622 Richard II
He was betrothed to Princess Alais of FRANCEbut
married Berengaria of NAVARRE in 1191. However, he
showed little interest in women and produced no succes-
sor. Wounded during a siege by riding within the striking
range or bow shot of the walls, he was hit by an arrow
and suffered for several days, before he died at Chaluz in
the Limousin in France on April 6, 1199. He was buried
near his father at Fontevraud Abbey in France and was
succeeded in his numerous realms by his brother John.
RICHARD AS CRUSADERRichard was very successful as a crusader, taking Messina
and the island of CYPRUSon the way, capturing ACRE, and
defeating SALADINin the Battle of Arsuf in 1191. Recog-
nizing his genius in WARFARE, Saladin avoided battle with
Richard thereafter. Disputes and quarrels with PHILIPII
AUGUSTUS of France and Duke Leopold V of AUSTRIA
(c. 1177–94) hampered efforts to capture JERUSALEMand
ended the crusade. Philip abandoned the coalition in
1191, returned to France, and took advantage of Richard’s
absence to try to capture NORMANDY. Richard struck a
truce with Saladin that give the Christians access to the
holy places in peace. On his way back in disguise,
Richard was captured by followers of Duke Leopold in
VIENNA in December 1192. Richard was held until an
enormous ransom of 150,000 marks was collected by
some of the heaviest taxation ever imposed in England.
Richard was also forced to pay homage for England to the
emperor HENRYVI (r. 1190–97). On his return in March
1194, he remained in England only to effect the submis-
sion of his rebellious brother John. He then left the
administration of the realm to Hubert Walter (d. 1205),
archbishop of CANTERBURY. He returned to the Continent,
defeated a French army at Fréteval in 1194, recaptured
Normandy, and built the great defensive CASTLE of
Château Gaillard to guard the Seine River and block the
approaches to Normandy. All this reinforced his authority
throughout his French dominions, but resistance to his
rule required the constant warfare that led to his DEATH.
See alsoRANULF DEGLANVILLE.
Further reading:Ambroise, fl. ca. 1196, The Crusade
of Richard Lion-Heart,trans. Merton Jerome Hubert (New
York: Columbia University Press, 1941); John T. Appleby,
England without Richard, 1189–1199(London: G. Bell,
1965); James A. Brundage, Richard Lion Heart(New York:
Scribner, 1974); John Gillingham, Richard I(New Haven,
Conn.: Yale University Press, 1999); Ralph V. Turner and
Richard R. Heiser, The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of
the Angevin Empire,1189–99 (Manchester: Manchester
University Press, 2000).
Richard II (1367–1400)king of England
Richard was born on January 6, 1367, at the Abbey of
Saint André in Bordeaux in FRANCE, the son of EDWARD
THEBLACKPRINCE, and Joan of Kent (1328–85). Richard
succeeded his grandfather, EDWARDIII, as king of EN-
GLANDin 1377, when he was a boy of 10, with his uncle,
JOHN OFGAUNT, the duke of Lancaster, as regent. In 1381
his regime was threatened by the Peasants’ Revolt, in
which he played a key but duplicitous role.
He married Anne of Bohemia (1366–94) in 1382.
His dependence on unpopular favorites caused discon-
tent; and in 1386, while John of Gaunt was in SPAIN,he
was deprived of power by a council of nobles and minis-
ters, the Lords Appellant. In 1388 a number of his close
associates, such as Michael de la Pole (ca. 1330–89),
were charged with treason by the Merciless PARLIAMENT.
In 1389 he regained his right to rule. During the next
few years, a peace was negotiated with France and
Richard married his second wife, Isabel (1389–1409),
the daughter of Charles VI of France (1368–1422).
From 1397 he began to take revenge, punishing those
who had been involved in opposition to him. His
cousin, Henry Bolingbroke of Lancaster, the son of John
of Gaunt, whom Richard had deprived of inheritance
and then sent into exile, mounted an armed invasion in- This royal confiscation in March 1399 from Henry
caused Richard to be perceived as a threat to everyone’s
property rights in the realm. Henry easily took Richard
prisoner, when he stupidly surrendered his person from
the safety of a castle. Richard abdicated, and Henry
seized the throne as Henry IV (r. 1399–1413). Richard
died, probably starved to death, in Pontefract Castle in
Yorkshire in February 1400. He was buried in WESTMIN-
STERABBEYin 1413.
See alsoPARLIAMENT,ENGLISH;TYLER,WAT.
Further reading:Chris Given-Wilson, ed. and trans.,
Chronicles of the Revolution, 1397–1400: The Reign of
Richard II (Manchester: Manchester University Press,
1993); Anthony Goodman and James L. Gillespie, eds.,
Richard II at the death of Wat Tyler in the Peasants Rebellion
of 1381, Chroniques de France et d’Angleterre,British
Library, London (Art Resource)