King Richard II of England is crowned.
Richard II of England became king in 1377 at the age of just ten following the death of his grandfather, Edward III. Because Richard was a child, the kingdom was initially governed by powerful nobles and royal councils. As he matured, however, he sought to strengthen the authority of the monarchy and rule without relying heavily on Parliament or the great lords. One of the defining moments of his early reign came during the Peasants’ Revolt, when thousands of rebels marched on London demanding an end to oppressive taxes and feudal obligations. Richard personally met the rebels and temporarily calmed the crisis through negotiation, although the revolt was later suppressed and many of its leaders were executed.
Richard believed strongly in the divine right of kings and cultivated a magnificent royal court that emphasized ceremony, art, and the dignity of the crown. He was a notable patron of literature and commissioned celebrated works such as the richly illustrated Wilton Diptych, one of the masterpieces of medieval English art. However, his increasingly authoritarian style of government alienated many powerful nobles. Richard imprisoned or exiled political opponents, imposed heavy financial demands, and ruled for long periods without consulting Parliament. His treatment of leading aristocrats, particularly the Lords Appellant who had previously challenged his authority, deepened political divisions throughout the kingdom.
Richard’s downfall came in 1399 when his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, returned from exile while Richard was campaigning in Ireland. Bolingbroke quickly gained widespread support among the English nobility, who had become disillusioned with Richard’s rule. Captured and forced to abdicate, Richard was imprisoned in Pontefract Castle, where he died in early 1400, probably from starvation, though some contemporaries suspected he had been murdered. Henry seized the throne as King Henry IV, founding the House of Lancaster. Richard II’s deposition marked the first successful overthrow of an English monarch since the Norman Conquest and helped set the stage for the dynastic struggles that would later culminate in the Wars of the Roses.