Stills from Henry IV
Shakespeare wrote historical plays rather than histories, so he didn't care whether the content on stage was historical. The author cares about popular preferences rather than history. Here in Henry IV there are a few areas that differ from the Chronicle:
(1) In the play, Henry IV, who has been on the throne for one year, has just appeared on the scene, and he will take an oath to go on an expedition to carry out a crusade and kill the holy city of Jerusalem. In the canonical history, this occurred in 1412, a year before henry IV's death, preparing to sail to the holy city and take Jerusalem from the pagans.
Portrait of Henry IV
(2) In the play, Prince Henry, who is uninhibited and mixed with Falstaff all day long, has a younger brother who is young and old, intelligent and courageous, and can lead soldiers to fight. In the canonical history, the young prince, as the third surviving son of Henry IV, was born on 20 June 1389, while the Battle of Shrewsbury took place on 21 July 1403. So from the perspective of age, the young prince did not participate in the war.
Prince Henry, mixed with Falstaff
(3) In the play, Hotspo and Mortimer both said goodbye to their wives in tears before leading the army that night, but these two ladies did not appear in the main history, and here it is more that the author inserts female tenderness and the words of the husband and wife before the war into the plot, which not only highlights the heroic and bloody nature of the two generals and generals who do not lose their children's love, but also writes the cold perspective of the war from the human level.
King before the war
(iv) Although the play is titled Henry IV, in the play, the role of Prince Henry is clearly above the king, killing Hotspo, laying the victory, and rescuing the king who is in danger, but in the main history, the battle is entirely attributed to Henry IV, and it is said that 36 rebels were killed in this battle. The plot is arranged only to make the future Star of England more dazzling.
Kings and nobles