The reign of Richard II: From minority to tyranny 1377–97 (Manchester Medieval Sources)

The long-awaited prequel to__Chronicles of the Revolution__covers the first twenty years (1377-97) of Richard II's reign. This richly-documented period offers exceptional opportunities and challenges to students, and the editor has selected material from a wide range of sources: well-known English chronicles, foreign chronicles and legal, administrative and financial records. These are arranged chronologically to form a coherent narrative of the reign. Clear and lively commentary and notes enable readers to make the fullest use of each document. The introduction describes the complex domestic and international situation which confronted the young king and offers guidance on the strengths and weaknesses of the reign's leading chronicles. The dramatic and diverse politics of the reign of Richard II make this the ideal special subject and an accessible, affordable, student-friendly documentary history of Richard II's reign has long been needed. This book is designed to fill that gap. The Reign of Richard II: From Minority to Tyranny 1377–97 4 Contents 8 List of maps 17 List of abbreviations 18 Notes on the translations 20 Preface 21 Acknowledgements 22 Map 1 The Norwich 'Crusade' 1383 23 Map 2 The Radcot Bridge campaign, 1387 24 Map 3 Richard II and Ireland, 1394–5 25 Introduction 26 The problems facing the government in 1377 29 The written sources: a very brief introduction 35 Prologue: The end of Edward III’s reign, 1376–77 41 1. Death of the Black Prince, 1376 41 2. Richard recognised as heir apparent, June 1376 42 3. Discussion about the succession, summer 1376 42 4. Edward III puts his private affairs in order 43 5. Edward III’s entail of the crown, autumn 1376 46 6. Londoners curry favour with Prince Richard 48 7. John of Gaunt’s unpopularity: the ‘trial’ of John Wycliffe, early 1377 49 I: The minority, 1377–81 51 1377 51 8. The accession 51 9. Richard’s triumphal entry into London 53 10. An unfortunate incident at the coronation, 16 July 1377 54 11. Events of summer 1377 55 12. The first parliament of the reign, 13 October–28 November1377 56 13. Appointment of the Council of Nine during the meeting of parliament 57 14. Agreement with the duke of Brittany to lease the castle of Brest, 1 December 1377 59 1378 60 15. War in France 60 16. War at sea: ducal incompetence contrasted with mercantileefficiency 61 17. The violation of the Westminster sanctuary: the case of Hawley and Shakell 63 18. A monk’s-eye view of the Gloucester parliament 68 19. Decisions of the Gloucester parliament 70 20. Bad feeling between Thomas of Woodstock and Nicholas Brembre, former mayor of London 72 21. An insult to the king, and its aftermath 74 22. An unfavourable view of Alexander Neville, archbishop of York 75 1379 76 23. Continuing warfare on land and sea according to the Anonimalle Chronicle 76 24. Grant of an allowance to Thomas of Woodstock 79 1380 80 25. The year 1380 according to the Anonimalle Chronicle 80 26. The parliament of 16 January–3 March 1380 81 27. The commons’ petition for reform, spring 1380 81 28. Edward III’s trustees petition for their rights 83 29. Parliament at Northampton grants a new poll tax, winter1380 85 1381 86 30. Early 1381 according to the Vita Ricardi Secundi 86 31. Attacks on northern England 87 32. A brief account from a northern chronicle 89 33. The Vita’s account 90 34. Some episodes as reported by the Anonimalle Chronicle 96 35. Anti-foreign feeling in London 99 36. The murder of Archbishop Sudbury, Friday 14 June 1381 99 37. The rebels in Kent, according to William Thorne 100 38. The rebels in Kent, according to some juries’ presentments 101 39. The sacking of the Savoy Palace, Thursday 13 June 1381 104 40. A French eyewitness of the Revolt in London 108 41. The Revolt at Dunstable, according to the Dunstable Annals 109 42. Manumission and pardon for the men of Somerset 111 43. Gaunt’s quarrel with the earl of Northumberland 112 44. A favourable view