28. Richard II

Published: May 5, 2011, 10:32 p.m.

After the fading glories of Edward III, England has another child king in 1377 with the accession of Richard II. Richard takes after his great-grandfather Edward II with his tendency for promoting lowly favourites and being considered of dubious heterosexuality and he frequently is at odds with the great nobles of the realm. However, he is also a surprisingly cultured monarch and shows impressive courage during the Peasants Revolt. Richard's fortunes fluctuate rather wildly, but troubles with his uncles and cousins (in particular Henry Bolingbroke) spell trouble for Richard and the Wars of the Roses are starting to loom large.