30 Mar Mercedes Rochelle The Usurper King and The Accursed King #HenryIV #Plantagenet #TheUsurperKing #TheAccursedKing #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

FEATURED AUTHOR: MERCEDES ROCHELLE

I’m delighted to welcome Mercedes Rochelle again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Audiobook Blog Tour being held between March 24th –  April 14th, 2026. Mercedes Rochelle is the author of the Historical Fiction novels, The Usurper King (The Plantagenet Legacy Book 3) and The Accursed King (The Plantagenet Legacy Book 4), which were published by Sergeant Press on April 5, 2021 (303 pages) and April 18, 2022 (299 pages), respectively. 

Below are highlights of The Usurper King and The Accursed King, Mercedes Rochelle’s author bio, and a guest post on the historical background of Henry IV and the Percies. 

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2026/02/blog-tour-henry-iv-audiobooks-by-mercedes-rochelle.html

HIGHLIGHTS: THE USURPER KING

The Usurper King
(The Plantagenet Legacy Book 3)
By Mercedes Rochelle
Narrated by Kevin E. Green

Blurb:

The Usurper King:

From Outlaw to Usurper, Henry Bolingbroke fought one rebellion after another.

First, he led his own uprising. Then he captured a forsaken king. Henry had no intention of taking the crown for himself; it was given to him by popular acclaim. Alas, it didn’t take long to realize that having the kingship was much less rewarding than striving for it. Only three months after his coronation, Henry IV had to face a rebellion led by Richard’s disgruntled favorites. Repressive measures led to more discontent. His own supporters turned against him, demanding more than he could give. The haughty Percies precipitated the Battle of Shrewsbury which nearly cost him the throne—and his life.

To make matters worse, even after Richard II’s funeral, the deposed monarch was rumored to be in Scotland, planning his return. The king just wouldn’t stay down and malcontents wanted him back.

Buy Link: 

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/47aG6A

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

HIGHLIGHTS: THE ACCURSED KING

The Accursed King
(The Plantagenet Legacy Book 4)
by Mercedes Rochelle
Narrated by Kevin E. Green

Blurb:

What happens when a king loses his prowess?

The day Henry IV could finally declare he had vanquished his enemies, he threw it all away with an infamous deed. No English king had executed an archbishop before. And divine judgment was quick to follow. Many thought he was struck with leprosy—God’s greatest punishment for sinners. From that point on, Henry’s health was cursed and he fought doggedly on as his body continued to betray him—reducing this once great warrior to an invalid.

Fortunately for England, his heir was ready and eager to take over. But Henry wasn’t willing to relinquish what he had worked so hard to preserve. No one was going to take away his royal prerogative—not even Prince Hal.

But Henry didn’t count on Hal’s dauntless nature, which threatened to tear the royal family apart.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link:  https://books2read.com/u/m20pRd

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

AUTHOR BIO: MERCEDES ROCHELLE

Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channelled this interest into fiction writing. Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Legacy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story.

Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended!

Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

Author Links:

Website      Twitter / X      Facebook      Bluesky

Book Bub     Amazon Author Page     Goodreads

GUEST POST: HENRY IV AND THE PERCIES
BY MERCEDES ROCHELLE

In a nutshell, it wouldn’t take a giant leap to claim that most of Henry IV’s problems stemmed from his relationship with the Percies. It was like crawling into bed with a family of honey badgers. Not that Henry had much choice. They were the most powerful force in the north, and he needed them.

Henry Percy, father and son, were larger than life. Younger Henry was called Hotspur because of his tendency to leap into battle regardless of the consequences. The father, Earl of Northumberland, had a cooler head, but he was extremely jealous of his reputation. He had already provoked John of Gaunt back during the Peasant’s Revolt because King Richard had promoted the duke to Lieutenant in the Marches, placing Lancaster in a superior role to the Warden (which Percy was). There was quite a stir in Parliament after the revolt, and Percy was forced to back down. So already, Henry Bolingbroke had to overcome Percy’s latent antagonism toward his house.

However, that event was eighteen years ago, and apparently Henry Percy was willing to overlook his old resentment. There was a lot to be gained from helping Bolingbroke mount the throne, and Percy knew his participation was vital. So throughout the early part of the rebellion, Percy could be found at Henry’s elbow, trying to direct matters and even occasionally threatening to withdraw his support if he didn’t get his way. Most disturbing was his insistence, when the rebels reached Bristol, that Henry execute LeScrope, Bushy, and Green, even though this command exceeded Henry’s authority. Bolingbroke was not pleased, but this time he went along.

In a way, Henry got even with Percy when he sent the earl to negotiate with King Richard, who was holed up in Conway Castle. Percy lured the king out, promising that Henry had no other aim than to regain his patrimony. He even swore on the bible. Of course, this was all pretense, and as soon as Richard was safely away from the castle, Percy had him surrounded and made prisoner. He was a bit peeved to have been given such a dishonorable task. But this time he went along.

