Richard II

Agnes Lancecrona and Robert de Vere

Dec 20, 2018

anniversaries, battles, genealogy

Agnes Lancecrona, Anne of Bohemia, annulment, Chester, crown jewels, Czechoslovakia, Earls of Oxford, Edmund of Langley, Ireland, John of Gaunt, Ladies of the Bedchamber, Marquess of Dublin, marriages, Philippa de Coucy, Radcot Bridge, rebellion, Richard II, Robert de Vere Duke of Ireland, Thomas of woodstock

Robert de Vere (1362-1392) Earl of Oxford, found great favour with Richard II and was elevated first to the title of Marquess of Dublin and then in October 1386 to the dukedom of Ireland. This was the very first dukedom awarded outside the immediate royal family, and was, in effect, a “fingers up” to Richard’s…
The origins of Marshalsea courts and prisons….

Dec 1, 2018

buildings, law

common law, courts, Dickens, Edward I, Edward III, Henry IV, Marshalsea Prison, Merce, Peasants’ Revolt, Richard II, Richard Imworth, Southwark

While trawling around looking for information about Marshalsea courts in the time of Richard II, I came upon this WordPress blog (by Mercedes Rochelle) that covers the subject. I quote the article in full:- “Today when we hear about the Marshalsea we think of the infamous 19th century Southwark prison with all its associated tortures.…
Magna Carta and King Richard II….

Nov 25, 2018

sources

Gloucestershire, Lords Appellant, Magna Carta, Nigel Saul, Richard II, Thomas of woodstock, Tower of London

Here is the opening paragraph of an intriguing article by the excellent Professor Nigel Saul:- “As increasing numbers of early copies of Magna Carta are identified in fourteenth- and early fifteenth century registers and cartularies, so we are becoming more aware of the close interest taken in the document by lawyers and political actors in…
So who did Anne Mowbray take after….?

Nov 18, 2018

anniversaries, art, genealogy

Anne Mowbray, Anne of Gloucester, bigamy, Canterbury Cathedral, Cecily Neville, death masks, Doyle’s Official Baronage, Edward III, Edward IV, Edward the Black Prince, Elizabeth Berkeley, Elizabeth Wydeville, facial resemblance, hair colour, Henry Bourchier Earl of Essex, Henry Duke of Warwick, Henry V, Henry VIII, illegitimacy, John Ashdown-Hill, John Earl of Shrewsbury, John Mowbray Duke of Norfolk, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lady Elizabeth Talbot, Margaret Beauchamp, Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick, Richard II, Richard of Salisbury, Richard of Shrewsbury, Richard of Warwick, St. Mary’s Hall Coventry, St. Mary’s Warwick, Thomas Talbot Viscount Lisle, William Bourchier Count of Eu, William Lord Berkeley

What is one of the first things we say on seeing a new baby? Something along the lines of how much the new arrival takes after his/her father/mother/uncle/aunt/grandfather etc. etc. For those of us with a great interest in history, it is almost irresistible to compare various historical figures in the same way. For instance,…
Why bury a chest of books….?

Nov 10, 2018

buildings

books, Dartington Hall, Epiphany Rising, Henry IV, John Holland, Michael Bennett, Richard II, summary executions, treasure

Here is a puzzle, circa 1400. Why would a usurped king’s half-brother bury a chest of books in the ground at the church in his Devon estate? The usurped king was Richard II, the half-brother John Holand, Earl of Huntingdon (had been Duke of Exeter), the Devon estate Dartington. This was just before Holand joined…
How the House of Mortimer was cheated….

Nov 6, 2018

anniversaries, battles, genealogy

“Tudors”, Battle of Bosworth, Battle of Shrewsbury, Edmund Mortimer, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VII, Ian Mortimer, Ireland, Lancastrians, Mortimers, Owain Glyn Dwr, Richard II, Richard III, Southampton plot, Wales

Here’s how the great House of Mortimer petered out and was supplanted by a Lancastrian usurper who killed the reigning king and stole his throne. Then, under the House of York, the House of Mortimer triumphed again….until, in 1485, along came another Lancastrian usurper to kill the reigning king and steal the throne….. Never trust…
Five important royals who didn’t ascend the throne….

Oct 31, 2018

anniversaries, battles, genealogy

Burnham Abbey, Crecy, Crusades, Culloden, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, George III, Hanover, Henry III, Hundred Years War, Jacobites, John Earl of Cornwall, John of Gaunt, Matilda, monarchs, Normandy, Plantagenets, Poitiers, Richard II, Stephen, William Duke of Cumberland

Would these be your five? Or do you have other suggestions? PS Who can spot their deliberate mistake?
The Thame Hoard….

Oct 22, 2018

art, buildings

Ashmolean Museum, Edward III, gold, Henry V, jewellery, Oxford, Reliquary ring, Richard II, Robert King, silver groats, Thame Abbey, Thame Hoard

I’m surprised that I have never heard of this hoard before. It was found in 1940, so has been in the public eye for longer than I’ve graced this earth.
And the king’s hair seethed with lice at his coronation. . .!

Oct 13, 2018

anniversaries, buildings, sources

Adam Usk, Bryan Bevan, Canterbury Cathedral, Coronation, head lice, health, Henry IV, Henry VII, Ian Mortimer, Mortimers, Richard II, royal tombs

Do not read on if you’re squeamish about blood-sucking parasites. No, I’m not referring to Henry VII, but his equally usurping Lancastrian predecessor, Henry IV. When we think of medieval coronations, and see contemporary illustrations, we see the glamour, colour and solemnity of the occasion, hear the singing, smell the incense, observe the wonderful robes…
Now the boys in the Tower were drowned in Malmsey….?

Sep 30, 2018

anniversaries, battles, buildings

“Princes”, Bosworth, confusion, execution, George Duke of Clarence, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VII, Malmsey, Richard II, Richard III, Richard of arundel, royal mysteries, Tower of London

Well, we all know the story (and that’s just what it was, a story) about the demise of the boys’ uncle, George, Duke of Clarence, in a butt of Malmsey, but this is the first I’ve heard of the boys themselves suffering a similar fate. I quote: “The manner of their death triggered debate…