Henry IV ‘s first major problem as monarch was what to do with the deposed Richard II. After an early assassination plot (the Epiphany Rising) was foiled in January 1400, Richard died in prison, probably of starvation. He was 33 years old. Though Henry is often suspected of having his predecessor murdered, there is no substantial evidence to prove that claim.
As king, Henry IV consulted with Parliament frequently, but was sometimes at odds with the members, especially over ecclesiastical matters. On Arundel’s advice, Henry IV obtained from Parliament the enactment of De heretico comburendo in 1401, which prescribed the burning of heretics, at the stake as an act done mainly to suppress the Lollard movement.
De heretico comburendo was one of the strictest religious censorship statutes ever enacted in England. In March 2, 1401 William Sawtrey became the first Lollard to be burned. This law stayed on the books…
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Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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