King Richard II and Queen Anne - An Annotated Bibliography

© Teresa Eckford, 2000

Bennett, Michael J.. "Richard II and the Wider Realm" in Goodman, Anthony and Gillespie, James L.. Richard II: the art of Kingship. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1999, pp. 187-204. A good introduction to Richard's reign and his political difficulties.

Bevan, Bryan. King Richard II. London. Rubicon. 1990. The author seems to romanticize Richard a little and relies on Gervase quite a bit.

Cannon, John and Griffths, Ralph. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. New York. Oxford University Press. 1988. Comprehensive volume that deals with themes in English history. The narrative isn't as chronological as some people might like, but there are good brief biographies of the monarchs and their consorts as well.

Colvin, Howard Montagu. The History of the King's Works. London. Her Majesty's Stationer's Office. 1963 Vol. II. A very important work for anyone wishing to understand Richard's building projects, as well as those of England's other monarchs.

Davies, Rev. John Silvester. An English Chronicle of the Reigns of Richard II., Henry IV., Henry V., and Henry VI.. New York. AMS Press. 1968. Though edited, the language is mostly unchanged and difficult for those to read who are unfamiliar with old English. A fascinating contemporary account of an important period in English history. Also a good introduction to the background of the initial period of the Wars of the Roses.

Duls, Louisa Desaussure. Richard II in the Early Chronicles. Paris. Mouton. 1975. A useful tool for assessing contemporary attitudes towards Richard.

Gervase, Mathew. The Court of Richard II. London. Murray. 1968. A competent examination of the court life in late 14th century England.

Gillespie, James L.. The Age of Richard II. New York. St. Martin's Press. 1997. Nigel Saul has a useful article in here about King Richard's Itinerary. The collection has other essays examining different aspects of Richard's reign.

Goodman, Anthony and Gillespie, James L.. Richard II: the art of kingship. Oxford, England. Clarendon Press. 1999. A useful collection of essays about Richard II and his kingship, including one by Anthony Tuck detailing his ties to the House of Luxemburg. (See below)

Hallam, Elizabeth. Chronicles of the Wars of the Roses. Markham. Penguin Books. 1988. General volume with mini bios of Richard, Anne and Isabella, along with modern translations of the major chronicles of the period. Covers the reigns of Richard II through to Richard III.

Hector, L.C. and Harvey, Barbara F. (Eds. and Transl.). The Westminster Chronicle, 1381-1394. New York. Oxford University Press 1982. A useful translation, with the Latin original facing the English version.

Hicks, Michael. Who's Who in Late Medieval England. Chicago. St James Press. 1991. A good general intro to the period, but has serious gaps - ie. no individual bio of either Anne of Bohemia or Isabella of France. Has some errors.

Hutchison, Harold F.. The Hollow Crown. London. Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1961. An older biography of Richard that is still of use, but should not be read in isolation.

Perroy, Edouard (Ed.). The Diplomatic Correspondence of Richard II . London. Offices of the Society. 1933. The correspondence is in a variety of languages, from middle English to Latin. A valuable volume for anyone wishing to know more about Richard.

Saul, Nigel. Richard II. New Haven, Connecticut. Yale University Press. 1997. Most recent biography - well written and researched. It has an extensive bibliography. The final chapter, Richard: King and Man is very good.

Steel, Anthony. Richard II. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1941. Is less than complimentary about Anne, however does acknowledge her influence in his life, though appears to be the only historian who contends that the relationship was slow to develop.

Tuck, Anthony. Richard II and the English Nobility. London. Arnold. 1973. Examines Richard's less than cordial relations with his magnates.

----------------- . "Richard II and the House of Luxemburg" in Goodman, Anthony and Gillespie, James L.. Richard II: the art of kingship. Oxford, England. Clarendon Press. 1999, pp. 205-29. Describes Richard and Anne's relationship as genuinely affectionate. (p. 219)

Williamson, David. Debrett's Kings and Queens of Britain. London (Webb & Bower Publishers Ltd., 1986). Another basic introduction. One thing I like is the inclusion of information on the consort of each monarch. There are some errors, so dates should be double checked.

Anyone not familiar with Richard should start with the most recent biography, that by Nigel Saul. Though a long book, it is well written and engaging. One book I could not get my hands on in time for this essay is the Historia Vitae et Regni Ricardi Secundi, edited by G. B. Stow. I hope to find it soon and will amend the article if necessary. Anyone serious about studying Richard should probably consult it as well. Saul's bibliography is very detailed and divided into listings of primary and secondary sources.

One of the best pieces of historical fiction written about Richard is actually set during the first half of the 20th century. How's that you ask? Well, Susan Howatch is known for writing books about historical figures, but setting the books in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Penmarric, Cashelmara and The Wheel of Fortune fall into this category, and it is the latter that deals with the family of Richard II. Told from several different points of view, this novel is a tour de force and will grab you right from the start. Jean Plaidy also wrote about Richard in her Plantagenet series, Passage to Pontefract.