Henry IV, Part 1 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 in Northumberland against the
Douglas late in 1402, and ends with the defeat of the rebels at
Shrewsbury in the middle of 1403. From the start it has been an extremely popular play both with the public and critics.