Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

At the palace in London, King Henry enters with Lord John of Lancaster, the Earl of Lancaster, Sir Walter Blunt and various other nobles and attendants. The King is tired of civil war and hopes to end the strife by uniting the country in a crusade to the Holy Land. Sadly, the crusade has been his plan for the past year, but thus far, the plan has not been realized, due to the conflicts at home.

Westmoreland reports on the events of the past night's council. There is bad news from Wales, where Mortimer has been defeated by Glendower, culminating in a massacre of a thousand of his men. This news prompts King Henry to break off all business with the Holy Land.

Westmoreland continues with more bad news. In the north, Henry Percy, also called Hotspur, fought with the Scottish...