![Richard II, Gold Noble, Type Ib, 1377-1390 [ECH-109] - Image 2](https://colonialcoins.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ECH-190-2.jpg)
Description
Kingdom of England, Richard II of the House of Plantagenet, King of England 1377-1399 AD, Gold Noble (7.79h, 33mm), Type Ib, initial mark ‘cross pattée’ to reverse only, Royal Mint, London. 1377-1390 AD. Obverse: Half-length figure of King Richard II, crowned and armoured and wielding a sword in his right hand and an Escutcheon, baring the Arms of Royal Houses of England and France, in his left; he stands within an English Cog which features prominent castellated forecastle and aftercastle, a hull decorated with Lis and lions, and a central mast with three stern and a single prow rigging ropes, inner beaded border and legend surrounds, “RICΛRD: D:G: RЄX: ΛꞂGL: FRAꞂC: D: ꞂIB: Z: ΛQ”. Reverse: Central ornate quadrilobe inscribed with the initial “R” (for ‘Ricardus’) central, each lobe surmounted with small trefoil, over a decorative Cross Fleury, each limb ornamented with transverse lines and terminating with a Lis flanked by pair of large, stylized trefoils, a Lion passant guardant below royal crown in each angle; all within double tressure of arches forming an octolobe, small trefoil within each spandrel, beaded border and legend surrounds, “IɦC: ΛVTЄM: TRΛNSIЄNS: PЄR: MЄDIV: ILLORVM: IBΛT”. S-1654. A lovely gold “six shillings eight pence” noble of the boy king, Richard II ‘of Bordeaux’, the flan a touch wavey and some weakness of strike in parts on the obverse, decently full figure of the King however and the reverse is exceptionally well struck with fairly refined devices, good Very Fine, with parts certainly better, the reverse near Extremely Fine if not better.
The obverse Latin legend is the royal titulature of King Richard II, reading unabridged as “Ricardus, Deī Grātiā, rēx Angliae, Franciae, Dominus Hiberniae et Aquītāniae”, with an English translation of “Richard, by the grace of God, King of England, of France, Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine”. The reverse Latin legend is a verse from Latin Vulgate Bible, Luke 4:30, reading unabridged as “Iēsūs autem trānsiēns per medium illōrum ībat”, with an English translation of “But Jesus, passing through their midst, went His way”.
Richard ‘of Bordeaux’ was the son of Edward ‘of Woodstock’, later known as Edward the ‘Black Prince’, and the grandson of Edward III, King of England 1327-1377 AD, and was therefore a member of the Royal House of Plantagenet. After the death of his grandfather, Richard was crowned at only ten years old as King Richard II – a boy king who inherited a ravaged kingdom which was being fractured by the ongoing Hundred’s year war with France as well as the aftermath of the Black Death. Due to his young age, the kingdom was governed by a series of councils.
As Richard grew, he developed a dependence on a small, highly exclusive circle of ‘favourites’, shutting out the traditional nobility and consolidating wealth and power within a tiny clique. Fearing the growing power of these select few would drive England to ruin, a legal coup by a group called the ‘Lords Appellant’ rose up, leading to several military clashes – the result was the king’s acquiescence and many of his retinue being killed, exiled, or captured. Most importantly, the Lords Appellant caused Richard great humiliation which would not be forgotten – a vendetta which ultimately led to his end.
Ten years after the incident, Richard’s political “tyranny” began in which he systematically retaliated against the senior members of the 1386-1388 Lords Appellant, eliminating them as threats to his power. This was carried out with the help of his uncle, John of Gaunt, who remained the King’s loyal servant in order to shield his son, Henry Bolingbroke, from retribution due to his role in the Lords Appellant coup.
This was a forlorn hope, however, as Richard II’s ‘political rampage’ continued and he exiled Henry Bolingbroke to France in September 1398 AD, and the King’s growing autocracy outgrow the political power of his uncle, essentially relegating John to the political sidelines. John of Gaunt died of poor health the following year as an essentially ‘broken man’, and his death would give Richard the opportunity to completely disinherit his cousin and seize the massive Lancastrian estate. Upon hearing the news, Henry Bolingbroke returned to England, landing in Ravenspurn in Yorkshire towards the end of June 1399 AD where he began advancing south with a small force which grew as he acquired support from the northern lords. At the time, Richard II was in Ireland and had no concept of the scale of the rebellion; delayed by the bad weather, he eventually landed in Wales only to discover how disadvantaged he was against his cousin. Seeing the shifting political winds, many of his officers and soldiers deserted for Henry’s side, and the King fled north to Conwy Castle. Remaining here for a time, the king was lulled into a false sense of security, agreeing to leave his position and meet Henry – as soon as he left, he was ambushed, escorted to Henry at Flint Castle where the King unconditionally surrendered and abdicated the throne. Richard II eventually died in captivity, and Henry Bolingbroke ascended the throne of the Kingdom of England as King Henry IV of the House of Lancaster, cadet branch to the House of Plantagenet.
