England

Richard II (1377-1399)

Richard II was not at all who Edward or the rest of England expected would become king. The Black Prince was the great leader, beloved by many, but he was dead and now so was his grim father. The next Plantagenet, who would prove also to be the last Plantagenet, was a mere boy, largely unknown and wholly untested.

manuscript
Effigy of Richard II

Because he was only a youth, and was an amiable lad, there was general good will at the start. A realm often breathes a sigh of relief when an old king dies, and looks forward to the renewed vigor of a young one. But too many powerful barons followed their own self interests, and the boy-king was unable to control them. By the time he was older, he found it very difficult to unseat them. So it was that Richard was twenty-two before he was finally able to rule of his own.