Richard II

Richard II was the King of England during the late 14th century. He was the husband of the French-born Queen Isabella.

In the 1390s, his reign saw a flourishing of art and culture. His favourites included the author Geoffrey Chaucer, the Earl of Kent and the Earl of Huntingdon. His emblem was the White Hart.

In 1399, he visited Ireland. Several months later, he was deposed by a group of rebellious barons led by Henry Plantagenet, also known as Henry of Bolingbroke. Henry seized the throne, becoming Henry IV. Richard II was imprisoned in Pomfret Castle. Having been denied food on the orders of the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Arundel, he starved to death in the castle in 1400.

Before they learned of his death, Chaucer, his son Tom and Ian Chesterton were involved in a plot to assassinate Henry IV in the hope of restoring Richard to the throne.

He had red-golden hair. (AUDIO: The Doctor's Tale)

Behind the scenes
Richard II was played by Alan Wheatley, Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi in different versions of The Tragedy of Kind Richard II as well as Peter Cushing in Richard of Bordeaux.