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A King Under Siege
Book One of The Plantagenet Legacy
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Richard II found himself under siege not once, but twice in his minority. Crowned king at age ten, he was only fourteen when the Peasants’ Revolt terrorized London. But he proved himself every bit the Plantagenet successor, facing Wat Tyler and the rebels when all seemed lost. Alas, his triumph was short-lived, and for the next ten years he struggled to assert himself against his uncles and increasingly hostile nobles. Just like in the days of his great-grandfather Edward II, vengeful magnates strove to separate him from his friends and advisors, and even threatened to depose him if he refused to do their bidding. The Lords Appellant, as they came to be known, purged the royal household with the help of the Merciless Parliament. They murdered his closest allies, leaving the King alone and defenseless. He would never forget his humiliation at the hands of his subjects. Richard’s inability to protect his adherents would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he vowed that next time, retribution would be his.
A Word from the Author
“Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child.” This was never more true than with Richard II, king at age 10, forced to confront the Peasant’s Revolt at age 14. Although he emerged as a worthy Plantagenet successor, young Richard soon found himself adrift in a hostile power struggle between his advisors and formidable uncles who fought to control the reins of government. Struggling to to assert himself, the young King was constantly thwarted by barons who came to be known as the Lords Appellant and who gained control of Parliament. Pushing Richard’s feeble objections aside, the Lords Appellant removed all of the King’s supporters by execution, outlawry, and dismissal, leaving him alone and helpless. But his minority wouldn’t last forever, and Richard vowed that next time, retribution would be his.
(Mercedes Rochelle, April 2019)
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