Description
By Jacob Abbot. Crowned at the age of ten and deposed twenty-two years later, Richard II ruled England during a period of rebellion, noble rivalry, and mounting political unrest.
In Richard II, historian Jacob Abbott recounts the life and troubled reign of the English king whose deposition brought the rule of the main Plantagenet line to an end. Beginning with the death of Richard I, Abbott traces the history of the monarchy through the reign of Edward III, the celebrated career of the Black Prince, and the events that placed the young Richard II upon the throne.
Richard inherited a kingdom marked by war and political division. Abbott follows him through the Peasants’ Revolt, his conflicts with powerful nobles, the rivalries of the royal court, and the growing tensions that gradually weakened his authority. As mistrust deepened between Richard and the nobility, Henry of Bolingbroke emerged as a formidable rival, setting in motion the struggle that culminated in Richard’s deposition and death.
Abbott also looks beyond the king himself to the customs and conflicts of fourteenth-century England, showing how the ideals of chivalry shaped both courtly life and warfare. Richard’s fate reveals how quickly a medieval king could lose his authority when personal ambition, family rivalry, and political resentment divided the realm.
This carefully restored edition preserves Abbott’s classic account of Richard II and the remarkable age in which he lived.
About the author: Jacob Abbott (1803–1879) was an American educator, historian, and prolific writer best known for his biographies and historical works for general readers and young audiences. He wrote more than 180 books, including the celebrated Makers of History series, which introduced generations of readers to prominent figures and events from the past.
