【简译】英格兰的理查二世

英格兰理查一世

Richard II of England reigned as king from 1377 to 1399 CE. The son of the late Edward the Black Prince (1330-1376 CE), Richard would succeed his grandfather Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377 CE), but as he was only 10 years of age, he initially had to co-rule with his most powerful barons. The Peasants' Revolt of June 1381 CE was successfully put down but a failed campaign in Scotland, misguided favouritism at court, and the ambition of certain rival nobles all conspired to limit the power of a king who had, unwisely, considered himself divinely chosen to rule any way he wished. In August 1399 CE Richard was imprisoned, and the following February he was murdered and succeeded by his cousin and rival Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, who became Henry IV of England (r. 1399-1413 CE)

          英格兰的理查二世从公元1377年至1399年在位。作为已故黑太子爱德华（公元1330-1376年）的儿子，理查二世将继承其祖父英格兰的爱德华三世的地位（公元1327-1377年），但由于他只有10岁，最初不得不与最强大的男爵们共同统治。公元1381年6月的农民起义被成功镇压，但在苏格兰一次失败的运动、宫廷里错误的偏袒以及某些敌对贵族的野心，都合力限制了这位国王的权力，他不明智地认为自己是被神选中的，可以按自己的意愿来统治。公元1399年8月，理查二世被囚禁，次年2月，他被谋杀，王位由他的表弟和竞争对手兰开斯特公爵亨利·博林布鲁克继任，即英格兰的亨利四世（公元1399-1413年）。

家庭和继承

Edward of Woodstock, better known as the Black Prince after his distinctive armour or martial reputation, was the eldest son of Edward III of England. Made the Prince of Wales in 1343 CE and one of the greatest of all medieval knights, Edward would not, however, become king. The Black Prince died, probably of dysentery, on 8 June 1376 CE and so Parliament selected as the official heir to Edward III the prince's surviving son Richard of Bordeaux (b. 6 January 1367 CE). The young king-to-be's mother was Joan, the countess of Kent (1328-1385 CE), and he had had one brother, Edward, who had died in 1371 CE. Richard was favoured over another of Edward III's sons, John of Gaunt (1340-1399 CE), the Duke of Lancaster, largely because the latter had supported a number of officials and nobles identified by Parliament as guilty of corruption and misrule. As planned then, when Edward III died on 21 June 1377 CE, Richard became king.

          伍德斯托克的爱德华，因其独特的盔甲颜色或军事声誉而被称为黑太子，他是英格兰爱德华三世的长子。公元1343年，爱德华被封为威尔士亲王，是中世纪最伟大的骑士之一，但他没有成为国王。黑太子于公元1376年6月8日去世，可能是死于痢疾，因此议会选择太子的遗腹子波尔多的理查德（生于公元1367年1月6日）作为爱德华三世的正式继承人。这位年轻的准国王的母亲是肯特郡的女伯爵琼（公元1328-1385年）；他有一个兄弟，爱德华，他在公元1371年去世。理查二世比爱德华三世的另一个儿子——兰开斯特公爵冈特的约翰（公元1340-1399年）更受宠，主要是因为后者支持了一些被议会认定为犯有腐败和误国的官员和贵族。按照当时的计划，当爱德华三世于公元1377年6月21日去世时，理查成为了国王。

Richard was crowned on 16 July 1377 CE at Westminster Abbey, but he was a mere 10 years old and so his troubled kingdom was governed by a revolving council of nobles. The Hundred Years' War between England and France (1337-1453 CE) had started remarkably well for England with great victories at Crécy (1346 CE) and Poitiers (1356 CE) but by 1375 CE Charles V of France, aka Charles the Wise (r. 1364-1380 CE), had ensured that the only lands left in France belonging to the English Crown were Calais and a thin slice of Gascony. The war with France and its ally Scotland had also taken a heavy financial toll on the kingdom with an incessant round of taxes inflicted on the people, a situation only worsened by the arrival of the Black Death in 1348 CE which brought death and economic ruin. The failure to take the military initiative against France, high taxes and lasting economic disruption would all come back to haunt Richard later in his reign.

