"Richard’s very character was being distorted by those around him. The pressure on him was immense: he had been given near-absolute power, educated to believe that the correct application of that power was to force everyone in his kingdom to obey, and told by parliament that his accession was as longed for as the coming of Christ. After such an education, it would have been a miracle if he had developed as a fair-minded, level-headed king. By 1382 it was already becoming apparent that Richard was very far from the glorious youthful leader that parliament and the rest of the country had hoped for at his coronation."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Chapter 2, “All Courtesy from Heaven” (p. 48)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ian_Mortimer
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Ian Mortimer
38 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Ian Mortimer →
Related Quotes
"This brings us to an important point about Henry. He was probably the nearest to an intellectual among all the mediev…"
"In the fifteenth century it was Henry’s grandfather, Edward III, who was regarded as the model for greatness: a man w…"
"The original reasons to doubt Richard’s fitness to rule – his unwise grants of lordships and lucrative offices, his l…"
"Henry had every reason to be fearful of those around him, not just of the king. This was the most damaging aspect of …"
"If the Lords Appellant are viewed as a group, there is a little doubt that they used tyrannical methods to bring an e…"
"By 1390 the Teutonic Knights were hardly crusaders at all; they were more like a militant Christian state in their ow…"
"Whether he paid any attention to the blue-green waters of the lake as he struggled toward the snow-capped mountains i…"
"It is not surprising that Lucia Visconti fell for him [Henry IV]. Considering his crusading, his pilgrimage and his j…"
"And so it went on. Every year, those in favor with Richard receive lucrative grants, honours and positions of respons…"
"The question of whether or not Henry was a great king in the fifteenth century, or subsequently, is a distraction. A …"