Richard II (30 juin 1377 – 29 sept. 1399)

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son of Edward the Black Prince and Joan of Kent. Last Plantagenet. Succeeded to throne at age 10 so government was in the hands of a series of councils (as opposed to a regency led by the king's uncle Gaunt) until the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. The young king played a central part in the successful suppression of this crisis. In the following years, however, the king's dependence on a small number of courtiers caused discontent among the influential, and in 1387 control of government was taken over by a group of aristocrats known as the Lords Appellant (including the king's uncle Gloucester and his first cousin and childhood playmate Henry Bolingbroke). By 1389 Richard had regained control, and for the next eight years governed in relative harmony with his former opponents, and tried to make peace with France. In 1397, Richard took his revenge on the appellants, many of whom were executed or exiled. The next two years have been described by historians as Richard's "tyranny". In 1399, after John of Gaunt died, the king disinherited Gaunt's son, Henry of Bolingbroke, who had previously been exiled. Henry invaded England in June 1399 with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. He deposed Richard and had himself crowned as King Henry IV. Richard died in captivity in February 1400; he is thought to have been starved to death, although questions remain regarding his final fate.

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