Richard II of England

EARLY YEARS 

Richard II was born on January 6, 1367 in Bordeaux, France, during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III.

He was the son of Edward, the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan of Kent, "The Fair Maid of Kent".

Richard became his father's successor when his elder brother died in infancy. His father died before him, so he became king in 1377, when he was just 10 years old.

REIGN 

Richard II was the last of the main-line kings of the House of Plantagenet.

His uncle John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster was regent until Richard II could rule.

He was crowned on July 16, 1377 at Westminster Abbey.

Portrait at Westminster Abbey, mid-1390s

Less warlike than his father or grandfather, Richard sought to bring an end to the Hundred Years' War started by Edward III.

A firm believer in the royal prerogative, Richard restrained the power of the aristocracy and relied on a private retinue for military protection.

Richard's fondness for favorites resulted in conflicts with Parliament, and in 1388 the baronial party, headed by the Duke of Gloucester, had many of his friends executed.

Richard recovered control in 1389, and ruled moderately until 1397, when he executed some of the opposing barons in 1397, whereupon he assumed absolute power.

Shakespeare's play Richard II portrays his misrule and deposition as responsible for the 15th-century Wars of the Roses, but modern historians disagree, attributing his downfall to practices that were unacceptable to the political establishment.

Richard was deposed by Henry of Bolingbroke (later Henry IV), John of Gaunt's son with Blanche of Lancaster. He was taken prisoner and kept captive in Pontefract Castle.

Richard's surrender to Henry at Flint Castle

PERSONAL LIFE 

Richard was tall, good-looking and intelligent, but he may have suffered from a personality disorder, especially toward the end of his reign.

Richard promoted an elevated image of himself, and art and culture were at the center of his court, in contrast to the fraternal, martial court of his grandfather.

Richard II once invited 2,000 of the country's rich barons to dine with him. 200 cooks prepared a menu, which included 11,000 eggs, 720 hens, 1,400 oxen lying in salt, 200 rabbits and 120 sheep's heads. Pudding was a three-foot high marzipan castle.

King Richard II married Anne of Bohemia in Westminster Abbey on January 20, 1382. It was the fifth royal wedding in the Abbey and was not followed by any other royal wedding in Westminster Abbey for another 537 years.

Anne and Richard's coronation in the Liber Regalis

Tournaments were held for several days after the ceremony, in celebration. Richard and Anne then made a tour of the realm, staying at many major abbeys along the way.

Richard II had to pawn the Crown Jewels to pay for the wedding.

Anne and Richard were only 14 years old when they first met and married. Over the years the king proved truly devoted to his new wife.

They were married for 12 years, but had no children. Anne's death from plague in 1394 at Shene Manor was a devastating blow to Richard.

Richard married Isabella of Valois on October 31, 1396. She was aged just six and the wedding was a move for peace with France.

Richard and Isabella on their wedding day

The wedding was celebrated with grand festivities at the French royal court, before they continued to the English enclave of Calais, where the formal ceremony took place.

Queen Isabella reportedly had a close platonic relationship with her husband and was heartbroken when he died five years after their marriage. She refused attempts to force her to remarry for several years as she was "in mourning".

Six years after becoming a widow, Queen Isabella married her cousin Charles, Duke of Orléans.

Isabella died in childbirth at the age of 19, leaving one daughter, Joan.

DEATH

Richard II died, most likely from starvation, in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke on February 14, 1400.

When Richard II died, a hole was left in the side of his tomb so mourners could touch his royal head.