the peasants led by Wat Tyler, in 1381. Richard appeared
among the insurgents and granted them concessions.

From this time the King became more active in his
government, and in 1386 John of Gaunt withdrew to the
Continent. About the same time the Duke of Gloucester headed
a coalition of the baronial party in opposition to the
sovereign; but in 1389 Richard suddenly declared himself of
age and gave a check to their designs. For eight years he
ruled with moderation as a constitutional monarch.

But in 1396 Richard married Isabella, daughter of Charles VI
of France, and henceforth seems to have adopted French
ideas, and to have made pretensions in the direction of
absolutism. He proceeded to arbitrary prosecutions which led
to the violent death of several leading nobles. Richard also
quarrelled with Henry, son of John of Gaunt, whom as Duke of
Lancaster he succeeded in 1399. The year before, Richard had
banished Henry for ten years--fearing him as a possible
rival. The history of the remaining months of Richard's
reign is crowded with the events which rapidly led to the
ending of the direct line of the Plantagenets and the
beginning of the line of Lancaster.

In Shakespeare's _Richard II_--the first of his historical
plays--the poet, following Holinshed's chronicle, presents
not only a skilful dramatic construction of the recorded
incidents of the reign, but also a finely discriminated
portrait of Richard's much debated character as man and
monarch.

Richard now saw himself triumphant over all his opponents. Even his
uncles, through affection or fear, seconded all his measures. He had
attained what seems for some time to have been the great object of his
policy. He had placed himself above the control of the law. By the
grant of a subsidy for life he was relieved from the necessity of
meeting his parliament; with the aid of his committee, the members of
which proved the obsequious ministers of his will, he could issue what
new ordinances he pleased; and a former declaration by the two houses,
that he was as free as any of his predecessors, was conveniently
interpreted to release him from the obligations of those statutes which
he deemed hostile to the royal prerogative. But he had forfeited all
that popularity which he had earned during the last ten years; and the
security in which he indulged hurried him on to other acts of despotism,
which inevitably led to