Richard II and London

Abstract Froissart, writing in the years immediately following the deposition of Richard, attributed a leading role in the king ‘s downfall to the Londoners who, ‘being rich from their trade, are enabled to live in state, and by whom the other parts of England are generally governed ... said to one another privately ... “if this wicked king Richard be suffered to rule according to his pleasure, we must all be ruined and the country destroyed. Ever since he began his reign, the kingdom has not prospered to the degree in which it did before “.,i Froissart ‘s analysis is neither particularly subtle, not particularly accurate. In fact, Richard probably disliked the Londoners rather more than they disliked him, and their role in his deposition was minor compared with that played by the retinues of the disaffected nobility. However, Richard could not ignore the men of London, even if he found their company uncongenial, and it is clear that at times he took trouble to cultivate their loyalty and to curb their lawlessness. It has been customary to consider the relationship between the Crown and the city from the point of view of the Londoners and to chart their struggles to win, and then to defend, their privileges and freedoms. In this chapter the focus will shift from the Londoners to the Crown.