          理查于公元1377年7月16日在威斯敏斯特教堂加冕，但他当时只有10岁，因此他那混乱的王国是由一个旋转的贵族理事会管理的。英法百年战争（公元1337-1453年）开始时，英格兰取得了克雷西（公元1346年）和普瓦提埃（公元1356年）的伟大胜利，表现得非常好，但到了公元1375年，法国的查理五世，又称智者查理（公元1364-1380年），已经确保法国属于英国王室的土地只剩下加莱和加斯科尼的一小块。与法国及其盟友苏格兰的战争也给王国带来了沉重的财政损失，不断向人民征收税款，这种情况因公元1348年黑死病的到来而更加恶化，黑死病带来了死亡和经济毁灭。未能对法国采取军事行动、高额税收和持久的经济混乱都将在理查统治的后期困扰他。

农民起义

The so-called Peasants' Revolt of June 1381 CE was the most infamous popular uprising of the Middle Ages. The trouble started when a group of yeomen from Kent and Essex, fed up with the problem caused by the Black Death plague and, above all, the never-ending taxes which, since 1377 CE, included poll taxes of three groats (one shilling) aimed at everyone irrespective of resources, marched to protest in London. The group, numbering several thousand, caused havoc on the way as they looted, pillaged, and murdered. When the mob got to London, they burnt down the Savoy palace of the Duke of Lancaster and murdered anyone they pleased - the Chancellor, Archbishop Simon of Sudbury would be one victim, decapitated on Tower Hill. The mob's demands for change included the abolition of serfdom, a repeal of the laws limiting wage increases brought in after the Black Death, more peasant participation on local government, and the redistribution of the Church's riches (the latter being an idea championed by the theologian John Wycliffe, c. 1325-1384 CE). Although only 14, King Richard bravely met the protestors at Smithfield outside London on 15 June and persuaded them to stand down. This was quite a feat considering William Walworth, the Mayor of London stepped forward and killed Wat Tyler, one of the rebel leaders, amongst the confusion, perhaps thinking Tyler was about to do the king harm. Richard had, nevertheless, stepped forward and boldly declared:

          Sirs, would you kill your king? I am your rightful captain, and I will be your leader. Let all those who love me, follow me.(Quoted in Jones, N., 75)

          公元1381年6月的所谓农民起义是中世纪最臭名昭著的人民起义。一群来自肯特郡和埃塞克斯郡的贵族厌倦了黑死病瘟疫造成的问题，尤其是自公元1377年以来无休止的税收，包括针对每个人的3格拉特（1先令）的人头税，人们开始在伦敦游行抗议。这群人有几千人，在路上造成了混乱，他们抢劫、掠夺和谋杀。当暴徒到达伦敦时，他们烧毁了兰开斯特公爵的萨沃伊宫，并谋杀了他们不喜欢的人——大法官，萨德伯里的西蒙大主教，他在塔山被斩首。暴徒们对变革的要求包括废除农奴制，废除黑死病后带来的限制工资增长的法律，让农民更多地参与地方政府工作，以及重新分配教会的财富（后者是神学家约翰-威克利夫（约1325-1384年）倡导的想法）。虽然只有14岁，但理查国王于6月15日在伦敦郊外的史密斯菲尔德勇敢地会见了抗议者，并劝说他们不要继续闹事。考虑到伦敦市长威廉·沃尔沃斯（William Walworth）在混乱中挺身而出，杀死了叛军领袖之一瓦特·泰勒（Wat Tyler），也许他认为泰勒会对国王造成伤害。尽管如此，理查还是挺身而出，大胆地宣布：

          先生们，你们要杀死你们的国王吗？我是你们合法的队长，我将是你们的领袖，愿所有爱我的人跟着我。（引自琼斯，N.，75）。

Richard then employed the much-used tactic of making a load of extravagant promises he had no intention of keeping, but it was enough to stave off more rioting and the mob disbanded. Utterly ruthless, Richard ensured that around 150 of the rebels were hanged. There were other minor outbreaks of rebellion thereafter, but these were mercilessly quashed and their ringleaders executed as traitors.

