Editing Richard II of England (section)

=== Coming of age ===
[[File:Richard2 Anna.jpg|thumb|upright|Anne and Richard's coronation in the ''[[Liber Regalis]]'' of [[Westminster Abbey]]]]

It is only with the Peasants' Revolt that Richard starts to emerge clearly in the [[chronicle|annals]].<ref>McKisack (1959), p.&nbsp;424.</ref> One of his first significant acts after the rebellion was to marry [[Anne of Bohemia]], daughter of [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]], on 20 January 1382.<ref>Saul (1997), p.&nbsp;90. The marriage had been agreed upon as of 2 May 1381; Saul (1997), p.&nbsp;87.</ref> It had diplomatic significance; in the division of Europe caused by the [[Western Schism]], [[Bohemia]] and the [[Holy Roman Empire]] were seen as potential allies against [[France in the Middle Ages|France]] in the ongoing Hundred Years' War.{{Efn|While both England and the Empire supported [[Pope Urban VI]] in Rome, the French sided with the [[Avignon Papacy]] of [[Antipope Clement VII|Clement VII]].<ref name="Tuck"/>}} Nonetheless, the marriage was not popular in England. Despite great sums of money awarded to the Empire, the political alliance never resulted in any military victories.<ref>Saul (1997), pp.&nbsp;94–95.</ref> Furthermore, the marriage was childless. Anne died from the plague in 1394, greatly mourned by her husband.<ref>Saul (1997), p.&nbsp;225.</ref>

[[Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk|Michael de la Pole]] had been instrumental in the marriage negotiations;<ref name="Tuck"/> he had the King's confidence and gradually became more involved at court and in government as Richard came of age.<ref>Saul (1997), pp.&nbsp;117–120.</ref> De la Pole came from an upstart merchant family.{{Efn|A complaint in parliament claimed that he had been "raised from low estate to the rank of earl"<ref>Saul (1997), p.&nbsp;118.</ref>}} When Richard made him chancellor in 1383, and created him [[Earl of Suffolk]] two years later, this antagonised the more established nobility.<ref>Saul (1997), p.&nbsp;117.</ref> Another member of the close circle around the King was [[Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland|Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford]], who in this period emerged as the King's [[favourite]].<ref>Harriss (2005), p.&nbsp;98.</ref> Richard's close friendship to de Vere was also disagreeable to the political establishment. This displeasure was exacerbated by the earl's elevation to the new title of [[Duke of Ireland]] in 1386.<ref>McKisack (1959), pp.&nbsp;425, 442–443.</ref> The chronicler [[Thomas Walsingham]] suggested the relationship between the King and de Vere was of a homosexual nature, due to a resentment Walsingham had toward the King.<ref>Saul (1997), p.&nbsp;437.</ref>

Tensions came to a head over the approach to the war in France. While the court party preferred negotiations, Gaunt and Buckingham urged a large-scale campaign to protect English possessions.<ref name="Tuck"/> Instead, a so-called [[crusade]] led by [[Henry le Despenser]], [[Bishop of Norwich]], was dispatched, which failed miserably.<ref name="Tuck"/> Faced with this setback on the continent, Richard turned his attention instead towards France's ally, the [[Kingdom of Scotland]]. In 1385, the King himself led a [[English invasion of Scotland (1385)|punitive expedition to the north]],<ref>Muster of the 1385 army [https://books.google.com/books?id=vVFIAAAAYAAJ&q=archaeologia+1829 Ellis, Nicolas, Nicolas Harris, 'Richard II's army for Scotland, 1385', in ''Archaeologia'', vol. 22, (1829), 13–19].</ref> but the effort came to nothing, and the army had to return without ever engaging the Scots in battle.<ref>Saul (1997), pp.&nbsp;142–145.</ref> Meanwhile, only an uprising in [[Ghent]] prevented a French invasion of southern England.<ref>Saul (1997), pp.&nbsp;145–146.</ref> The relationship between Richard and his uncle Gaunt deteriorated further with military failure, and Gaunt left England to pursue his claim to the throne of [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] in 1386 amid rumours of a plot against his person.<ref name="Tuck"/> With Gaunt gone, the unofficial leadership of the growing dissent against the King and his courtiers passed to Buckingham{{Spaced ndash}}who had by now been created Duke of Gloucester{{Spaced ndash}}and [[Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel]].<ref name="Tuck"/>