Henry IV by William Shakespeare - is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. It is the second play in Shakespeare's tetralogy dealing with the successive reigns of Richard II, Henry IV (two plays, including Henry IV, Part 2), and Henry V. Henry IV, Part 1 depicts a span of history that begins with Hotspur's battle at Homildon Hill in Northumberland against Douglas late in 1402, and ends with the defeat of the rebels at the Battle of Shrewsbury in the middle of 1403.[1] From its first performance, it has been an extremely popular play both with the public and critics.Henry Bolingbroke - now King Henry IV - is having an unquiet reign. His personal disquiet at the usurpation of his predecessor Richard II would be solved by a crusade to the Holy Land, but trouble on his borders with Scotland and Wales make leaving unwise. Moreover, he is increasingly at odds with the Percy family, who helped him to his throne, and Edmund Mortimer, the Earl of March, Richard II's chosen heir.