In a word, Richard and his little queen, notwithstanding the disparity of their years, were both very well pleased with the match which they had made. Richard was proud of the youth and beauty of his wife, and Isabella was proud of the greatness, power, and glory of her husband.
Difficulties of Richard's position.--His rivals.--Plot discovered.--Richard arrests his uncle Gloucester.--Extraordinary circumstances of the arrest.--Richard becomes extremely unpopular.--His excesses.--Remorse.--His fear of Henry Bolingbroke.--Coventry.--Preparation for the combat.--The combat arrested.--Henry is banished from England.--Case of Lady De Courcy.--Her dismissal from office.--Richard seizes his cousin Henry's estates.--Ireland.--Richard's farewell to the little queen.--A rebellion.--Misfortunes of the king.--Conway Castle.--The king is made prisoner.--His interview with Henry at the castle in Wales.--The king is conveyed a prisoner to London.--Parliament convened.--Charges preferred against the king.--Interview between Richard and Henry in the Tower.--Rage of Richard.--Portrait of Henry.--The king is compelled to abdicate the crown.--Henry desires that Richard should be killed.--Assassination of Richard.--Disposal of the body.--The little queen.--Her return to France.--Sequel of the story of the little queen.
It was not long after Richard's marriage to the little queen before the troubles and difficulties in which his government was involved increased in a very alarming degree. The feuds among his uncles, and between his uncles and himself, increased in frequency and bitterness, and many plots and counterplots were formed in respect to the succession; for Isabella being so young, it was very doubtful whether she would grow up and have children, and, unless she did so, some one or other of Richard's cousins would be heir to the crown. I have spoken of his cousin Henry of Bolingbroke as the principal of these claimants. There was, however, another one, Roger, the Earl of March. Roger was the grandson of Richard's uncle Lionel, who had died long before. The Duke of Gloucester, who had been so bitterly opposed to Richard's marriage with Isabella, and had, as it seemed, now become his implacable enemy, conceived the plan of deposing Richard and making Roger king. Isabella, if this plan had been carried into effect, was to have been shut up in a prison for all the rest of her days. There were several great nobles joined with the Duke of Gloucester in this conspiracy.