RICHARD2. Richard II, 1367-1400, was the younger son of Edward, the Black Prince, grandson of Edward III, and nephew of John of Gaunt. He was deposed by Henry Bolingbroke in 1399 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. His subsequent death has been laid to Bolingbroke's charge.
Chaucer addresses the Envoy of the Balade, Lak of Stedfastness, to King Richard, admonishing him to cherish his folk and to hate extortion. The dedication of the Envoy has enabled scholars to date the poem between 1386 and 1390.