The classic tragedy about the downfall of King Richard II is presented with critical commentary and historical background

Richard II is one of the most enigmatic of English kings. Shakespeare depicted him as a tragic figure, an irresponsible, cruel monarch who nevertheless rose in stature as the substance of power slipped from him. By later writers he has been variously portrayed as a half-crazed autocrat or a conventional ruler whose principal errors were the mismanagement of his nobility and disregard for the political conventions of his age. This book—the first full-length biography of Richard in more than fifty years—offers a radical reinterpretation of the king. Nigel Saul paints a picture of Richard as a highly assertive and determined ruler, one whose key aim was to exalt and dignify the crown. In Richard's view, the crown was threatened by the factiousness of the nobility and the assertiveness of the common people. The king met these challenges by exacting obedience, encouraging lofty new forms of address, and constructing an elaborate system of rule by bonds and oaths. Saul traces the sources of Richard's political ideas and finds that he was influenced by a deeply felt orthodox piety and by the ideas of the civil lawyers. He shows that, although Richard's kingship resembled that of other rulers of the period, unlike theirs, his reign ended in failure because of tactical errors and contradictions in his policies. For all that he promoted the image of a distant, all-powerful monarch, Richard II's rule was in practice characterized by faction and feud. The king was obsessed by the search for personal security: in his subjects, however, he bred only insecurity and fear. A revealing portrait of a complex and fascinating figure, the book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the politics and culture of the English middle ages.

A new biography re-examining the complex and fascinating king, whose very humanity saw him deposed from his divine role.

Richard II by William Shakespeare . Richard II is one of Shakespeare's finest works: lucid, eloquent, and boldly structured. It can be seen as a tragedy, or a historical play, or a political drama, or as one part of a vast dramatic cycle which helped to generate England's national identity. Today, to some of us, Richard II may appear conservative; but, in Shakespeare's day, it could appear subversive: 'I am Richard II', declared an indignant Queen Elizabeth. Numerous recent revivals in the theatre and on screen have demonstrated the enduring power and poignancy of this drama of the downfall of an egoistic but pitiable monarch.

The late medieval kings of England showed little interest in their Lordship of Ireland. They showed even less interest in the Gaelic Irish population of the island. Richard II, however, was different. This English monarch led two expeditions to Ireland in 1394-5 and the summer of 1399. Once across the Irish Sea, it was Richard's fate to encounter a group of able Gaelic Irish kings, who were probably the most capable and talented of the entire late medieval period. Of these chieftains the most prominent were Art MacMurchadha Caomhanach, king of the Leinster Mountains, and Niall Mor and Niall Og O Neill, kings of Tyrone and high-kings of Ulster. Richard II ended up largely out-negotiated after his first expedition to the island, and unexpectedly outfought during his second. When he returned to his English kingdom Richard was immediately deposed and later murdered by his cousin, Henry, duke of Hereford, who then became King Henry IV. This book is the story of these remarkable encounters between a late medieval English monarch and his reluctant Gaelic Irish vassals at the close of the 14th century. *** "Among the most valuable aspects of the book is its meticulous account of the contemporary sources. Recommended [for] library collections on Richard II, the English monarchy, and medieval Ireland." --Choice, Vol. 54, No. 9, May 2017 [Subject: Medieval History, Early Modern History, Invasions & Conquests, Monarchy, Ireland & the UK]

The classic tragedy about the downfall of King Richard II is presented with critical commentary and historical background