Richard – grandson of Edward III and son of Edward, prince of Wales, popularly known as the 'Black Prince' (who had died the year before) – came to the throne at the age of 10 and was crowned with lavish pomp and circumstance. The country was ruled for him by his uncle, John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster.
Richard was only 14 when he twice personally confronted rebel armies in London at the height of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. This had been fuelled by the introduction of a poll tax, an attempt by the nobility to recoup revenues lost by bad government and the extravagance of the court.
Despite the sacking of the city and the murder of several ministers, Richard's fearless negotiations with the rebels – in one case, agreeing to their demand to abolish serfdom – dissolved the crisis. Once the trouble subsided, the king, who was increasingly seeing the monarchy as answerable to no one, revoked his decision, announcing: 'Serfs ye are and serfs ye shall remain.'
From now on, John of Gaunt increasingly kept in the background, finally retiring to the Continent in 1386 when Richard was 19. The king proceeded to promote favourites at court and antagonise the old aristocracy. They turned on him in the 'Merciless Parliament' of 1388, which saw several of his close allies imprisoned or executed. In 1389, Richard declared himself of age and promoted a cult of monarchy – he would sit on the throne wearing his crown and expect to be addressed as 'Majesty' or 'Highness'.
The old guard suspected him of 'deviant' practices. He liked to bathe, ate with a spoon, used a handkerchief and commissioned a royal recipe book. In 1396, he made peace with France, another unpopular move, and took a seven-year-old French princess, Isabella, as his second bride.
While Richard remained childless, his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, John of Gaunt's son, was the man most likely to succeed him. As boys, they had sworn never to take up arms against each other, but now Henry was among those irked by being sidelined in favour of lesser mortals. Richard responded to the threat by confiscating Henry's estates and exiling him. Richard was now rich enough to rule without Parliament.
But while Richard was away in Ireland in 1399, Henry returned to reclaim his inheritance, eventually forcing the king – now deserted and betrayed by all those who once had supported him – to abdicate. While Richard was alive, he remained a focus of opposition so Henry had him killed. It is thought he was starved to death in Pontefract Castle.
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 The French poet Philippe de Mezieres (c. 1357-1405) presents his work to the imperious young Richard II. From a French illuminated manuscript.
British Library/akg images
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The English Peasants' Revolt of 1381
www.loyno.edu/history/journal/1986-7/mil
one.htm
Annotated essay that examines the uprising from both political and sociological perspectives.
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The Reign of Richard II edited by Gwilym Dodd (Tempus, 2000)
In this book, a group of distinguished scholars offers new insights into Richard II's reign, examining the king's personality, his conformity to the chivalric ideal and his own sense of the past. Other issues explored include the war with France, Richard II's relations with Parliament and his association with the county of Cheshire.
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