Richard PLANTAGENET, II KING

                   "Edward III's son, the Black Prince, died in 1376. The king's grandson,Richard II, succeeded to the throne aged 10, on Edward's death.

In 1381 the Peasants' Revolt broke out and Richard, aged 14, bravely rodeout to meet the rebels at Smithfield, London. Wat Tyler, the principalleader of the peasants, was killed and the uprisings in the rest of thecountry were crushed over the next few weeks (Richard was later forced byhis Council's advice to rescind the pardons he had given).

Highly cultured, Richard was one of the greatest royal patrons of thearts; patron of Chaucer, it was Richard who ordered the technicallyinnovative transformation of the Norman Westminster Hall to what it istoday. (Built between 1097 and 1099 by William II, the Hall was theceremonial and administrative centre of the kingdom; it also housed theCourts of Justice until 1882.)

Richard's authoritarian approach upset vested interests, and hisincreasing dependence on favourites provoked resentment. In 1388 the'Merciless Parliament', led by a group of lords hostile to Richard(headed by the King's uncle, Gloucester), sentenced many of the king'sfavourites to death and forced Richard to renew his coronation oath. Thedeath of his first queen, Anne of Bohemia, in 1394 further isolatedRichard, and his subsequent arbitrary behaviour alienated people further.

Richard took his revenge in 1397, arresting or banishing many of hisopponents; his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, was also subsequentlybanished. On the death of Henry's father, John of Gaunt (a younger son ofEdward III), Richard confiscated the vast properties of his Duchy ofLancaster (which amounted to a state within a state) and divided themamong his supporters.

Richard pursued policies of peace with France (his second wife wasIsabella of Valois); Richard still called himself king of France andrefused to give up Calais, but his reign was concurrent with a 28 yeartruce in the Hundred Years War. His expeditions to Ireland failed toreconcile the Anglo-Irish lords with the Gaels.

In 1399, whilst Richard was in Ireland, Henry of Bolingbroke returned toclaim his father's inheritance. Supported by some of the leading baronialfamilies (including Richard's former Archbishop of Canterbury), Henrycaptured and deposed Richard. Bolingbroke was crowned King as Henry IV.

Risings in support of Richard led to his murder in Pontefract Castle;Henry V subsequently had his body buried in Westminster Abbey."

-- Royal Household

Copyright © 2001-2005, Tim Dowling
email: tdowling_53223@yahoo.com