[King Richard II](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+richard+ii&kgmid=/m/0cky8) based his rule on a staunch belief in royal prerogative and absolute divine right, seeking to elevate the monarch as a supreme figure above both the nobility and ordinary citizens. [1]
The primary counties that rejected his government's authority and ignited the 1381 Peasants' Revolt were Essex and Kent, followed closely by the rest of southeastern England. [2, 3]
## The Basis of His Rule
* Royal Prerogative: Richard II fiercely believed that his power came directly from God, rather than the consent of the lords or parliament.
* Control of the Aristocracy: He actively worked to restrain the power of traditional nobles, relying on a private, loyal military retinue and a select circle of chosen courtiers instead. [1]
* Aggressive Taxation: To maintain his crown's authority and fund the ongoing Hundred Years' War, his government relied on highly unpopular flat-rate poll taxes, which heavily burdened the poor. [4, 5]
## Counties That Rejected His Rule
* Essex: The revolt officially broke out here in May 1381 when villagers violently drove out a royal commissioner trying to collect unpaid poll taxes. [3, 6]
* Kent: Led by Wat Tyler and the radical preacher John Ball, the people of Kent quickly joined the uprising, capturing Canterbury before marching toward London. [3, 4]
* Other Eastern Counties: The rebellion rapidly expanded past the southeastern hotbed, leading to major unrest and rejection of royal officials in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire. [2, 5]
If you'd like, I can provide more details about:
* The specific royal officials targeted by the rebels
* How the poll tax system worked
* The ultimate demise and deposition of King Richard II
[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_II_of_England)
[2] [https://thehistorypress.co.uk](https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/richard-ii-and-the-peasants-revolt-of-1381/)
[3] [https://www.fhithich.uk](http://www.fhithich.uk/2024/06/14/the-peasants-revolt-a-local-connection/)
[4] [https://www.historic-uk.com](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Richard-II/)
[5] [https://en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasants%27_Revolt)
[6] [https://www.historyhit.com](https://www.historyhit.com/1381-peasants-revolt/)
Yes, [King Richard II](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+richard+ii&kgmid=/m/0cky8) did briefly achieve absolute rule over England during a short, highly controversial period known by historians as "The Tyranny" (1397–1399). However, his absolute power never successfully extended beyond England to control a larger empire. [1, 2]
## How He Achieved Absolute Power in England
For the vast majority of his reign, Richard's authority was heavily checked by Parliament and a powerful faction of nobles known as the Lords Appellant. In 1397, Richard orchestrated a political coup to seize complete control: [1, 3, 4, 5]
* Eliminating the Opposition: He arrested, executed, or exiled his primary noble rivals, including his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. [1, 5]
* Bypassing Parliament: In 1398, he forced Parliament to delegate all its ruling powers to a small committee composed entirely of his loyal friends. This legally granted him absolute rule, enabling him to pass laws and levy taxes without ever needing to call Parliament again. [1, 6]
* Rule by Fear: He terrorized the country using a private, permanent bodyguard army of Cheshire archers, enforcing arbitrary laws without trials. [6, 7]
## "And Beyond": His Failure Outside England
While Richard centralized total domestic power, he failed to build an empire or successfully project absolute rule "beyond" England's borders:
* Ireland: Seeking to expand his authority, Richard led two massive, expensive military expeditions to Ireland (in 1394 and 1399). While he extracted temporary submissions from Irish chieftains, English authority collapsed the moment he left. [8, 9]
* France: Unlike his father (the Black Prince) and grandfather (Edward III), Richard did not conquer French territory. Instead, he chose to sue for peace, signing a highly unpopular 28-year truce that yielded English claims. [10]
* Scotland: He made no successful military gains or territorial claims over Scotland, which remained a distinct, hostile kingdom.
