II.
(A.D. 1367-1394.)
|The marriage of King Richard II. with Anne of Bohemia gave general
satisfaction in England, and proved a happy one in every respect. At the
coronation, which followed a few days after, the young bride received
the title of "the good Queen Anne." It pained her to see the distress of
the unhappy peasantry caused by the bloodshed and barbarous executions
that had been the result of Wat Tyler's insurrection. She compared their
miserable lot with her own bright and joyous one, and was thus prompted
to ask a great favor of the king. Having first convinced herself
that she would not be refused, she demanded a general pardon for all
malefactors. Her mediation came in time to save the life of many an
unfortunate creature, and sent a thrill of happiness through scores of
afflicted households. No wonder then that she was called "good Queen
Anne," but what was better still, she never forfeited the title.
Queen Anne was not a beauty, but at the age of sixteen, when she became
King Richard's wife, she was a blooming, healthy girl, with a clear,
fresh complexion and bright eyes. She had a high, narrow forehead,
long upper lip and fat cheeks, but the remarkable head-dress she wore
neutralized these defects somewhat. It was a cap two feet high and
equally wide, scooped out at the top so as to leave two high points
resembling horns. This structure was made of wire and pasteboard,
covered with a silky gauze. Though
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[Illustration: 0239]
{237}hideously ugly and excessively uncomfortable, it was universally
adopted by the English ladies in compliment to the queen, whose taste
must have been somewhat defective if she was responsible for the device
or crest she used, and required all her knights to wear at tournaments.
It consisted of an ostrich, that most ungraceful of birds, with a bit of
iron in his mouth. But Queen Anne introduced two articles into England
that were no doubt gratefully received; one was the ordinary pin
which we of the present day consider indispensable; the other was the
side-saddle, not such as we are accustomed to, but a bench with a step
suspended on which the rider's two feet were placed. This mode of
riding may have been comfortable, but the horse had to be led by a groom
because it was impossible for a lady to handle the reins herself.
[[A.D. 1384.]] At a festival of the Order of the Garter, in 1384, Queen
Anne wore a robe of violet cloth lined with fur, with a hood of the
same material faced with red. All her ladies were similarly attired. The
king, who was quite a dandy, wore on that occasion, a coat embroidered
in precious stones that cost thirty thousand marks. In this reign the
shoes had long-pointed toes of an absurd length fastened to the knees
with gold or silver chains, that must have been quite an annoyance to
the wearer. But Richard II. was very luxurious in his tastes and so fond
of spending money, that extravagant costumes were invented to please
him, regardless of taste or convenience.
Anne of Bohemia did not spend all her time in frivolous amusements, for
she read the Scriptures in her native tongue, and may be considered one
of the mothers of the Reformation. It is possible that she may have been
influenced by her mother-in-law, Joanna, the Princess of Wales, whom
she loved very much, but certain it is that when John Wickliffe was in
danger of his life, at the council of {238}Lambeth, in 1382, both these
royal ladies implored King Richard to aid in saving that reformer's
life.
A war in Scotland called the king from home when he had been married
a little over a year, and while he was away, his half-brother, John
Holland, murdered Lord Stafford. The cause of this dreadful crime was
jealousy. Stafford was a soldier of such high and noble character that
he was a great favorite with the whole English army, and so chivalrous
that the queen called him "her knight." It was when on his way with
messages from the king to Anne that the encounter, which resulted in the
death of the honored earl, took place. John Holland had noticed him, for
many months, with increasing envy, which led him, at last, to slay one
who had not given the slightest provocation for a quarrel. The father of
Stafford was so distressed at the atrocious murder of his dearly-beloved
son, that King Richard, prompted by the old man's demand for justice,
vowed his brother's life should pay the forfeit of his deed. Meanwhile
Holland had fled to the shrine of St. John of Beverly, and kept out of
the way until the king returned from Scotland. Then Joanna, Princess
of Wales, mother of Richard and John Holland, pleaded, with tears and
lamentations, to one son for the life of another. Before it was granted,
she died, and the king, unable to refuse her last request, pardoned the
criminal, who started, at once, on an atoning pilgrimage to Syria.
The queen was called upon to act as mediator again in 1387, after the
defeat of the royal troops by the Duke of Gloucester and young Henry of
Bolingbroke. The Archbishop of Canterbury was then sent to the king to
propose a treaty of peace, but was absolutely refused admittance to his
majesty's presence until the queen persuaded her husband to yield. After
the interview the royal household removed from Bristol, where it had
been established for several months, to London.
and actually went on her knees to plead for the life of John Calverly,
one of her esquires, but to no avail. That parliament was called "the
merciless," and merited the title.
[Illustration: 0243]
The succeeding two years were passed by the royal couple at Shene,
a favorite summer residence because of the beauty of the surrounding
landscape.
[[A.D. 1389.]] At the meeting of parliament in 1389 {239}the Duke of
Gloucester, with his adherents, established a reign of terror that made
fidelity to the king and queen an offence. Several members of Queen
Anne's household were selected as victims, principally because they
favored the cause of the Reformation and read the works of Wickliffe and
Lollard. The queen spared no pains in trying to save her friends, ard
{240}asked them, "how old he was."
"Twenty-two," was the reply, whereupon he declared that his ancestors
had been considered of age much earlier, and it was therefore his
intention to submit to control no longer. A sort of recoronation then
took place at St. Stephen's Chapel, when the nobility renewed their
oaths to the young sovereign, who thenceforth governed the kingdom
himself.
A splendid tournament was held in honor of this event, over which Queen
Anne presided. Sixty of her ladies, mounted on fine horses, each led by
a knight, rode, to the sound of the trumpets, and attended by a train
of minstrels, through the streets of London. When they arrived at the
tilting-grounds at Smithfield, they passed before the queen, who was
already seated on a richly decorated stand, then placed themselves on
either side of her. The prizes consisted of a richly jewelled clasp
and a gold crown, which the queen presented to the victors with her own
hands. At the close of the match, a fine banquet was served, succeeded
by dancing, which was kept up until a late hour in the night.
[[A.D. 1392.]] In 1392 King Richard applied to the citizens of London
for a loan of a thousand pounds. It was refused, but a wealthy Italian
came forward and offered the whole of the sum, whereupon a mob set upon
the unfortunate money-lender and tore him to pieces. Such a formidable
riot was the result of this outrage that Richard took away the city
charter and removed the law courts to York. This was a dilemma that had
not been counted on, and occasioned so much distress and disturbance
that Queen Anne was again called upon to act as mediator. This time she
merely persuaded her husband to make a public
passage through London with her, trusting to the citizens to do their
part, which she would follow up with her request at the proper moment.
{241}The king, with his escort, appeared first in the procession, then
followed the queen and her ladies. She wore her crown, a robe of
rich velvet, and a large collar of precious stones that blazed in the
sunlight as she moved along. The procession halted at Southwark bridge,
where it was welcomed by the lord-mayor and other authorities, followed
by representatives of every branch of trade carrying various devices.
There the king was presented with a pair of snow-white horses, covered
with trappings of gold cloth to which silver bells were attached. The
queen received a beautiful white palfrey, and after listening to a
long speech by the lord mayor, the procession moved on. All the streets
through which they passed were hung with flags, banners and rich
tapestry, the public fountains flowed with wine. At different points
bands of music and singers were stationed, the latter strewing the
path with fresh flowers as the royal couple approached. Some rare and
valuable gifts were presented, among which was a tablet set in jewels
with the crucifixion engraved thereon. The king took it in his hand and
said: "Peace be to this city!" Another was handed to the queen bearing a
request that she would not fail to plead for the king's pardon. She cast
her eyes over it and said, with a confident air, "leave all to me."
On arriving at Westminster Palace, the king entered first, and
proceeding to the great hall, mounted the throne, sceptre in hand, and
awaited the arrival of the queen and the rest of the procession. After
all had assembled, her majesty knelt at the feet of her royal spouse
and in a firm, clear voice made an humble and loving appeal that the
charters and liberties of his penitent subjects might be restored.
"Be satisfied, dearest wife," answered Richard, taking her hand and
raising her from her lowly position, "loth should we be to deny thee
any reasonable request. Meantime ascend, and sit beside me on my throne,
while I speak a few words to my people." {242}His majesty then addressed
the lord-mayor, thanked him for the exhibition of loyalty that had been
made that day, as well as for the costly presents made to himself and
his wife, bade him keep the peace of the city, and handed him back the
key and sword of his office. This reconciliation cost the city ten
times as much as the loan their sovereign had required. King Richard was
preparing for a campaign in Ireland in the June of 1394 when his beloved
wife was taken from him. She died at Shene, and in the bitterness of his
grief, unable to bear the sight of the palace in which he had spent so
many happy hours with his late companion, Richard had it destroyed.
The body of Anne of Bohemia was carried in grand procession to London
and buried at Westminster.
King Richard went to Ireland shortly after, and frequently in the
council-chamber of Dublin when anything recalled his "good Queen Anne"
to his thoughts he suddenly would burst into tears and leave the room.
[Illustration: 0246]
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