The Hollow Crown: Richard II

Richard II hosts the confrontation between Bolingbroke and Mowbray as they accuse each other of treason. He pleads for peace, but both men refuse to back down. He then sets a date for a duel to be fought in Coventry.

As the duel nears, Richard stops the bout and orders the combatants back to his pavilion. He sentences Bolingbroke to ten years' banishment and Mowbray to life, and they swear to forgo meeting or rebellion. Out of respect for Bolingbroke's father, the king later reduces Bolingbroke's banishment by four years.

A messenger informs Richard that John of Gaunt is gravely ill. The king's plan is to use Gaunt's death to seize lands for the war, provoking fealty and backlash. The court visits Ely House; Richard angrily draws his sword during a rebuke but withdraws rather than escalate the conflict.

John of Gaunt dies, and Richard seizes his lands to fund his campaigns. York protests that the estates should pass to Bolingbroke to prevent instability, warning of rebellion. Richard ignores the warning but appoints York Governor of England in his absence, hoping to secure loyalty.

Bolingbroke returns from exile to England, facing Northumberland's caution about a coup. His agents split tasks: Bushy and Green head for Bristol; Bagot sails to Wales to raise Welsh troops. Northumberland reports Bolingbroke's growing threat.

York arrives to rebuke Bolingbroke and Northumberland, hoping to steer them away from rebellion. Bolingbroke asserts his claim to the title Duke of Lancaster, and York, unable to stop the move, chooses neutrality.

The Welsh army gathers under Salisbury but, waiting ten days for Richard's appearance, they disperse, assuming the king is dead. Bolingbroke's momentum seems to grow even as Richard's fate hangs in the balance. The realm braces for a shift in power.

Bolingbroke's men capture Bushy and Green and execute them for treachery, accusing them of misleading the king. The killings remove loyalists and strengthen Bolingbroke's grip. Richard's absence deepens the sense that the crown is slipping away.

Richard arrives in Wales to confront a faltering campaign, learns that northern castles are lost and the Welsh army has dispersed. He resolves to retreat to Flint Castle to weather the rebellion. The king faces the dawn of a rebellion threatening his rule.

Bolingbroke reaches Flint Castle and offers to support Richard only if his banishment is repealed. The two leaders meet, and Richard reluctantly accepts Bolingbroke's conditions, planning to return to London to confer. The fragile accord marks a turning point toward Henry IV's coronation.

In Westminster Hall, Bolingbroke is proclaimed successor as King Henry IV after Richard abdicates. The bishop of Carlisle objects and is arrested as the new regime secures power. Richard crowns Bolingbroke and then is sent to the Tower, with plans laid for his coronation under Henry IV.

From the Tower and York's court, plots unfold as Aumerle and others plot against Henry; Henry forgives Aumerle but vows to destroy the Oxford traitors. At Pomfret Castle, Aumerle murders Richard in confinement, while at Windsor Castle, traitors' heads are presented to the king, who contemplates a penitential voyage to the Holy Land.