Aspects of the turbulent rule of Richard II freshly examined.The reign of Richard II is well known for its political turmoil as well as its literary and artistic innovations, all areas explored by Professor Nigel Saul during his distinguished career. The present volume interrogates many familiar literary and narrative sources, including works by Froissart, Gower, Chaucer, Clanvow, and the Continuation of the Eulogium Historiarum, along with those less well-known, such as coroner's inquests and gaol delivery proceedings. The reign is also notorious for its larger than life personalities - not least Richard himself. But how was he shaped by other personalities? A prosopographical study of Richard's bishops, a comparison of the literary biographies of his father the Black Prince, and Bertrand du Guesclin, and a reconsideration of Plantagenet family politics, all shed light on this question. Meanwhile, Richard II's tomb reflects his desire to shape a new vision of kingship. Commemoration more broadly was changing in the late fourteenth century, and this volume includes several studies of both individual and communal memorials of various types that illustrate this trend: again, appropriately for an area Professor Saul has made his own.Contributors: Mark Arvanigian, Caroline Barron, Michael Bennett, Jerome Bertram, David Carpenter, Chris Given-Wilson, Jill Havens, Claire Kennan, Hannes Kleineke, John Leland, Joel Rosenthal, Christian Steer, George Stow, Jenny Stratford, Kelcey Wilson-Lee.

List of IllustrationsList of ContributorsAbbreviationsIntroductionJESSICA A. LUTKIN AND J. S. HAMILTONPart I: Sources1.Froissart and the Great RevoltCAROLINE BARRON2.'Defenders of truth': Lord Cobham, John Gower and the political crisis of 1387¬-88MICHAEL BENNETT3.The Authorship of the Continuation of the Eulogium Historiarum: A ReconsiderationGEORGE B. STOWPart II: Government and Administration4.The bequests of Isabel of Castile, first duchess of York, and Chaucer's 'Complaint of Mars'JENNY STRATFORD5.Lollards in Arms: Lollardy, Loyalty, and the Trauma of the Hundred Years WarJILL C. HAVENS6.Pardons for Self-Defence in The Reign of Richard II: The Use and Abuse of Legal FormulasJOHN L. LELAND7.The representation of Devonshire in the 'Bad' Parliament of January 1377HANNES KLEINEKE8.'John of Gaunt, Richard II and Plantagenet Family Politics in the 1390s'MARK ARVANIGIAN9.Richard II's Bishops: Fair Weather Friends?JOEL T. ROSENTHAL10.Power, Piety and Presence: The Cult of Corpus Christi and the 1389 Guild Enquiry in LincolnshireCLAIRE KENNANPart III: Commemoration11.Edward, the Black Prince, and Bertrand du Guesclin, Constable of France: Chivalry and Rivalry in Life and DeathCHRIS GIVEN-WILSON12.'Suche scripture...shewyng what I was': The brass of Margaret of Cieszyn and associated monumentsKELCEY WILSON-LEE13.The Patronage of Queen Isabella (d. 1358): Monuments of the Royal Household at Friars Minor LondonCHRISTIAN STEER14.The 'Dreadful Draytons' of Dorchester and their BrassesJEROME BERTRAM +15.Nigel Saul as a Teacher: An AppreciationDAVID CARPENTERBibliography of Prof. N. E. Saul's workIndexTabula Gratulatoria