Henry IV

American  

noun

1. 1050–1106, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and king of Germany 1056–1106.

2. BolingbrokeHenry of Lancaster, 1367–1413, king of England 1399–1413 (son of John of Gaunt).

3. Henry of NavarreHenry the Great, 1553–1610, king of France 1589–1610: first of the French Bourbon kings.

4. (italics) a two-part drama (Part 1, 1597?; Part 2, 1597–98?) by Shakespeare.

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Henry IV British  

noun

1. 1050–1106, Holy Roman Emperor (1084–1105) and king of Germany (1056–1105). He was excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII, whom he deposed (1084)

2. surnamed Bolingbroke. 1367–1413, first Lancastrian king of England (1399–1413); son of John of Gaunt: deposed Richard II (1399) and suppressed rebellions led by Owen Glendower and the Earl of Northumberland

3. known as Henry of Navarre. 1553–1610, first Bourbon king of France (1589–1610). He obtained toleration for the Huguenots with the Edict of Nantes (1598) and restored prosperity to France following the religious wars (1562–98)

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Example Sentences

He made his acting debut at York Theatre Royal in 1959, in a production of Henry IV Part 2.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

King Henry IV, who ascended the throne in 1589 after the murder of Henry III, became a regular at the restaurant.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2024

That chair has since been used in the coronation ceremonies of English and British monarchs since Henry IV in 1399.

From Reuters • Apr. 28, 2023

But in the same play, Shakespeare’s Henry IV remarked that “fortune never come with both hands full.”

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2022

With the fighting dragging on, Henry IV was not crowned until 1594, a year after he had once again declared himself to be a Catholic, and even then the conflict with Spain continued.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin