ABSTRACT
Richard II's character has been a matter of debate among historians, and disagreements over it have been the basis of arguments about the motives behind his political actions. Many events of the reign, moreover, were highly dramatic, Richard's personal appearance on the scene at the height of the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, the execution or exile of his friends and associates in 1388, his revenge in 1397 and his own downfall two years later. The reign may be conveniently divided in May 1389, when Richard ended the supervision imposed on him a year earlier by the Lords Appellant at the time of the appropriately called Merciless Parliament. Richard's recourse to attempted military action was probably the main factor in provoking the Appellants to such savage revenge. Such matters, more than constitutional issues of royal authority, preoccupied the gentry's class at a time when they were facing economic pressures.
