King Richard II
(1367-1400), Reigned 1377-99Sitter associated with 34 portraits
The second son of Edward (the Black Prince) and Joan, Countess of Kent, and grandson of Edward III, Richard succeeded to the throne aged ten, under the regency of his uncle John of Gaunt. Misrule, plague and war with France resulted in the Peasant's Revolt of 1381. After this early crisis, his reign was coloured by bitter fighting with the nobility, culminating in a royal campaign of arrest, execution and property confiscation in 1398. Gaunt's son, the banished noble Henry Bolingbroke, invaded England in 1399 and with popular support forced the king to abdicate, claiming the throne as Henry IV. Richard died in captivity, his reign becoming the subject of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of King Richard the Second.
by Unknown artist
oil on panel, 16th century
NPG 565
by Unknown artist
oil on panel, 1597-1618
NPG 4980(8)
'The Kings and Queens of England: From the Conquest to Queen Victoria'
by Henry Hering
albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862
NPG Ax131392
probably by William Faithorne
line engraving, probably 17th century
NPG D23718
by Renold or Reginold Elstrack (Elstracke)
line engraving, 1618
NPG D23715
by Renold or Reginold Elstrack (Elstracke), after Unknown artist
line engraving, published 1618
NPG D9386
by Renold or Reginold Elstrack (Elstracke)
line engraving, 1638
NPG D23717
by Renold or Reginold Elstrack (Elstracke), after Unknown artist
line engraving, published 1638 (1618)
NPG D9387
by Renold or Reginold Elstrack (Elstracke), after Unknown artist
line engraving, published 1638 (1618)
NPG D9391
The Wilton Diptych (King Richard II)
by Wenceslaus Hollar, after Unknown artist
etching, 1639
NPG D9392
The Wilton Diptych (King Richard II)
by Wenceslaus Hollar, after Unknown artist
etching, 1639
NPG D17881
The Wilton Diptych (relates to Richard II)
by Wenceslaus Hollar, after Unknown artist
etching, 1639
NPG D17882
probably by William Faithorne
line engraving, circa 1640
NPG D22805
Tomb of King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia in Westminster Abbey
by Richard Gaywood
etching, 1665
NPG D33903
King Edward I; King Edward II; King Edward III; King Richard II
after Unknown artist
line engraving, published 1677
NPG D34137
by Hall
line engraving, probably 18th century
NPG D23720
The lines of Plantagenet, Lancaster and York
by George Vertue
etching, circa 1700-1756
NPG D32045
by Peter Vanderbank (Vandrebanc), after Edward Lutterell (Luttrell)
line engraving, 1706
NPG D23719
by George Vertue, after Giuseppe Grisoni
line engraving, 1718
NPG D23713
Related People
- Anne of Bohemia (wife)
- King Edward III (grandfather)
- Edward, Prince of Wales (father)
- Isabella of France (wife)
- John ('John of Gaunt'), Duke of Lancaster and Aquitaine (uncle)
- Joan of Kent (mother)
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
Related pages
- Searching for Shakespeare
- Making History: Printed Portraiture in Tudor and Stuart Britain
- Picturing History: A portrait set of early English kings and queens
- Kings and Queens: A Family tree
- 'This sceptred isle': Shakespeare and the Plantagenets
- Etching
- Early Kings and Queens: a set of panel portraits
- Tudor pick up guides
- Tudor and Elizabethan portraits