Part of Jacob Abbott’s popular Makers of History series, Richard II offers a readable narrative biography of the young Plantagenet king who came to the throne as a boy and was eventually deposed. Abbott recounts the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, Richard’s struggles with powerful nobles, his pursuit of absolute authority, and his fall before Henry Bolingbroke in 1399. Written in Abbott’s clear, storytelling style, the book introduces general readers to the drama of late fourteenth-century England.
Abbott designed his histories to be both instructive and entertaining, and this volume brings the turbulent reign of Richard II to life with attention to character and incident. It captures the tensions between crown and aristocracy that culminated in the king’s downfall and the rise of the House of Lancaster. Readers new to the period, including younger ones, will find it an inviting entry point.