Gillespie, James L., 'Richard II’s Yeomen of the Chamber', Albion 10 (1978), 319-329

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Quick Summary

Richard II’s expansion of his chamber staff does not necessarily mean that he was developing a form of absolutism

  • Richard II was acting as any great medieval lord was expected to act
  • He recruited more yeomen of the chamber when he felt threatened
  • These yeomen of the chamber were not engaged in tyrannous activity
Key Conclusion

Gillespie examines the members of Richard II’s chamber staff who were below the social rank of ‘chamber knight’ – a group known as the ‘yeomen of the chamber’. Gillespie challenges the traditional interpretation of historians that Richard II tried to create an ‘absolute monarchy’ and acted ‘tyrannically’ at the end of his reign. Rather, Richard was merely ‘acting as any great medieval lord was expected to act; he was distributing largess to his followers to reward their loyalty, albeit on a disturbingly large scale’ (p. 323).

Content Overview

Gillespie identifies around eighty yeomen who served as Richard II’s chamber staff during his reign. These yeomen were a very heterogenous group, and included men who performed a wide variety of duties. Richard II recruited more yeoman during periods when he felt that the royal prerogative was under threat: ‘A comparison of the wardrobe accounts for 1376-77 and 1384-85 reveals a striking increase in the size of the chamber staff.’ (p. 321). Richard II also lavishly rewarded his yeomen to ‘purchase support’ in 1384-5 and 1397-8 (p. 322).

Further Findings

The article finds no evidence that the yeomen of the chamber were ‘engaged in any of the ‘tyrannous’ activities of which Richard II has been accused’. Most were not directly involved in the ‘political machination of the period to be considered dangerous’ (p. 326). If they had been, we would expect them to see them attacked and prosecuted during the rebellion of the Lords Appellant and the Merciless Parliament of 1388. The king’s protection may have shielded some criminal conduct on the part of his yeomen, but such criminal activity remains surprisingly small and was not organised in any coherent program of ‘tyranny’.

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