DEPTH STUDY NOTES
I, II, III, IV, V
1399 - 1405
The Crises of 1399
1405 - 1421
Henry V and the Conquest of France
1449 - 1461
Renewed Crises and Challenges
1478 - 1485
The Yorkists Divided
1485 - 1497
Seizing the Throne and Trying to Keep It
,Depth Studies, Compiled Notes England, 1399 - 1497
I
The Crises of 1399-1405
Richard’s Ascension to the Throne
The Peasant’s Revolt
Richard’s Failings as an Adult Monarch
The ‘Wonderful Parliament’ of 1386
The Lords Appellant
Richard’s Problems with Succession
The Tyranny of Richard
Henry Bolingbroke’s Usurpation of the Throne
Rebellions Against Henry IV
Relations with France and Scotland
Scrope’s Rebellion
Henry’s Survival as King
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,Depth Studies, Compiled Notes England, 1399 - 1497
Richard’s Ascension to the Throne
1376 The Black Prince (Edward of Woodstock) dies
1377 Edward III dies
This means that Richard II (the son of the Black Prince and grandson of Edward III) is now
king, at ten years old.
July 1377 Richard II is crowned king at Westminster Abbey
The day after Richard’s coronation, the Bishop of Rochester, Thomas Brinton, preached a
sermon to a noble congregation urging them to show loyalty to their child-king.
When Richard was young, the kingdom was mostly ruled by:
- John of Gaunt
- Thomas of Woodstock
- Numerous knights of the royal household
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, Depth Studies, Compiled Notes England, 1399 - 1497
The Peasant’s Revolt
1381 The Peasant’s Revolt
The Peasant’s Revolt began because of outrage over:
- The Poll Tax (which John of Gaunt was blamed for)
- The lack of success in the war with France
- A growing class tension which had developed after the first outbreak of the Black
Death in 1347
The Peasant’s Revolt started in Essex, before protestors marched and converged in London,
demanding to speak to the king.
Richard acquitted himself, promising to grant the protestors:
- Charter of freedom
- Royal pardons
This generosity did not last, as within a fortnight, Richard:
- Revoked these pardons
- Witnessed the executions of numerous protestors
1347 The first outbreak of the Black Death in England, which was estimated to have killed
30% - 45% of the English population
The Poll Tax was a tax in which every adult was charged the same amount, regardless of
wealth. This is why it was the lower classes that were annoyed about the tax.
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