Richard II (6th January 1367 – c. 14th February 1400) was the younger son of Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard born in Bordeaux as his father had been granted all his own father, Edward III’s dominions in Aquitaine and Gascony.
Richard’s elder brother, Edward, died at the age of five. When his father died suddenly, Richard was quickly invested as Prince of Wales as Parliament feared that Richard’s uncle, John of Gaunt, would usurp the Throne. Richard’s grandfather, King Edward III, died the following year. Whilst his father was alive, Richard's Arms were the Royal Arms with a Label of three Points, the centre Point showing a red St. George's Cross. Probably derived from the cult of St George linked to the establishment of the Order of the Garter, this was often the Label of the most senior grandson of the English sovereign (rather than a Label of five Points) and formed the pattern for the present Duke of Cambridge's Label, only a red Scallop for his mother Diana is used. A Seal created for Richard quickly as Prince of Wales in 1376 shows his Arms with a plain Label, perhaps putting credence to the myth that the Label goes with the title or position as heir apparent. |
On his Privy Seal, his Arms are 'guarded' rather than supported by two Lions couchant (or sleeping) addorsed (or back-to-back) each holding an Ostrich Feather charge with a Scroll. The white Hart shown is associated with his mother's white Hind Badge and is a pun on his name - Rich-Hart.
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. By 1389 Richard had regained control, and for the next eight years governed in relative harmony with his former opponents. In 1397, he took his revenge on the Appellants, however, 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 Bolingbroke, who had previously been exiled. Henry invaded England with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. Meeting little resistance, he deposed Richard and had himself crowned king. Richard is thought to have been starved to death in captivity, although questions remain regarding his final fate.
Richard's posthumous reputation has been shaped to a large extent by William Shakespeare, whose play about him portrayed Richard's misrule and his deposition as responsible for the 15th-century Wars of the Roses. Modern historians do not accept this interpretation, while not exonerating Richard from responsibility for his own deposition. While probably not insane, as many historians of the 19th and 20th centuries believed, he may have had a personality disorder, particularly manifesting itself towards the end of his reign. Most authorities agree that his policies were not unrealistic or even entirely unprecedented, but that the way in which he carried them out was unacceptable to the political establishment, leading to his downfall.
Anne of Bohemia
Her marriage to Richard is largely seen as as a result of the Western Schism (1378-1417) in the Papacy that had resulted in two rival popes. According to Eduard Perroy, Pope Urban VI sanctioned the marriage between Richard and Anne in an attempt to create an alliance on his behalf, particularly so that he might be stronger against the French and their preferred pope, Clement.
Anne and Richard were only 15 years old when they first met and married, yet they soon fell into a loving relationship. Although Anne was originally disliked, there is some evidence that she became more popular in time. She was a very kind person and popular with the people of England. She was especially good at calming her husband during his mental health issues. This is supported somewhat by Richard’s unwise conduct in the years after Anne's death that lost him his throne.
They were married for 12 years, but had no children. Anne's death from plague in 1394 at Sheen Manor was a devastating blow to Richard. He was so grief-stricken that he demolished Sheen Manor, where she had died.
Anne's Coat of Arms shows the black Eagle on gold for the Holy Roman Empire quartered with the crowned white Lion of Bohemia/Luxembourg. Although a member of the House of Luxembourg on his paternal side, Anne's father Charles IV emphasised his maternal side due to a lifelong affinity for Bohemia, and also because his direct ancestors in the Přemyslid line included two saints. However, especially with later practise in consideration, it seems unusual for Anne to quarter the Holy Roman Eagle at all. Having said that, it does provide for a pleasing Achievement.
Isabella of Valois
After the wedding, Queen Isabella followed Richard to England, where she was placed in Windsor Castle with her own court under the supervision of her appointed governess and chief lady-in-waiting. She was formally crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey the following year.
Although the union was political and an arranged marriage, Richard II and the child Isabella developed a mutually respectful relationship. By May 1399, however, the Queen had been moved to Portchester Castle for protection while Richard went on a military campaign in Ireland. When Richard was deposed and ultimately died, she was ordered by the new King Henry IV to move to the Bishop of Salisbury's Thames-side Sonning Palace under formal house arrest.
The French court requested that Isabella return to France and Henry IV tried to use her as pawn and marry her off to his son, the future King Henry V. On 29th June 1406, aged 16, she was married to her cousin, Charles, Duke of Orléans, who was 11. She died in childbirth at the age of 19.
As Queen, Isabella's Arms were curiously those of St Edward the Confessor, King Richard II and King Charles VI of France. Her father is believed to have reduced the amount of Fleurs-de-Lys in the French Arms shortly after Isabella's marriage to Richard, but there is no evidence to confirm that Isabella did likewise.