Introduction
The reign of Richard II began with the Peasants’ Revolt, and by 1399 he had done little to win his unhappy people over. He had become both greedy and extravagant, and when the powerful Percy family in Northumberland encouraged Richard’s second cousin Henry Bolingbroke to claim the crown, he won it with only a few hundred men. On Monday October 13th, 1399, Henry was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
THE procession entered the church about nine o’clock. In the middle of the church was erected a scaffold covered with crimson cloth, in the centre of which was the royal throne of cloth of gold. When the duke entered the church, he seated himself on the throne, and was thus in regal state, except having the crown on his head. The Archbishop of Canterbury proclaimed from the four corners of the scaffold how God had given them a man for their lord and sovereign, and then asked the people if they were consenting parties to his being consecrated and crowned King, upon which the people unanimously shouted “Ay,” and held up their hands, promising fealty and homage.
The duke* then descended from the throne and advanced to the altar to be consecrated. Two archbishops and ten bishops performed the ceremony. He was stripped of all his royal state before the altar, naked to his shirt, and was then anointed and consecrated at six places: i.e. on the head, the breast, the two shoulders, before and behind; on the back and hands.
* Froissart acknowledges that Henry is at this stage still Duke of Lancaster, and not yet ‘the King’.
Précis
In 1399, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, was crowned Henry IV of England at Westminster Abbey. Chronicler Jean Froissart recorded the scene as Henry left his Palace and went to the Abbey, where he was proclaimed before the people, who acknowledged him as their lord, then stripped of his robes and anointed by the clergy. (55 / 60 words)
In 1399, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, was crowned Henry IV of England at Westminster Abbey. Chronicler Jean Froissart recorded the scene as Henry left his Palace and went to the Abbey, where he was proclaimed before the people, who acknowledged him as their lord, then stripped of his robes and anointed by the clergy.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, if, must, not, or, otherwise, unless, until.
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