The age of Richard II / edited by James L. Gillespie

Richard II, the son of Edward the Black Prince, became King of England in 1377 at the age of ten. His reign, romanticised by Shakespeare, ended with his forced abdication in 1399 brought about by his successor Henry IV who imprisoned Richard in Pontefract Castle before having him murdered the following year.
An international group of distinguished medieval historians here offers a fresh appraisal of the diverse reputation which Richard left behind him: from the tyrannical opponent of the Peasants' Revolt, and the great literary patron of Chaucer and Gower, to the inventor of the handkerchief. While the focus is on political and legal topics, including Haxey's petition of 1397 and the Oxford trial of 1400, the essays look at such diverse themes as public health, foreign trade, courtly art, and religious foundations. Also probed are some less commonly examined aspects of the age, such as relations with other realms and the roles of chivalry and warfare in Ricardian kingship.
The Age of Richard II increases our understanding of Richard's reign and his kingdom as well as the whole fabric of late medieval politics and society. It is therefore suitable not only for anyone studying the reign of Richard II but also for students of medieval English history as a whole.