Richard II of England - A Fragile Peace

A Fragile Peace

Richard gradually re-established royal authority in the months after the deliberations of the Merciless Parliament. The Lords Appellant's aggressive foreign policy failed when their efforts to build a wide, anti-French coalition came to nothing, and the north of England fell victim to a Scottish incursion. Furthermore, Richard was now over twenty-one years old and could with confidence claim the right to govern in his own name. Also, John of Gaunt returned to England in 1389. Once the differences with the king had been settled, the old statesman acted as a moderating influence on English politics. Richard assumed full control of government on 3 May 1389, claiming that the difficulties of the past years were due solely to bad councillors. He outlined a foreign policy that reversed the actions of the appellants by seeking peace and reconciliation with France together with a promise to lessen the burden of taxation on the people significantly. Richard ruled peacefully for the next eight years, having reconciled with his former adversaries. Still, later events would show that he did not put the indignities suffered during the preceding years behind him entirely. In particular, the execution of his former teacher Sir Simon de Burley was an insult not easily forgotten.

With national stability secured, Richard began negotiating a permanent peace with France. A proposal put forward in 1393 would have greatly expanded the territory of Aquitaine possessed by the English crown. However, the plan failed on the condition that the English king had to perform homage to the King of France – an unacceptable condition to the English public. Instead, a twenty-eight-year truce was agreed upon in 1396. As part of the truce, Richard was to marry Isabella, daughter of Charles VI of France. There were some misgivings about the marriage. It was recognised in particular that since the princess was only six years old, she was unlikely to produce an heir to the throne of England for many years.

While seeking peace with France, Richard took a different approach to the situation in Ireland. The English lordships in Ireland were in danger of being overrun and so the Anglo-Irish lords pleaded for the king to intervene. In the autumn of 1394, Richard left for Ireland, where he remained until May 1395. His army, consisting of over 8,000 men, was the largest force brought to the island in the later Middle Ages. The expedition was a success, resulting in the submission of a number of Irish chieftains to English overlordship. The venture was one of the greater achievements of Richard's reign, and it strengthened the king's support at home, but the consolidation of the English position in Ireland nevertheless proved short-lived.