On October 31, 1396 the marriage ceremony between Richard II and Isabella of Valois, the daughter of King Charles VI of France, took place in the church of St Nicholas in Calais. The bride was six years old, and the groom was 29. This was the English king’s second marriage. His first wife, Anna of Bohemia, whom he wedded in 1382, died from tuberculosis twelve years later, without leaving an issue.
Both Richard’s marriages were arranged primarily for political and diplomatic reasons. The country desperately needed peace, as it had been devastated by the One Hundred Years’ War with France, initiated by Edward III, Richard’s grandfather.
The king was a showman who understood very well the importance of appearances and their effect on the European courts. Richard’s love for extravagance and luxury was demonstrated during his meetings with the French king in Calais. He was dressed in a ‘fine full-length gown of red velvet adorned with the white hart [Richard’s emblem] and a hat loaded with pearls.’ On the second day the king was in a ‘magnificent gown of white velvet and red sleeves.’ And on the third day he was in ‘a superb new outfit of blue velvet and gold ‘molle’,’ while the French king wore the same red gown every day.
Richard was known as one of the first monarchs to commission his own portraits. It seems that there had not been any portraits of the English kings and queens before his reign. Westminster Abbey claimed to have the earliest known portrait of Richard II at the age of 30. A few copies of this portrait, executed a couple of centuries later, are now in the National Portrait Gallery.
In one of them the monarch is formally dressed in a rich crimson robe lined with ermine. A gold crown decorated with rubies, sapphires and emeralds rests on his head. A yellow collar adorned with gold threads, precious stones and pearls holds Richard’s robe on his shoulders and is fastened with a great opal gemstone brooch.
It is not traditional profile portrait of a monarch; rather, it is the portrait of the anointed king with an unquestionable authority on Earth given to him by God. Richard gazes directly at the viewer. He has a slightly protruding nose, red sensual lips, pinkish cheeks, thin eyebrows, and tiny moustache and goatee beard. Some chroniclers stated that the monarch had quite a pale, almost feminine complexion. However, records state he was ‘tall, slender and graceful.’
Richard was born in Bordeaux and his first language was French, he was also fluent in Latin and English. The king was well-educated and loved literature, music and the arts. It is claimed that Richard introduced the use of handkerchief and cutlery at court and demanded to be called ‘His Highness or His Majesty.’
The king was a brave and courageous man who led several military campaigns in Scotland and Ireland. At the age of 33, Richard lost his crown and kingdom to Henry Bolingbroke, his cousin, who came back from exile in 1399. The king returned to England from Ireland too late to fight Henry’s supporters; he was captured and killed in Pontefract Castle.
Portrait can be seen in Westminster Abbey Nave
Post written by Irina Zaraisky City of Westminster Guide