Cradle of Henry V the son of Mary de Bohun and Henry Bolingbroke, and the grandson of John of Gaunt. Monmouth was among Henry of Bolingbroke's possessions and it was where the newly married couple lived for several years. Mary was to die in 1394; Henry Bolingbroke ousted king Richard II and became Henry IV, King of England, in 1399. The young Henry of Monmouth succeeded his father to become King Henry V in 1413. During the 18th and early 19th centuries the cradle was famous locally and its claim to be a genuine relic of Henry V's childhood was generally accepted. It was
Henry IV, Part 1 of the prodigal son adapted to the politics of medieval England. The low proportion of scenes featuring the title character, the king, has also been noted, with some authors suggesting that the play contrasts the authority of Henry IV, and his struggle to stay in control of the situation, with the chaotic forces of the rebels and Falstaff. "Henry IV, Part 1" caused controversy on its first performances in 1597, because the comic character now known as "Falstaff" was originally named "Oldcastle" and was based on John Oldcastle, a famous proto-Protestant martyr with powerful living descendants in England. Although the