          随后，理查采用了一种常用的策略，即作出了大量他无意遵守的奢侈承诺，但这足以避免更多的暴乱，暴徒们也解散了。理查完全无情地将大约150名叛乱者绞死。此后还发生了其他小规模的叛乱，但都被无情地镇压下去，其头目被当作叛乱者处死。

无情的委员会

Richard II may have won accolades for his success in putting down the Peasants' Revolt but any hopes that England had found itself a fine king, true and just, were soon dashed. The young monarch was wilful and hot-tempered, and he turned out to be rather too confident in his divine right to rule, making him intolerant of any views that conflicted with his own. Ignoring his barons, Parliament and commoners alike, Richard largely preferred to spend his time with favourites like Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford and his circle of sycophants.

          理查二世可能因为成功平定了农民起义而赢得了赞誉，当人们认为英格兰找到了一位真正的、公正的好国王时，希望很快就破灭了。这位年轻的君主反复无常，脾气暴躁，而且他对自己神圣的统治权过于自信，使他无法容忍任何与自己相冲突的观点。理查无视他的男爵、议会和平民，在很大程度上更喜欢和牛津伯爵罗伯特·德·维尔等宠臣以及他的佞臣圈子一起度过时光。

Medieval kings were often expected to perform great deeds on the battlefield but Richard's single campaign in Scotland in 1385 CE was a damp squib with no contact being made with the enemy. In 1388 CE, one of the great medieval knights, Sir Henry 'Hotspur' Percy (1364-1403 CE) led an army against the Scots but was soundly defeated at the Battle of Otterburn. Sir Henry even suffered the ignominy of capture and being set up for ransom, which Parliament and King Richard did meet.

          中世纪的国王往往被期望在战场上做出伟大的事迹，但理查在公元1385年在苏格兰的一次战役中却没有与敌人取得任何接触，而且最后被打败了。公元1388年，中世纪最伟大的骑士之一，亨利·珀西（热刺）爵士（公元1364-1403年）率领一支军队对抗苏格兰人，但在奥特本战役中惨败。亨利爵士甚至遭受了被俘的耻辱，并被敌人索要赎金，议会和理查国王确实满足了这一要求。

Richard had a much bigger crisis to deal with at home when, in 1386 CE, he made the hugely unpopular de Vere the Duke of Ireland and it looked like France was preparing to invade England. In December 1387 CE the dissatisfied barons made their move by defeating de Vere and his supporters at the Battle of Radcot Bridge near Oxford. Led by such high figures as Thomas Woodstock, the Duke of Gloucester (the king's uncle) and Henry Bolingbroke (b. c. 1366 CE, the king's cousin and son of John of Gaunt), a group of five barons next formed a council known as the Lords Appellants to better manage the king, still then considered a minor. This council called a Parliament in 1388 CE, which became known as the 'Merciless Parliament' and which essentially installed the Lords Appellants as the rulers of England who insisted Richard retake his coronation oath and who purged the royal court of anyone they considered undesirable.

          1386年，理查在国内遇到了更大的危机，他让极不受欢迎的德维尔成为爱尔兰公爵，而法国似乎正准备入侵英格兰。公元1387年12月，不满的男爵们在牛津附近的拉多科桥战役中击败了德维尔和他的支持者，开始了他们的行动。在伍德特伦特河畔斯托克的托马斯、格洛斯特公爵（国王的叔叔）和亨利·博林布鲁克（约生于公元1366年，国王的堂兄，高特的约翰之子）等高层人物的领导下，五个男爵组成了一个被称为“上诉人”的委员会，以更好地限制国王权力，当时的国王仍被视为未成年人。这个委员会在公元1388年召集了一个议会，该议会被称为“无情议会”，它基本上将上议院作为英格兰的统治者，坚持要求理查重新进行加冕宣誓，并将不受他们欢迎的人清除出王室。

