What kinds of things happened in Shakespeare's history plays?

Answer 1

There are a lot of wars. Wars which are settled by treaties, wars which enable young men to show their true character, wars which end up pitting father against son and son against father, wars in which there is a heroic and triumphant victory for the English.

Of all the kings shown in the various history plays, only one dies on the battlefield. Many of them are murdered, some onstage, and some die natural deaths, also onstage.

A fair number of kings are deposed, including Richard II, Henry VI a couple of times, Edward IV at least once, and Richard III.

Uncles do in their nephews in King John and Richard III.

There are occasions for pageantry in Henry VIII and the first part of Hentry VI (the funeral of Henry V).

There are several corrupt clerics in King John, Henry V and Henry VIII

Plus there is a popular revolt, a woman claiming to be divinely inspired, a fat knight who drinks and lies and is very funny, a woman who consults witches, various cutpurses, a bastard son who is rewarded, a kind-hearted jailor and a hard-hearted one, a mass murderer, a woman who runs a brothel, and a national hero destroyed by the petty bickering among his fellow soldiers.