The Loyal Conspiracy

Book excerpt: First published in 1971, The Loyal Conspiracy gives a detailed examination of the most critical years of the reign of Richard II, through an account of the careers of the Lords Appellant. These were the five great noblemen, ranging from Thomas of Woodstock, the King’s uncle, to Henry of Bolingbroke, later Henry IV, who rose in arms to restrain the activities of Richard II and his partisans in 1387. Anthony Goodman looks, too, at the origins, course and results of this revolt, and his study of these five nobles and the dramatic episode which united them briefly and reluctantly provides a novel and interesting interpretation of an important section of English medieval history. He directs new light on the personalities of Richard and the Lords Appellant, and also on the nature of the polity –it bases and tensions – in later fourteenth-century England. This book will be of interest to students of history and literature.