艺术赞助人

Richard, who reached maturity in 1389 CE, wisely opted for a low political profile and retreated into the arts by appointing his own circle of similarly-minded friends at court. The king may have resisted the temptation to persecute those who had earlier been against him but one thing which he could not desist from was his continuing love of pomp and ceremony. Glorifying his own image, it seemed Richard was in love with himself as king and now even insisted he be addressed as 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Highness' rather than the traditional 'My lord'. Perhaps significantly, Richard was the first English king to have his portrait painted while still alive; the artist chosen for this honour may have been Andre Beauneveu of Valenciennes (1335-1400 CE). The finished painting was hung in Westminster Abbey and shows the king in full regalia.

          1389年，成年的理查明智地选择了低调的政治形象，并在宫廷中任命了自己的一群志同道合的朋友，从而退回到艺术领域。国王可能抵制了迫害那些早先反对他的人的诱惑，但有一件事他不能不做，那就是他对盛世和仪式的持续热爱。为了美化自己的形象，理查似乎爱上了作为国王的自己，甚至坚持用 “陛下”或“殿下”而不是传统的 “大人”来称呼他。也许很重要的一点是，理查是第一位在世时被画上肖像的英格兰国王；为这一荣誉而选择的艺术家可能是瓦朗谢讷的安德烈·贝奥内维（公元1335-1400年）。画作完成后被悬挂在威斯敏斯特教堂，这幅画显示了国王盛装打扮的模样。

Richard's tournament device was a white hart or stag which became an emblem for his supporters to wear as a mark of identification and as part of his servants' livery. Richard revamped Westminster Palace in 1393 CE at vast expense, making the interior much more colourful. Westminster Hall received a new roof, statues of various kings were added, and Richard's white harts appeared at the bases of the windows. Meanwhile, the Tower of London was refurbished, too, and expensive stained glass added. The king also supported medieval literature, especially the poet Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400 CE) who was made Clerk of the King's Works in 1389 CE, a position which saw him in charge of royal properties.

          理查的个人标志是一只白色的雄鹿，这成为他的支持者的标志，作为识别标志和他的仆人制服的一部分。1393年，理查花费巨资对威斯敏斯特宫进行了改造，使其内部更加丰富多彩。威斯敏斯特宫的屋顶得到重新装饰，增加了各个国王的想肖像画，理查的白色雄鹿出现在窗户的底部。同时，伦敦塔也进行了整修，并添加了昂贵的彩色玻璃。国王还支持中世纪文学，特别是诗人杰弗里·乔叟（公元1343-1400年），他在公元1389年被任命为国王工程的书记官，国王让他负责皇家财产。

爱尔兰和法国

In 1394 CE Richard led an army to Ireland, a very rare deed for an English king, but the campaign was inconclusive. 80 Irish chiefs did pay homage to the king, and English claims to lands there were recognised. Relations improved with France on 12 March 1396 CE, though, when the king married Isabella of France, the daughter of Charles VI of France (r. 1380-1422 CE). Isabella was only seven, but it was a union which cemented a three-decade truce between the two countries. Richard had been previously married to Anne of Bohemia, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (r. 1346-1378 CE) from 1382 CE, but she died in June 1394 CE, probably of plague. Neither of these marriages produced any children, something which would be exploited by Richard's enemies. The arrangement with Charles VI did not include Richard giving up his claim to the French throne (a claim which began with Edward III) and so the Hundred Years' War was, for now, merely put on pause.

          1394年，理查率领一支军队前往爱尔兰，这对英国国王来说是非常罕见的行为，但这次战役并没有结果。80位爱尔兰酋长向国王致敬，英格兰对那里的土地要求也得到了承认。不过，1396年3月12日，国王与法兰西的伊莎贝拉结婚，她是法国查理六世（公元1380-1422年）的女儿，这使得英格兰与法兰西的关系有所改善。伊莎贝拉当时只有7岁，但这一结合巩固了两国之间长达30年的休战关系。理查之前曾于公元1382年与神圣罗马帝国皇帝查理四世（公元1346-1378年）的女儿波希米亚的安妮结婚，但她于公元1394年6月去世，可能是死于瘟疫。这两段婚姻都没有产生任何孩子，这一点将被理查的敌人所利用。与查理六世的安排并不包括理查放弃对法国王位的要求（这一要求始于爱德华三世），因此，百年战争目前只是暂停了下来。

