The Plantagenet Legacy Series:
Henry IV – Audiobooks
The Usurper King
The Accursed King
by Mercedes Rochelle
Publication Date: April 5th, 2021 / April 18th, 2022
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Pages: 305 / 301
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobooks:
Publication Date: April 24th, 2025 / June 17th, 2025
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Narrator: Kevin E. Green
Listening Length: 10 hrs 21 mins / 9 hrs 5 mins
The Usurper King
From Outlaw to Usurper, Henry Bolingbroke fought one rebellion after another.
First, he led his own uprising. Then he captured a forsaken king. Henry had no intention of taking the crown for himself; it was given to him by popular acclaim. Alas, it didn't take long to realize that that having the kingship was much less rewarding than striving for it. Only three months after his coronation, Henry IV had to face a rebellion led by Richard's disgruntled favorites. Repressive measures led to more discontent. His own supporters turned against him, demanding more than he could give. The haughty Percies precipitated the Battle of Shrewsbury which nearly cost him the throne—and his life.
To make matters worse, even after Richard II's funeral, the deposed monarch was rumored to be in Scotland, planning his return. The king just wouldn't stay down and malcontents wanted him back.
The Accursed King
What happens when a king loses his prowess?
The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had executed an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God's greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry's health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid.
Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn't willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal. But Henry didn't count on Hal's dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart.
An interview with Mercedes Rochelle
What inspired you to start writing?
You know, I remember when I was a kid, after I read “Lad, A Dog”, I was so inspired I told my mother I wanted to be a writer. Alas, she pooh-poohed me. It kind of set me back, but my 5th grade English teacher (whose name I can’t remember) gave me great encouragement when she actually assigned special projects for me in place of the class’s usual boring stuff. That rejuvenated my faith in myself. Even so, it wasn’t until after I finished college that I started writing in earnest. What a late bloomer!
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
My biggest difficulty was the overlap between this book and the previous volume, The King’s Retribution”. Although of course, The Usurper King was about Henry Bolingbroke, I had to back up, chronologically, to before the usurpation or it wouldn’t have made sense. When the situations converged, my solution was to present the same scenes from Henry’s point of view instead of Richard’s. But since both books were written in third person, this was really a trick. I’m not entirely sure I succeeded, but fortunately I moved into safer territory pretty quickly.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
I really developed a fondness for the ill-fated Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. He was really a scrapper! Although driven by self-aggrandizement, Percy was also a profoundly important power in the North. Henry probably couldn’t have succeeded without him, and I think he resented being constantly reminded of this. But Percy was obliged to do Henry’s dirty work in tricking Richard II to surrender, and I think he managed things pretty well. Unfortunately, he and Henry were on a collision course, and after the death of his son Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
In my mind, from the very first, I was completely influenced by the actors in the old BBC production of Richard II from way back in 1978. A young Derek Jacobi played Richard II, the handsome Jon Finch played Henry, and the splendidly cantankerous Charles Gray was the Duke of York. I can’t replace any of them with modern actors!
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I would venture to say that very little is known to the general reader about the reign of Henry IV. He was the first Lancastrian king and founded a dynasty full of conflict; at least his son Henry V briefly shone with a beacon of hope. Without the Lancastrians there wouldn’t have been a Wars of the Roses. I hope the take-away is a better understanding of what led to England’s greatest conflict in the fifteenth century.
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The Usurper King
The Accursed King
The Plantagenet Legacy Series
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Mercedes Rochelle
Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channelled this interest into fiction writing. Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Legacy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story.
Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the University of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended!
Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.
Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.
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