Lords Appellant

The Lords Appellant were a group of powerful barons who came together during the 1380s to seize political control of England from King Richard II. The group was so called because its members claimed simply to be appealing to the King for good government (their major complaint was Richard's decision to make peace with France). The Lords were led by the Duke of Gloucester (youngest son of King Edward III and King Richard's uncle), the Earl of Arundel, and the Earl of Warwick; it also involved the Earl of Nottingham, as well as Richard's cousin, the Earl of Derby and Northampton, who would eventually become Henry IV.

In 1387, the Lords Appellant launched an armed rebellion against King Richard and defeated his forces at Radcot Bridge, outside Oxford. They maintained Richard as a figurehead with little real power, but impeached, imprisoned, exiled, or executed most of his court. For example, Richard's Chancellor, the Earl of Suffolk was impeached in 1386, and the Duke of Ireland was stripped of his titles and exiled.

In 1389, Richard's uncle and supporter, the Duke of Lancaster, returned from Spain and Richard was able to rebuild his power gradually until 1397, when he reasserted his authority and destroyed the Lords Appellant.

References

*Goodman, Anthony: "The Loyal Conspiracy: The Lords Appellant under Richard II"