Richard Leadership Style

Richard II, known as Richard of Bordeaux from his birthplace, was born on Jan. 6, 1367, the younger son of Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), and Joan, daughter of Edmund, Earl of Kent. After his father's death, Richard became the heir apparent, was created Prince of Wales in the later part of 1376, and on June 22, 1377, succeeded Edward III, his grandfather, as king of England. While he was underage, the control of the government had been left to a government that came increasingly under the authority of the Duke of Lancaster (John of Gaunt), one of his uncles. In 1381, during the revolt led by Wat Tyler, Richard showed his leadership potential by going out to meet the rebels and pacifying them after Tyler was killed.

In February
Richard constructed the first royal bathhouse, may well have invented the pocket handkerchief and used a spoon for the first time. In his patronage of architecture and personal piety, his reign has a powerful legacy in some of the key parts of Westminster Great Hall, York Minster and Canterbury Cathedral. Richard built the magnificent hammer beam roof for the hall, which can be seen to this day. The medieval parliament and king's court often sat under its carved angels and it was from here that the kingdom was
Yet he did little to stamp out the Lollards and tolerated key adherents to their beliefs in his own court. Again, Richard II is so self-absorbed that he fails to see that there are many currents and movements in society which exist outside his own world. But his personal piety makes any chance of further tolerance on his part highly unlikely. In fact, by the mid-1380s, Richard had started an active campaign against heresy in the kingdom, attacking heretical works, arresting Lollards and supporting the church authorities. However, no new statutes were passed. Richard's personal faith blossomed in the 1390s and a number of artefacts survive from this time, such as the Wilton Diptych, many gifts to the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor at Westminster, and his investment in Westminster Abbey and York Minster.

Using his 1390 Book of Statutes Richard now rebuilt his government, authority and image. He had learnt to create his own loyal retinue, to put trusted men in office and to end the war with France and thereby the crown's dependence on parliamentary grants of taxation to pay for the fighting. The question remained whether or not the substance could match the facade. Gaunt was carefully nurtured until 1394, when the king had gained the authority he