of John of Gaunt 114 45. Events during the winter of 1381–82 114 II: The struggle for power, 1382–87 116 1382 116 46. The year 1382, according to the Eulogium 116 47. The king’s marriage 117 48. Appointment of a new chancellor 118 49. The rise of Robert de Vere, earl of Oxford 120 50. The bishop of Lincoln seeks support for the bishop of Norwich’s expedition 121 1383 122 51. The year 1383, according to the Eulogium 122 52. The parliament of 23 February–10 March 1383 124 53. The two crusades of 1383, according to Walsingham 125 54. The people contribute generously to the costs of the Norwich crusade 126 55. The start of the Norwich campaign, according to a letter 127 56. The Norwich crusade, according to Froissart 129 57. An impostor punished for circulating false reports about the crusade 133 58. Indenture between the duke of Brittany and the English for evacuating Bourbourg, 14 September 1383 134 59. The parliament of 26 October–26 November 1383: the impeachment of Bishop Despenser 135 60. Some other episodes in that parliament 137 1384 138 61. John of Northampton and unrest in London 138 62. The Salisbury parliament, 29 April–27 May 139 63. The appeal of Thomas Usk 143 64. Northampton’s trial following Usk’s appeal, 18–20 August atReading 146 65. The further trial and sentencing of John of Northampton 146 66. Disorder and royal pressure in the London mayoral election 147 1385 148 67. Winter 1384–5: a plot against Gaunt, and Richard’squarrel with the archbishop of Canterbury 149 68. The laws of war: a selection 150 69. Accounts of the Scottish campaign 151 70. Aristocratic promotions 155 71. The battle of Aljubarotta, 14 August 1385 155 72. Richard is urged to go to Ireland, autumn 1385 156 73. A libel against Alexander Neville, archbishop of York 157 74. The parliament of 20 October–6 December confirms earlier promotions 159 75. Financial reform 160 76. The lords’ recommendations 162 77. The king of Armenia attempts mediation between England and France 164 1386 165 78. The year 1386 according to the Eulogium 165 79. The Anglo-Portuguese alliance: the Treaty of Windsor,12 April 1386 168 80. The invasion scare of 1386 169 81. Plans to proceed against Robert de Vere 175 82. The ‘wonderful’ parliament, 1 October–28 November 1386 176 83. The commission of government 182 84. Canterbury convocation’s reluctant tax grant, 3 December 188 1387 190 85. Results of the commission 190 86. Arundel’s successful naval expedition, March 1387 192 87. Robert de Vere causes offence by his divorce and remarriage 196 88. Peace between Gaunt and the Castilian king: the first Treaty of Trancoso, 12 June 1387 197 89. The succession, 1387 199 90. The councils of Shrewsbury and Nottingham 200 91. The questions to the judges 202 92. Rising political tension 206 93. Unrest in London: an illegal fraternity 209 94. Richard seeks papal excommunication of those challenging his authority, c. August 1388 210 95. The appeals of treason 211 96. The growing crisis, from London records 217 The Radcot Bridge campaign, 1387 218 97. Two views of the crisis from the west midlands 218 98. Four further accounts of the fighting 222 99. Brembre tries to hold London for the king 227 100. After the battle 228 101. An attempt at mediation 230 102. An alleged deposition of Richard during the winter of1387–8 231 103. Robert de Vere in exile 232 III: The rule and fall of the Appellants,1388–89 233 104. Power passes from the king 233 105. Two short accounts of the parliament 235 106. The opening, and protestations of loyalty, 3 February 237 107. Proceedings against the five accused 238 108. Brembre’s trial and Tresilian’s capture, 17–19 February 243 109. Accounts of Tresilian’s discovery 245 110. The judges’ fate 246 111. Proceedings against other supporters of the king 248 112. Oaths to uphold the proceedings of this session, 20March 253 113. Comments on Burley’s death 253 114. Popular discontent 254 115. Petition for a general pardon 256 116. The king renews his coronation oath at the end of parliament 257 