Emperor Manuel (the only Eastern Roman emperor…

Emperor Manuel (the only Eastern Roman emperor ever to visit England) is welcomed from December 1400 to January 1401 by the king at Eltham Palace, Henry’s favorite royal residence, where a joust is given in his honor.

Henry consults with Parliament frequently, but is sometimes at odds with the members, especially over ecclesiastical matters.

The Middle English translation of the Bible published under the direction of John Wycliffe in the 1380s, known as Wycliffe's Bible, has been the first to gain widespread acceptance and use.

The Church authorities have condemned Wycliffe's translation, partially because they deem the commentary included with the work to be heretical, and partially because they believe any translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate to be a heretical undertaking.

Under pressure from Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry passes a law entitled De heretico comburendo (”Regarding the burning of heretics”), outlawing as heretics anyone owning an English translation of the Bible and specifically punishing, with burning at the stake, those who own or produce any translation of the Bible.

By enacting this law, one of the strictest religious censorship statutes ever enacted in England, Henry IV becomes the first English king to allow the burning of heretics, mainly to suppress the Lollard movement.

Lollard, Lollardi or Loller is the popular derogatory nickname given to those without an academic background, educated if at all only in English, who are reputed to follow the teachings of John Wycliffe in particular, and have certainly been considerably energized by the translation of the Bible into the English language.

Lollardy is supposed to have evolved from the teachings of John Wycliffe, a prominent theologian at the University of Oxford beginning in the 1350s—however, it is possible that the Lollard movement actually predates Wycliffe.

Its demands are primarily for reform of the Roman Catholic Church.

It teaches that piety is a requirement for a priest to be a "true" priest or to perform the sacraments, and that a pious layman has power to perform these same rites, believing that religious power and authority come through piety and not through the Church hierarchy.

Similarly, Lollardy emphasizes the authority of the Scriptures over the authority of priests.

It teaches the concept of the "Church of the Saved", meaning that Christ's true Church is the community of the faithful, which overlaps with but is not the same as the official Church of Rome.

It teaches a form of predestination and advocates apostolic poverty and taxation of Church properties.

It also denies transubstantiation in favor of consubstantiation.

English priest William Sawtrey, questioned in 1399 by the Bishop of Norwich over his beliefs and consequently arrested and imprisoned on charges of heresy until Sawtrey recanted to gain his release, has meanwhile preached Lollardism at St. Osyth's, eventually attracting the attention of church authorities.

Arundel summons Sawtrey to appear at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on February 12, 1401 to be questioned once again over his beliefs.

His views on a number of issues (including transubstantiation and adoration of the cross) are found to be contrary to the position of the church, and he is indicted on eight counts of heresy.

Arundel tries to persuade him to changes his views, but Sawtrey defends his position with scripture and refuses to be swayed.

Sawtrey is condemned as a relapsed heretic, degraded (stripped of his priesthood) and on February 26, 1401, given over for execution.

He appeals to the King and Parliament but both appeals are denied.

Sawtrey is burnt at the stake in March efore a crowd at Smithfield and thus becomes the first Lollard martyr.