POWER

1 Power in medieval Britain c1000–c1485 1.3 A constant struggle for power: who ruled in the medieval period?
Source 13 A painting that appeared
in the Chronicles of Jean Froissart.
These chronicles were written
in the later 1300s, probably the
1380s and 1390s. The chronicles
covered events in England and
France in the 1300s. The painting
shows two scenes. On the left, Wat
Tyler is killed in an argument with
the mayor of London with Richard
watching from his horse. Richard
then goes over to the rebels (on the
right) and wins them over. Froissart
was a poet and writer and produced
written work for both the French
and English royal families.
1 Study Source 13. What
impression do you get of
Richard II?
2 What can Source 13 tell
us about how the king was
regarded by his people.
Case study 4: Deposing a king – Richard II
So far in this chapter you have seen:
kings fighting each other for the throne
kings struggling for power with barons and the Church
•
the emergence of parliament.
In this case study you are going to look at a new twist in the story – barons
getting rid of a king.
A boy king
Richard II became king in 1377, at the age of ten. When a child inherited
the throne, real power lay with a regent – someone who advised the boy and
effectively ruled on the king’s behalf until he came of age. The strongest candidate
as regent for Richard II was his uncle, John of Gaunt. However, Gaunt was head
of the powerful Lancastrian family, and many barons suspected that he secretly
wanted to seize the throne for himself. So instead of a single regent, a council of
barons was set up to advise the boy king.
King vs peasants
One of the most significant events of Richard’s reign was the Peasants’ Revolt of
1381, in which a group of rebels protested against the high levels of taxation they
were asked to pay to fund the on-going war with France. The burden of taxation
had been made worse when half the population of England died in an outbreak of
the Black Death in 1349–50. The ranks of the rebels were swelled by men from
higher up the social scale who resented the behaviour of many royal officials. In
London, more people joined the rebellion, unhappy
about the number of foreign merchants trading in
the city and over who should be mayor of London.
This unrest simmered and grew, and in the summer
of 1381 a large rebel army, led by Wat Tyler,
advanced on London. The king and his ministers
were besieged in the Tower of London. But at this
point the king – still aged only 14 – showed his
strength. He met with the rebels, offering
concessions and promising to show mercy to those
who had opposed him. Shortly after meeting the
king Tyler was killed, but the peasants believed
Richard’s promises and went home. The king then
ordered a ruthless suppression of all the rebels, and
more than 5,000 people were killed.
King vs barons
Richard’s relations with the barons declined in the
1380s when he started promoting men from more
humble origins to positions of power, including
making Michael de la Pole Earl of Suffolk and
chancellor. The barons began to form a party to
oppose the king.
In 1386, facing a possible invasion from France, the king asked parliament
for money to defend the realm. Led by the earls of Gloucester and Arundel,
parliament demanded that the chancellor should be sacked before they would agree
to the funds. Richard refused. As the two sides prepared for war, the powerful
Lancastrians Henry Bolingbroke and Thomas Mowbray joined the rebel forces.
By 1387, Richard had been defeated and the king was forced to execute several
of his close allies. De la Pole fled the country.
Uncorrected proof
Source 14 A representation
showing Richard II (against the
orange background) giving up
his crown to Henry (on the right
against the blue background).
It was published in a chronicle
in 1470.
3 Describe the scene in Source 14. Then
explain some of the features you described
– for example the troops on each side,
the changing wall hangings, the top of the
church tower.
4 Does this approve or disapprove of Henry IV
taking the crown? Explain your answer.
5 Images like this were time-consuming and
expensive to produce. Why do you think
this was created almost 100 years after the
events it showed? Was it purely to record
what happened or might there be other
motives? Explain your answer.
Richard’s revenge
Over the next ten years, Richard gradually restored his authority and gained
support from some noble families. However, he did not forget what the barons
had done, and in 1397 he arrested his leading opponents – Gloucester, Arundel
and Warwick – and accused them of plotting against him. Arundel was tried and
executed, Gloucester was murdered before his trial and Warwick was imprisoned.
With these three main enemies gone Richard felt more secure, but the Lancaster
family still posed a threat and there were rumours that Henry Bolingbroke might
make a bid for the throne. Richard exploited a quarrel that had arisen between
Bolingbroke and Mowbray to exile them both. When John of Gaunt died the
following year, Richard confiscated Bolingbroke’s inheritance. He now felt his
position at home was secure enough to take his forces on a campaign to Ireland.
This was a mistake. While Richard was away, Bolingbroke returned to England.
He convinced powerful allies such as the Percy family of Northumberland to help
him win back his lands. When Richard returned from Ireland in July 1399, he was
met by superior forces and defeated. The king surrendered to Bolingbroke at Flint
Castle in North Wales.
FOCUS TASK
Henry claims the throne
With Richard his prisoner, Henry was
free to take the throne. However, things
had changed since Norman times – the
increasing importance of the rule of law
meant that a powerful nobleman could not
simply seize a kingdom through force of
arms. Henry needed to make a case that
he had a rightful claim to the throne. So,
he first undermined Richard’s support by
claiming that the king was unfit to rule.
Henry then argued that his descent from
Edward III through male relatives gave
him a stronger claim to the throne than
any other rival, who were all descended
from female relatives.
Official accounts of the time state that
Richard II ABDICATED (gave up the throne
voluntarily) and allowed Henry to take
over, although it is unlikely that this is a
true record of events. Henry was crowned
Henry IV in October 1399.
Comparing medieval monarchs
1 So far in this topic you have looked the following rulers: Henry I,
Henry II, John, Henry III, Edward I.
a Which of these rulers do you think was most similar to
Richard II? Make a list of events or actions that support
your view.
b Which king do you think was least like Richard II? Again,
make a list of events or actions to support your view.
2 Look back to Key Questions A and B on page 31 and draw your
conclusions from this fourth case study.
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