 also reburied R2 per his will, and re-did his own mother Mary de Bohun's, tomb (this was a bit necessary to honor her as mother of a king, not merely wife of a duke as she was when she died, her son became king that's a big deal).

It's not clear if Bishop Beaufort was there or not. The details surrounding Beaufort's affair are scarce, and sometimes conflicting, though it is generally agreed he did have an affair, likely with a noble woman. Who his daughter is remains mostly up for debate with some sources only providing information hundreds of years later, making them suspect. I left it in the narrative as it's so often cited he did, and it's not really negative against his character or anything like that he apparently took care of the girl, we do have records of him caring for a child or paying for education (may not have been his child...but may have been).
Incidents at Oxford, Courtenay inciting the riots, all of that is completely true. I do not know how he incited the riots I elaborated on that for the narrative, but he did incite multiple student riots. More power to him.

Queen Joan's father was a terrible human being, Charles the Bad he was called. Really awful person. Little known about her first husband. But she was regent for her son, all that is true, and she did marry H4 after her son was old enough to rule on his own.
Bit of a note on dogs/domesticated pets. The nobles had pets, but they were more show pieces. The dogs had jobs. Certain nobles did like their animals, Richard II had a wolfhound he apparently raised and trained himself, named Math. H5 would be noted to own mastiffs. By all human logic, yes, kids would have favorite dogs that they'd play with, people have always been people. H4 was never noted as having a particular pet he actually liked. The scene where H5 kills his pet spaniel to save it from his father, is entirely fictious. I drew on the fact that H5 was known to generally like animals and have disdain for those who harmed them (more on that in Part 2), and H4 was not a great father.

Why do I say he wasn't a great dad?

Well I've got a few letters between him and his sons, which I'll put in here. But the facts of the matter are these. He sent his two oldest sons to war to quell his own rebellions. Both sold their own jewels and personal effects to do it, and in both cases he denied them any aid when asked. He didn't give either a whole lot of credit for doing it. And both boys were about fourteen and fifteen when he sent them off. Historians will posit he had little choice, but H4 had four brothers, plus his Swynford step brother, plus a host of commanders. That said perhaps the boys wanted to, but Thomas wrote and asked to come home. And H4 alienated Hotspur, who was H5's main ally in Wales.

That sounds like mismanagement beyond not stellar parenting but consider.
None of the kids seem to particularly like him. H5, despite his reputation, really gets along great with all of his family. He gets along with about four uncles, fine with no fallings out. A host of cousins. All three of his brothers. And he's on good terms with his grandmother and step mother. Any and all minor disputes are minor at best and nothing ever comes it. H5, from a family perspective, is apparently a very amiable guy he's clearly rather reasonable.
Yet H4 is noted as having multiple fallings out with his son.

Simply put, his son, H5, despite his later reputation, was a child for much of this, so automatically less at fault. For another, H5 doesn't seem to have issues getting along with anyone in his family, even stickier relationships like his hot headed brothers or his step mother who realistically he might not take to. Joan is an intelligent, strong willed person in her own right.
And yet she is noted to have taken H5's side over her husband's.
So what did H4 do or continue to do that alienated his usually very diplomatic son?
We don't really know beyond the letters, which aren't strictly nice.