The Sibling Rivalry That Wrecked an Empire, and Other Self-Destructive Royal Family Episodes

The Sibling Rivalry That Wrecked an Empire, and Other Self-Destructive Royal Family Episodes

Khalid Elhassan - January 5, 2020

The Sibling Rivalry That Wrecked an Empire, and Other Self-Destructive Royal Family Episodes
The coronation of Richard II, aged ten. The British Library

28. Richard II’s Relatives

The Plantagenets had been prone to fighting each other since the dynasty’s founding – Henry II, the dynasty’s founder spent much of his reign warring against his wife and sons. The dynasty survived those earlier travails, but it would not survive another bout of intra-dynastic bloodletting, that began in the 14th century.

It was triggered by the tyrannical rule of King Richard II, a nasty teenager who grew into a nasty adult. He surrounded himself with corrupt officials and ruled in an arbitrary and capricious manner. That led to an uprising by many lords, including some of the king’s Plantagenet relatives, who seized power.

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