Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. 2 of 6, slice 12 of 12: England, 1377-1399, Richard II

In Short

This chronicle covers the turbulent twenty-two-year reign of King Richard II, from his ascension as an eleven-year-old child in 1377 to his deposition in the Tower of London in 1399. The narrative documents a nation beset by external wars with France and Scotland, internal uprisings like the Peasant Revolt of 1381, and bitter power struggles between the crown and rebellious barons. As Richard attempts to assert absolute authority, his arbitrary rule isolates his allies and alienates his subjects. The chronicle endures as an essential historical record and the primary source material for Shakespeare’s famous history plays.

The Story

The chronicle opens with the child Richard of Bordeaux ascending the English throne following the death of his grandfather, Edward III. The young monarch is initially greeted with goodwill by the citizens of London, who offer their lives and goods in his service. However, his early reign is immediately plagued by foreign threats and domestic turmoil. English forces clash with Scottish raiders along the border, losing and recapturing Berwick Castle, while French fleets threaten the coast. Internally, deep social unrest erupts in 1381 with the Peasants' Revolt. Led by figures like Wat Tyler and the radical priest John Ball, massive crowds from Essex and Kent march on London, demanding the execution of lawyers, officials, and churchmen, and seeking an end to serfdom. Tyler is ultimately slain, and the revolt is crushed through a combination of swift action, royal promises, and judicial executions.

As Richard matures, the conflict shifts from popular rebellion to severe political infighting within the court. The king's reliance on unpopular favorites, such as Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, and Sir Simon Burley, draws the fury of powerful noblemen. Led by the King's uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, a faction of Appellants takes up arms to purge the court of these advisers. Through parliamentary attainders and executions, the lords strip Richard of his favorite companions and exert control over his governance.

Despite these setbacks, Richard gradually reasserts his independence. He negotiates a long-term peace with France, sealed by his marriage to the young French princess Isabella. Yet his urge to punish old enemies never fades. Years later, Richard turns upon his former tormentors with ruthless precision: the Duke of Gloucester is secretly murdered in custody, the Earl of Arundel is executed, and the Earl of Warwick is stripped of his estates and banished to the Isle of Man.

Richard’s rule grows increasingly autocratic. When John of Gaunt dies, the king seizes the vast lands of the Duchy of Lancaster, denying them to Gaunt’s exiled son, Henry Bolingbroke. This decision proves fatal. While Richard is away leading a military expedition to subdue Irish chieftains, Bolingbroke lands in England with a modest force of exile allies. Supported by powerful magnates like the Earl of Northumberland and Archbishop Thomas Arundel, Bolingbroke gathers overwhelming support across the realm. Returning from Ireland to find his cause lost, Richard surrenders without major bloodshed. Brought to the Tower of London, the defeated monarch formally signs a document of resignation, acknowledging his own insufficiency to rule and yielding the throne to his cousin Henry.

How It Unfolds

The child king ascends Richard comes to the throne at age eleven following the death of Edward III. Citizens of London pledge their loyalty as foreign wars against France and Scotland continue to strain the borders.

The peasantry rises Suppressed commoners led by Wat Tyler and John Ball march on the capital, demanding the abolition of feudal laws and the destruction of legal authorities. The rebellion spreads quickly before Tyler is killed and its leaders are executed.

Barons challenge royal favorites Discontent grows among the nobility over Richard's lavish spending and reliance on court favorites. Powerful lords form an alliance, take up arms, and force the execution or exile of the king's closest advisers.

A royal vendetta executed After years of waiting, Richard takes revenge on his political opponents. The Duke of Gloucester dies mysteriously in captivity, Arundel is put to death, and Warwick is banished after a tearful confession in parliament.

Bolingbroke claims the realm While Richard is campaigning in Ireland, the exiled Henry Bolingbroke returns to reclaim his confiscated inheritance. Finding widespread discontent, Bolingbroke easily rallies the kingdom behind him.

The crown is surrendered Isolated and abandoned by his supporters, Richard meets with his captors in the Tower of London. He yields his royal authority and signs a formal deed of resignation, passing the crown to Bolingbroke.

The People

• King Richard II: The monarch who seeks total royal authority but lacks the political wisdom to sustain it. What begins as a promising reign ends in tragic isolation due to his poor choice of advisers, vendettas, and arbitrary seizures of land.
• Henry Bolingbroke: Richard's pragmatic cousin, created Earl of Derby and later Duke of Lancaster. Exiled by the king and stripped of his rightful inheritance, he returns to England to claim his property and ultimately claims the throne itself.
• Wat Tyler: The crafty leader of the peasant uprising who seeks to rewrite English law by force. He demands total freedom for the commons, but his aggressive tactics lead to his death during negotiations with the king.
• John Ball: A radical priest whose seditious sermons and dark riddling letters incite the common people against the ruling elite. He is captured and executed at St. Albans for his role in the uprising.
• The Duke of Gloucester: Richard's stern uncle, who leads the noble opposition against royal favorites. His uncompromising challenge to the king's power leads eventually to his arrest and murder in custody.

In Its Own Voice

"The wretches had vtterlie forgotten all law, both diuine and humane; otherwise they would haue béene content to liue vnder law, and to doo vnto others as they would be doone vnto..."

The chronicle reflects sternly on the chaos of the Peasant Revolt, condemning the rebels for abandoning moral order and social hierarchy.

"Trulie most excellent prince, your renowme doth flie into the world, neither is it doubted but for your wooll sake, and other your singular commodities being innumerable... all realmes with their coines doo greet you."

In a letter encouraging royal boldness, writers highlight England's economic weight and military reputation on the continental stage.

"...he for insufficiencie which he knew himselfe to be of, to occupie so great a charge, as to gouerne the realme of England, he would gladlie leaue of and renounce his right and title..."

The formal instrument of resignation frames Richard's total surrender as an admission of his own inability to manage the realm.

What It's Really About

This portion of the chronicle examines the fragile nature of political legitimacy and the limits of monarchical power. It asks what happens when a king's personal ruler-will conflicts directly with the established laws and customs of his realm. The text explores how arbitrary rule, royal favorites, and unresolved grudges erode the trust between a sovereign, his nobility, and his subjects. Through its meticulous recording of parliaments, rebellions, and betrayals, the narrative demonstrates that stability requires mutual obligation—and that a ruler who treats his kingdom's laws as personal property risks losing the right to rule altogether.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a direct look into the source material that shaped classical English drama, presenting history not as a sterile list of dates, but as a rich, human narrative. Readers who enjoy political history will find a vivid portrayal of fourteenth-century life, filled with battlefield tactics, parliamentary maneuvering, and dramatic turns of fortune.

The prose presents real historical friction that requires patient reading. Archaic spellings, dense genealogical digressions, and middle-English phrasing slow the pace, while period attitudes toward divine right and class hierarchy are expressed without modern softening. Yet these friction points give the chronicle its authentic texture. To read it is to hear the late-medieval worldview in its own voice, capturing both the magnificent rhetoric and the brutal political realities of an era that fundamentally reshaped the English monarchy.