117. The earl of Arundel’s expedition, 10 June–2 September 259 118. The Treaty of Bayonne, July 1388 259 119. A grant to Gloucester 260 120. The Scottish invasions of 1388 261 121. The Battle of Otterburn, 5 August 1388 264 122. The Cambridge parliament, 9 September–17 October 1388 268 IV: From appeasement to tyranny,1389–97 272 1389 272 123. The year 1389 according to Walsingham 272 124. Announcement of the king’s new role, 8 May 274 125. Action against the king’s critics 275 126. Routine government: minutes of a council meeting 275 127. Truce with France 277 128. Guarding the northern border 278 129. Results of the Scottish invasions 279 1390 280 130. Council instructions to the peace negotiators, 28 April1390 280 131. The year 1390 according to the Vita 282 132. The Smithfield tournament 283 133. The parliament of 12 November–3 December 1390 287 1391 288 134. Continuing disputes in London 288 135. A Londoner offends the king 289 136. Trouble in Cheshire 290 137. A diplomatic delegation from Gascony 290 1392 291 138. The year 1392 according to the Vita 291 139. Council meeting at Stamford, 25 April 292 140. National proclamation about extension of the truce with France 293 141. The quarrel with London 294 1393 301 142. Selected terms of a draft treaty with France, 16 June 301 143. The condition of Ireland 303 144. The ‘Cheshire rising’ 305 1394 307 145. The earl of Arundel in trouble again 307 146. Queen Anne 310 147. The archbishop of Canterbury orders prayers for the expedition’s success, 31 August 313 148. The expedition, and its causes, according to the StAlbans Chronicle 314 149. Two letters from Richard to a bishop, October 315 150. The king’s private muniments put into the care of Westminster Abbey, 25 November 317 151. Further progress of the Irish campaign 318 152. The oath which the Irish chiefs took 321 153. Agreement with Art Macmurgh, 7 January 1395 322 1395 323 154. The government of England in Richard’s absence 323 155. Letters from Irish chiefs 325 156. The year 1395 according to the St Albans Chronicle 326 157. The year 1395 according to the Vita 328 158. Order to demolish Sheen manor house, 9 April 1395 329 159. An attempt to have Edward II canonised 329 160. Richard’s epitaph 330 161. Richard’s signed instruction to his ambassadors to France, 8 July 1395 330 162. Agreement for a long truce 332 1396 334 163. The year 1396 according to the Vita 334 164. High society opinion of Gaunt’s third marriage 335 165. Concluding the Anglo-French agreement, autumn 1396 336 166. The duke of Gloucester at these ceremonies, according to Froissart 340 167. Richard’s settlement of Ulster destroyed by the earl ofMarch’s attack on O’Neill 340 1397 341 168. January to June 1397 according to the Vita 341 169. The parliament of 22 January–12 February 1397 341 170. The will of Thomas Holand, earl of Kent, 22 April 1397 346 V: Epilogue 347 171. Richard II’s will, 16 April 1399 347 Bibliography 353 Manuscripts 353 Printed sources 353 Secondary works 357 Index 364 "The long-awaited prequel to Chronicles of the Revolution covers the first twenty years (1377-97) of Richard II's reign. This richly-documented period offers exceptional opportunities and challenges to students, and the editor has selected material from a wide range of sources: well-known English chronicles, foreign chronicles, and legal, administrative and financial records. These are arranged chronologically to form a coherent narrative of the reign. Clear and lively commentary and notes enable readers to make the fullest use of each document. The introduction describes the complex domestic and international situation which confronted the young king, and offers guidance on the strengths and weaknesses of the reign's leading chronicles. The dramatic and diverse politics of the reign of Richard II make this the ideal special subject, and an accessible, affordable, student-friendly documentary history of Richard II's reign has long been needed. This book is designed to fill that gap."--Publisher's website