Richard II was the King of England from 1377 to 1399. Also known as Richard of Bordeaux, he was an ambitious king with great political aspirations. His reign was marked by several political upheavals and the early years of his reign were overshadowed by the Hundred Years’ War and a prolonged struggle with France. Richard was one of the sons of Edward, the Black Prince and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III. His father was the heir apparent to succeed to the throne held by his grandfather but the untimely death of Edward the Black Prince made Richard the first in line for the throne. His grandfather died in 1377 and Richard, aged just ten at the time, succeeded to the throne. Due to his young age, the control of the government was placed in the hands of a series of councils, and the young king’s uncle, John of Gaunt became a highly influential person in the English court. Richard was just a teenager when he faced his first major challenge as the king—the Peasants’ Revolt. He played a key role in the suppression of this revolt and earned the respect of his citizens. Eventually he assumed the control of government himself but his growing dependency on a small group of courtiers made him unpopular. He was finally deposed by his cousin Henry of Bolingbroke who took the throne of England for himself