The Coronation and Banquet of King Henry IV

Abstract

The ascension of any royal figure is always a religious and political event. To further understand the intentions and responses of these events, I have researched the intricacies of how to have both an accepted coronation, and a successful banquet that would have taken place during the high medieval ages. For this investigation, I have focused on King Henry IV of England, as his ascension was unusual and his banquet was well documented. Specifically, I have focused on why King Henrys’ coronation was different and how it was received, as well as what message he was conveying with his banquet. When possible, I compared the coronation banquet of King Henry, to that of other contemporary Kings’ and events to give a complete understanding of the affects of King Henrys’ ascension.