博林布鲁克的回归

In 1397 CE, perhaps feeling more secure on his throne and giving vent to the taste for vengeance so many medieval monarchs enjoyed, Richard, at last, began to plot against those who had betrayed him ten years before. The king had the Lords Appellants, including Bolingbroke, arrested and either exiled or executed; their estates becoming useful gifts for others at court or the Crown itself. Many barons now realised the king was tyrannical and that nobody was safe from his whims.

          1397年，也许是觉得自己的王位更安全了，并发泄了许多中世纪君主所享有的复仇欲望，理查终于开始密谋对付那些十年前背叛他的人。国王逮捕了包括博林布鲁克在内的委员会成员，并将他们流放或处决；他们的财产成为宫廷中王室的财物。许多男爵意识到，国王是个暴君，没有人可以逃脱他的魔爪。

In 1399 CE, Richard then made his fatal mistake. The king had a hankering to continue his unfinished business in Ireland but while there, Bolingbroke, seen by some as the legitimate heir to Edward III now that his father John of Gaunt was dead (3 February 1399 CE), returned from his exile in France. In June-July 1399 CE Bolingbroke only had a small invading army, perhaps 300 fighting men, which landed at Spurn Head in Yorkshire. Fortunately for Bolingbroke, the English barons, who included such figures as Sir Henry 'Hotspur' Percy, were only too pleased to switch their allegiance to the usurper, and the rebel army swelled as it moved south, and the king's support evaporated.

          在1399年，理查犯了致命的错误。国王很想继续他在爱尔兰的未竟事业，但在那里，博林布鲁克从法国流亡归来，他被一些人视为爱德华三世的合法继承人，因为他的父亲刚特的约翰已经死了（公元1399年2月3日）。1399年6月至7月，博林布鲁克只有一支小规模的军队，可能有300名战斗人员，在约克郡的斯普恩头登陆。对博林布鲁克来说，幸运的是，包括亨利·珀西（热刺）爵士（Sir Henry 'Hotspur' Percy）在内的英国男爵们非常乐意向篡位者效忠，叛军在南下的过程中不断扩张，国王的支持率也随之消失了。

Richard returned from Ireland but wisely went into hiding in Conwy Castle in Wales. The king was then tricked into giving himself up on 20 August and was imprisoned in the Tower of London, the first English monarch to be confined there. On 29 September 1399 CE, Bolingbroke next forced Richard to sign a formal document of abdication, another dubious first in English history. The wording of this document was as follows:

          I Richard by the grace of God king of England and of France and lord of Ireland…resign all my kingly majesty, dignity and crown…And with deed and word I leave off and resign them and go from them for evermore, for I know, acknowledge and deem myself to be, and have been, insufficient, unable and unprofitable, and for my deserts not unworthily to be put down. (quoted in Jones, N., 80-81)

          理查从爱尔兰回来后，明智地躲进了威尔士的康威城堡。随后，国王被骗于8月20日出堡，并被囚禁在伦敦塔中，成为第一个被囚禁在那里的英格兰君主。公元1399年9月29日，博林布鲁克强迫理查德签署了一份正式的退位文件，这是英国历史上非常可疑的事件之一。这份文件的措辞如下：

          我理查，承蒙上帝的恩典，成为英格兰和法国的国王以及爱尔兰的领主......辞去我所有的国王威严、尊严和王冠......我用行动和语言离开并辞去它们，并永远离开它们，因为我知道、承认并认为自己是，而且一直是，不足、无能和无用的，而且因为我的功劳，不值得任何牺牲。(引自琼斯，N.，80-81）。

William Shakespeare (1564-1616 CE) in his play Richard II has the king utter the rather more realistic sentiments regarding his demise:

          My God! A wonderful land is this, and a fickle; which hath exiled, slain, destroyed or ruined so many kings, rulers, and great men, and is ever tainted and toileth with strife, and variance and envy.(ibid, 81)

          威廉·莎士比亚（公元1564-1616年）在他的戏剧《理查二世》中让国王对他的死亡说出了更现实的感慨：

          我的上帝! 这是一片神奇的土地，也是一片善变的土地；它放逐、杀害、摧毁或毁坏了那么多的国王、统治者和伟人，并且永远被纷争、分歧和嫉妒所玷污和玷污。

死亡和继承人

On 30 September Parliament officially nominated Henry Bolingbroke as Richard's successor. Richard was moved to his final place of confinement, Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire, in September 1399 CE, and there he died on 14 February 1400 CE. A failed uprising by Richard's supporters only sealed the ex-king's fate; he could not be allowed to live. Richard perhaps died of starvation or he was perhaps poisoned or he was even hacked to death by a squad of assassins, such are the varying theories on the king's quick demise. Richard was just 33 years of age, and his body was put on public display in the Tower of London in case any would-be rebels thought he might still be alive and ready to launch a coup. Eventually, Richard was interred in Westminster Abbey where his effigy can still be seen.

          9月30日，议会正式提名亨利·博林布鲁克为理查的继承人。1399年9月，理查被转移到他最后的监禁场所——约克郡的庞特弗莱茨城堡。1400年2月14日，他在那里去世。理查的支持者们发动了一次失败的起义，但只是确定了这位前国王的命运；他不能继续活着。理查也许是饿死的，也许是被毒死的，甚至是被刺客砍死的，这些都是关于这位国王快速死亡的不同理论。理查当时只有33岁，他的尸体被放在伦敦塔里公开展示，以防任何可能的叛乱者认为他可能还活着并发动政变。最终，理查被安葬在威斯敏斯特教堂，现在仍然可以看到他的遗像。

Meanwhile, Henry Bolingbroke was crowned Henry IV of England in Westminster Abbey on 13 October 1399 CE and he would reign until 1413 CE, although his time as king was beset with rebellions in both England and Wales. Henry was succeeded and outshone by his son Henry V of England (1413-1422 CE) who became one of the great fighting monarchs of European history but the ousting of the legitimate King Richard would come to haunt the Lancaster descendants as the two houses of Lancaster and York battled for the throne in what became known as the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487 CE).

          同时，亨利·博林布鲁克于1399年10月在威斯敏斯特教堂加冕为英格兰的亨利四世，他将一直统治到1413年，尽管他作为国王的时期在英格兰和威尔士都被叛乱所困扰。亨利四世的儿子亨利五世（1413-1422年）继承了他的位置，他成为欧洲历史上最伟大的战争君主之一，但正统国王理查被赶下台后，兰开斯特家族的后人就开始为王位而战，这就是我们所熟知的“玫瑰战争”（1455-1487年）。

参考书目：

Blockmans, W. Introduction to Medieval Europe 300-1500. Routledge, 2017.

Cannon, J. The Kings and Queens of Britain. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Cavendish, R. Kings & Queens. David & Charles.

Coss, P. Heraldry, Pageantry and Social Display in Medieval England. Boydell Press, 2012.

Crouch, D. Medieval Britain, c.1000-1500. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Jones, D. The Plantagenets. William Collins, 2020.

Jones, N. Tower. Griffin, 2013.

Phillips, C. The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Kings & Queens of Britain. Lorenz Books, 2006.

Ralph Lewis, B. Kings and Queens of England. Readers Digest, 2003.

Saul, N. The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval England. Oxford University Press, 2001.

Wilson, D. The Plantagenets. Quercus Publishing, 2016.

作者：Mark Cartwright

          驻意大利的历史作家。他的主要兴趣包括陶瓷、建筑、世界神话和发现所有文明的共同思想。他拥有政治哲学硕士学位，是《世界历史百科全书》的出版总监。

原文网址：https://www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-18673/ricardo-ii-de-inglaterra/