Percy Captures Richard, MS BL Harley 1319, f.44  Creative Commons

Once Henry was solidly on the throne, the Percies expected lots of rewards. To be honest, in their defense of the Scottish borders and in helping Henry, they were significantly out of pocket. They were demanding to be reimbursed £20,000, a tremendous amount in the 15^th century (roughly 29 million dollars in today’s money). And the treasury was empty. In an attempt to assuage their irritation, the new king appointed Henry Percy as Constable of England. Then he made Hotspur Warden of the East March, Justice of North Wales, Justice of Chester, and gave him constableship of the castles of Chester, Flint, Conwy and Caernarfon as well as the lordship of Anglesey.

The Percies continued to protect the North as well. In September of 1402, the Scots came across the border in a furious chevauchée all the way to the Tyne. Unable to stop them, Hotspur raised a force to block their return to Scotland. Loaded with plunder, the invaders were intercepted at Homildon Hill, and a great battle was fought. It was a disaster for the Scots. A large number of captives were taken, including the Earl of Douglas, four other earls and at least thirty Scottish knights. This fabulous victory contrasted sharply to the humiliating failure King Henry had just experienced in Wales, chasing the rebels to no avail.

The king’s reaction was less than gracious. Rather than award the Percies, Henry demanded that they turn over the hostages, with a promise that they would be suitably compensated. It was his right as king, but he couldn’t have made a worse miscalculation. Although Percy senior complied, Hotspur adamantly opposed him. To make matters worse, King Henry had refused to pay a ransom for Hotspur’s brother in-law Edmund Mortimer—held hostage by the Welsh—and Hotspur saw this as double treachery. He and the king nearly came to blows, and if the chroniclers can be believed, Hotspur stormed out of the room, declaring “Not here, but in the field!”

Henry tried to make amends by awarding lands in Scotland to the Percies—most of which happened to belong to Douglas. It was truly an empty gesture because they had to conquer those territories first. But, as they were acquisitive souls, the Percies decided to give it a try. Hotspur soon laid siege to Cocklaw Tower, deep into Douglas territory, thinking this would be an easy target. It wasn’t. He was soon frustrated and negotiated a six-week truce, coming back to England with another idea in his mind. Why not take advantage of the truce and launch an offensive against the king?

I suspect the king may have thought things would blow over, but he was soon undeceived. Leaving his father to guard the border, Hotspur went to Chester and raised an army against King Henry; the men of Chester were among King Richard’s most favored subjects and they were hostile to the usurper. With the help of Hotspur’s uncle Thomas—another Percy—the rebels made for Shrewsbury, where Prince Hal was understaffed and vulnerable. They might have gotten young Hal into their hands, too, except for the unexpected arrival of the king, who forced them to battle. The fighting was ferocious; it was only Hotspur’s death on the battlefield that determined which side had won the day. Poor Prince Hal caught an arrow in the cheek which almost killed him.

Battle of Shrewsbury, from Froissart Chronicles by Virgil Master, Source: Wikimedia

Henry Percy managed to steer clear of association with the revolt, though the king suspected him and grudgingly put him on probation. Percy was restored most of his lands, but the king refused to reinstate his wardenship or the constableship. He was in disgrace. Devastated by his son’s death, Percy was never the same man afterwards, and was pretty much driven by the need for revenge.

This unfortunate state of affairs lasted another two years. Percy licked his wounds for a while before coming up with a new plan. In conjunction with Owain Glyndwr, the wily Prince of Wales, and Edmund Mortimer, uncle of the “true” heir to the throne (the child Earl of March), he concocted a new rebellion, this time originating in the North. He managed to persuade Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York to add his voice to this uprising. Scrope had complaints of his own against the king, mostly concerning taxes and intolerable burdens imposed on the clergy. Working the citizens of York into a righteous frenzy, Scrope led a large assembly to Shipton Moor, a few miles from the city. Percy’s rebellious army was to swing south and supplement its numbers with Scrope’s insurgents.

The lynchpin of Percy’s rebellion was to capture the Earl of Westmorland in advance, thus removing the only man capable of stopping him. But someone warned the earl in time and he got away, foiling Percy’s plot. There was no “Plan B”. Had the Earl of Northumberland lost his nerve? He told his followers he was going to Scotland for help and bolted, leaving all of his co-conspirators to their own devices. Scrope wasn’t even warned about the change of plans. The poor archbishop was tricked into giving himself up, and the king was so furious he decided to execute him. Terrible mistake!

For the next three years, Henry Percy wandered through Wales and France, looking for support against the usurper king. But it was to no avail. The great earl had lost all credibility. When he was finally lured back into England with a new offer of support, he snatched at the opportunity, campaigning into Northumberland in the midst of the most bitter winter in living memory. Gathering a motley crew of country folk and local knights, Percy was confronted with a local detachment led by the very man who invited him south. He had nothing to lose and chose to risk everything on a last battle, meeting his pitiful end at Branham Moor, about ten miles from York, on 19 February, 1408. His head was delivered in a basket to King Henry and his body was quartered as befitted any traitor. Eventually his parts were collected and the great earl was reunited with his son, laid to rest near the great altar at York Minster.

But the Percy line was not extinct by any means. When Henry Percy took refuge in Scotland, he brought with him Hotspur’s young son Henry, who spent the next ten years a virtual hostage. Eventually, Henry V decided that a Percy in the North would suit his purposes, and the king arranged Henry’s return, creating him 2^nd Earl of Northumberland in 1416. And so the Percies came full circle. But never would they achieve the fame of the first earl, their doomed ancestor.

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