Medieval Royal Sketch 1377-1400

Above is a portrait of Richard II at his coronation.

To further describe the political context of Chaucer's world I thought I would describe a little research I've made on the royal lineage which ruled around the time Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales.

Edward III (1312-1377) was grandfather to Richard II (1367-1400; born in Bordeaux, France) who ascended the throne in 1377 when he was just ten years old. His father, Edward, the Black Prince, who was heir apparent to Edward III, died just the year before (Richard's older brother had already died). They were of the House of Plantagenet, a royal lineage founded by Henry II (1133–1189)son of Geoffrey V of Anjou, France known as the Angevin line. Since Richard was so young, his uncle, John of Gaunt, acted as Regent (who had been acting as Regent while Edward III was alive but too old to rule) until Parliamentary figures decided to rule via counsels until Richard was older.

The Peasant's Revolt (or known by its leader as Wat Tyler's Revolt or The Rising as made known in class today) which is described as one of the major disruptions of Richard's rule, occurred in 1381 when Parliament decided to enact a poll tax to continue the war effort (the Hundred Years' War with France). I have also read that wages were reduced but not the price of goods which contributed to the unrest as well as other societal restrictions all of which led to the revolt. Apparently, the 14 year old Richard was courageous as Wat Tyler became abusive at a field meeting between the king and members of the revolt but Tyler was killed on the spot by the Lord Mayor of London for his indiscretion.

The young king immediately thereafter called the rest of the revolt leaders off to the side and made promises to right any wrongs and things were calmed. This was overturned by Richard's counselors and all the leaders of the revolt were hanged instead.

Richard II's rule from 1389 to 1397 was apparently relatively peaceful until 1397 when Richard decided to take revenge on a group of Lords who, from 1387-1389 had temporarily usurped his crown's governmental authority. This is the period of Richard II's so-called tyranny and it is noted that his personality had become disordered by the end of his reign most likely contributing to his vengefulness.

In 1399, the former Regent, John of Gaunt, died and his son Henry Bolingbroke - who was in exile in France - came back with force to England with the intention of usurping the throne from Richard. He succeeded - partly since the country was not interested in keeping Richard around - and became Henry IV (and a future subject for Shakespeare; so too was Richard II).

Richard II was probably murdered in 1400 and this was the beginning of the War of the Roses, which was a war in the House of Plantagenet between cousins in the Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose) lines. This war did not fully end until the marriage of Henry Tudor, who had become Henry VII in 1485 (he was a descendant of the Lancaster line) and Elizabeth York in 1486. Their heraldic emblem consisted of a larger red, Lancastrian rose behind a white Yorkist rose.