and of my friends,
to recover it, the which realm was in point to be undone for default
of governance and undoing of the good laws." The assent of Parliament
was given, and Lancaster took his seat in Richard's throne as King
Henry IV.

[Footnote 27: Genealogy of the claimants of the throne in 1399:--

HENRY III.
1216-1272
|
---------------------------------
| |
EDWARD I. Edmund
1272-1307 |
| ----------------------
| | |
EDWARD II. Thomas, Henry,
1307-1327 Earl of Lancaster Earl of Lancaster
| |
EDWARD III |
1327-1377 |
| |
-------------------- |
| | Henry, Duke of Lancaster
Edward, Lionel, |
the Black Prince Duke of Clarence Blanche = John of Gaunt,
| | | Duke of
RICHARD II. Philippa = Edmund Mortimer, | Lancaster
1377-1399 | Earl of March |
| |
Roger Mortimer, HENRY IV.
Earl of March 1399-1413
|
Edmund Mortimer,
Earl of March]

[Illustration: Effigy of a knight at Clehonger, showing development of
plate armour. Date, about 1400.]

16. =Nature of the Claim of Henry IV.=--The claim which Henry put
forward would certainly not bear investigation. It laid stress on
right of descent, and it has since been thought that Henry intended to
refer to a popular belief that his ancestor Edmund, the second son of
Henry III., was in reality the eldest son, but had been set aside in
favour of his younger brother, Edward I., on account of a supposed
physical deformity from which he was known as Edmund Crouchback. As a
matter of fact the whole story was