Richard Ii And The Revolution Of 1399

This is a full-length study of the last years of Richard II's reign and the circumstances of his overthrow by Henry of Bolinbroke in 1399. This title is suitable for anyone interested in history and the monarchy.

An edited history of key aspects of the reign of Richard II, last Plantagenet king, who at fourteen faced down the ringleaders of the Peasants’ Revolt and was murdered by Henry IV – an illegal usurpation that launched the Lancastrian royal dynasty. Contributors include Anne Curry, Mark Ormrod, Simon Walker and Alison McHardy.

Chronicles of the Revolution covers one of the most controversial and shocking episodes in medieval English history, the 'tyranny' and deposition of Richard II and the usurpation of the throne by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, who became King Henry IV. Contemporaries were sharply divided about the rights and wrongs of both Richard and Henry, and this division is reflected in the texts which form the major part of the book. All the principal contemporary chronicles are represented in this volume, from the violently partisan Thomas Walsingham, chronicler of St Alban's Abbey who saw Richard as a tyrant and murderer, to the indignant Dieulacres chronicler, who claimed that the 'innocent king' was tricked into surrender by his perjured barons. This range of material is also prefaced by a substantial and stimulating introduction offering new insights into Richard's later years and the events which precipitated his downfall. Additionally, the documents are accompanied by expert commentary and analysis which guides readers while leaving them free to make the ultimate conclusions about these dramatic years. This book will be invaluable for medieval historians as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students of later medieval English history.

This work reexamines the political and military aspects of the Revolution of 1399. It argues that Henry of Lancaster was not the "all conquering" hero of 1399 and that Richard II worked with all his faculties to outmaneuver his cousin politically rather than simply accept his fate and deposition with resignation.

This work reexamines the political and military aspects of the Revolution of 1399 that removed Richard II and placed Henry of Lancaster on the English throne. It argues that Henry of Lancaster was not the "all conquering" hero of 1399 but was rather the leader of a coalition of disaffected noblemen who had old scores to settle with Richard II. It also proposes that Richard II was not an incompetent king whose personality disorder(s) and/or tyrannical behavior brought about his fall. Rather, it argues that the king was in no worse a political position in 1399 than in 1387 or even 1381. As on the previous two great crises of the reign, the king forwent a military option of dealing with his opponents and decided to let the issues of 1399 play themselves out on the field of politics. Both in 1381 and 1387 this tactic had proven effective and there was nothing to suggest in 1399 that it would not be so again.

An in-depth study of an astounding moment in English medieval history. Ideal for people who wish to learn more about the tragic demise of Richard II or the life of his usurper, Henry IV. On 1 October 1399, Richard II, was deposed from the English throne. After succeeding to the throne as a ten year old he had faced the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, challenges from his nobles and Parliament and the threat of French invasion, and yet his crown was taken from him by a member of his own family, his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke. What was the relationship between these two Plantagenet princes who were both grandchildren of Edward III? And how was Henry able to usurp the throne of England at a time when so many believed in the divine rights of kings? Marie Louise Bruce's exceptional biography of these two medieval English monarchs utilises a variety of well-researched original sources to provide fascinating insight into their parallel lives, from 1366, as young royal princes, to 1399 when Richard II was deposed and Henry took the crown with the support of an invasion force of no more than three hundred men. The Usurper Kingdom is a remarkable book that sheds light on one of the most colourful, turbulent and least known periods of English history.

The methods employed by the Lancastrian usurpers in their attempts to legitimise their dynasty's hold in the English throne included the reburying of the murdered Richard II, the invention of chronicles, prophecies and genealogies, new methods of trial and punishment, the use of spies, and the radical redefinition of treason. Strohm uses both literary and historical analysis to explore this quest for legitimacy, and the importance of symbolic activity to Henry IV and V.