Richard II (1367-1400) was king of England from 1377 to 1399. He ascended the throne at the age of 10 when his grandfather King Edward III died.
During the first four years of Richard’s reign, a council ruled England on his behalf, and Richard’s uncle John of Gaunt exercised much influence. However, the council could not agree on a consistent governing policy. One result was Wat Tyler’s Rebellion of 1381, which the young king courageously put down. For the next few years, Richard tried to increase his control over the government with the help of favorite advisers. But many of his favorites were imprisoned or executed by the “Merciless Parliament” of 1388. In 1389, Richard began to rule on his own.
Richard ruled well in the early 1390’s. But through his control of the “Revenge Parliament” of 1397, he began to punish many of his enemies. He became increasingly tyrannical and angered the English people with such measures as forced loans and loyalty oaths.
In 1399, Richard led an expedition to Ireland. While he was there, John of Gaunt’s son Henry of Bolingbroke led a revolt against Richard in England. The revolt resulted in Richard’s removal from the throne. Bolingbroke became King Henry IV. Richard died in early 1400. He was probably murdered.
Richard was born in Bordeaux, France. His father was Edward, the Black Prince, a famous English warrior. Richard supported the arts and the famous English writer Geoffrey Chaucer.
See also John of Gaunt; Wat Tyler’s Rebellion.