## The Cost of His Absolutism
Richard’s absolute rule lasted less than two years. In May 1399, while Richard was physically away in Ireland trying to quell Irish rebels, his exiled cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, launched an invasion of England. Because Richard had alienated nearly the entire English nobility, his domestic support evaporated immediately. Upon his return, he was captured, forced to abdicate, and deposed by Parliament—abruptly ending his experiment with absolute monarchy. [1, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13]
If you'd like to explore this further, I can provide more information on:
* The Lords Appellant who originally stripped him of power
* The specific actions of Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV) during the 1399 invasion
* How Shakespeare dramatized this specific downfall in his play, Richard II [3, 4, 9, 12, 14]
[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_II_of_England)
[2] [https://api.pageplace.de](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781526112859_A40541449/preview-9781526112859_A40541449.pdf)
[3] [https://medievalhistory.info](https://medievalhistory.info/the-tyranny-of-richard-ll/)
[4] [https://www.facebook.com](https://www.facebook.com/61555906622137/posts/10-key-facts-about-richard-ii-of-england1-he-became-king-as-a-childrichard-ii-as/122288412092196887/)
[5] [https://www.britannica.com](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-II-king-of-England/Tyranny-and-fall)
[6] [https://user.phil.hhu.de](https://user.phil.hhu.de/~holteir/companion/popups/richardstyranny.html)
[7] [https://medievalhistory.info](https://medievalhistory.info/the-tyranny-of-richard-ll/)
[8] [https://www.timeref.com](https://www.timeref.com/people/hpr418.htm)
[9] [https://www.britannica.com](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-II-king-of-England)
[10] [https://www.historic-uk.com](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Richard-II/)
[11] [https://www.bbc.co.uk](https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/richardii_reign_01.shtml)
[12] [https://www.facebook.com](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1953460481760645/posts/2235609320212425/)
[13] [https://www.britannica.com](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-II-king-of-England/Tyranny-and-fall)
[14] [https://theconversation.com](https://theconversation.com/richard-ii-by-william-shakespeare-why-the-divine-right-of-kings-still-matters-186648)
There never was any justification than violence.
...
Except
Yes, there have been historical kings who were explicitly voted into power by assemblies of the people, as well as monarchs who ruled with overwhelming popular support and faced no internal revolts.
While modern hereditary monarchies are the norm today, elective monarchies and deeply beloved rulers exist throughout global history.
## Kings Voted by the People (Elective Monarchies)
In these systems, kings were not automatically determined by birth, but were chosen through a vote by tribal, noble, or citizen councils.
* Anglo-Saxon England (The Witenagemot): Before the Norman Conquest of 1066, English kings were not strictly hereditary. A council of nobles and bishops called the Witan (or Witenagemot) voted on who should rule, choosing the most capable male from the royal family. King [Harold Godwinson](https://www.google.com/search?q=harold+godwinson&kgmid=/m/0b03_) was famously elected this way in 1066.
* The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: From 1572 to 1795, Poland practiced "Royal Election." Every noble (which made up about 10% of the entire population, a massive voting bloc for the era) could gather at a massive outdoor assembly to cast a vote for the next king.
* Early Rome: Before Rome became a Republic or an Empire, it was a kingdom (753–509 BC). The earliest kings, like [Numa Pompilius](https://www.google.com/search?q=numa+pompilius&kgmid=/m/0lnpl), were elected by the Roman Senate and then confirmed by a vote of the popular assembly of citizens (Comitia Curiata).
* The Holy Roman Empire: Emperors were elected by a small council of Prince-Electors. While they were voted on by powerful elites rather than the general public, it was still a strictly electoral process.
## Kings Who Faced No Revolts and Had Mass Support
Some kings managed to rule with such high approval and political skill that their reigns were entirely free of rebellion.
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[[King Antoninus Pius](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+antoninus+pius&kgmid=/m/0n9r) (Roman Emperor, 138–161 AD): His 23-year reign is widely considered the most peaceful period in Roman history. He never commanded an army in person, faced zero internal revolts, left the treasury with a massive surplus, and was genuinely loved by the public for his focus on law, infrastructure, and legal rights for the poor.](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+antoninus+pius&kgmid=/m/0n9r)
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[[King Sejong the Great](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+sejong+the+great&kgmid=/m/014__p) (Joseon Dynasty, Korea, 1418–1450): He is one of Korea's most revered monarchs. He faced no rebellions because his policies directly benefited the common people. He personally created the Hangul alphabet so everyday citizens could learn to read and write, and he implemented early welfare policies, such as granted maternity leave for government slaves.](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+sejong+the+great&kgmid=/m/014__p)
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[[King Pedro II](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+pedro+ii&kgmid=/m/0k_69) (Empire of Brazil, 1831–1889): Pedro II ruled for 58 years with immense popular adoration. He turned Brazil into an economic powerhouse, championed free speech, and pushed for the abolition of slavery. When a military coup eventually overthrew him to declare a republic, the public was so fiercely supportive of Pedro II that the coup leaders had to sneak him out of the country in the middle of the night to prevent a massive popular uprising in his defense.](https://www.google.com/search?q=king+pedro+ii&kgmid=/m/0k_69)
If you are interested, I can provide more details on:
* How the Polish noble voting assemblies worked
* The daily life in Rome under the peaceful rule of [Antoninus Pius](https://www.google.com/search?q=antoninus+pius&kgmid=/m/0n9r)
* The democratic elements of the Anglo-Saxon Witan
So we got them to at least pretending votes. THIS IS EUROPA!!!!
IRA MOVEMENT
NO NATIONS. NO PRIVILEGES.
