5 – Richard II – (1400)
Also known as Richard of Bordeaux, Richard II became King of England in 1377 when he was just 10 years old. Due to his tender age, the kingdom was ruled by regency with John of Gaunt as one of the most powerful figures. The first crisis of his reign occurred with the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381. Richard apparently met the rebel leader, Wat Tyler, and tried to negotiate a settlement. When Tyler was killed during an altercation, Richard managed to calm down the mob by saying: “I am your captain, follow me!”
The next problem occurred in 1387 when a group of influential men, known as the Lords Appellant, took control of the government. The king eventually regained control in 1389 and, by all accounts, reigned in harmony with the lords for eight years. Richard seemingly bided his time because, in January 1397, he ordered the arrest of numerous important Lords; several of them were executed during the year.
When John of Gaunt died in 1399, the king decided to disinherit Gaunt’s son, Henry of Bolingbroke. This proved to be a fatal mistake as Henry, who was in France at the time, gathered a small army and landed at Ravenspur in Yorkshire in June 1399. Fed up the apparent tyranny of Richard, thousands of men around the country flocked to Henry’s banner, and soon, he had a formidable army.
Richard knew his time was up so on August 19, 1399; he surrendered to Henry at Flint Castle with the proviso that his life was spared. Richard was sent to the Tower of London on September 1 and was formally deposed on October 1. The rest of his short life was a miserable affair. He was taken to Pontefract Castle by the end of 1399, but when Henry uncovered a plot to restore Richard, it was clear that allowing the ex-monarch to live was too dangerous. He died sometime in February 1400; most sources suggest he was starved to death.