The Lords Appellant

The Lords Appellant dispute occurred between 1386 and 1389 in late 14th-century England during the reign of King Richard II. It was a major political and a power struggle between the king and a group of powerful nobles who sought to limit his authority and curb the influence of his unpopular favorites.

The 10 year old Richard II became king of England in 1377 and was too young to rule unaided. A group of his uncles and regency counsellors were responsible for the government of the country. Over time those who were advising the King were seen by many as corrupt and promoting self-serving advise.

in 1386 With the French threatening to invade, Richard's continued disregard of his uncles' requests to remove his Chancellor and Treasurer from office, a delegation met Richard at Eltham. His uncle, Duke of Gloucester acted as spokesman for Parliament. He reminded Richard of his duties and demanded that his advisors be removed. He reminded Richard that if he didn't comply he could be removed from his position as King. Richard had little choice and a commission was set up to oversee the king's affairs.

Parliament, led by the Duke of Gloucester, demanded that King Richard II cease the wasteful manner in which he and his supporters were spending funds that country did not have. Parliament wanted to raise money to protect the south coast of England from attack by the French who were threatening to invade. A request was made to provide Parliament with all of Richard's financial records. This conflict between the King and Gloucester would escalate in the following year.

A limited civil war broke out in 1387 when the Appellants defeated Richard’s forces at the Battle of Radcot Bridge.