It is a popular name with a rich cultural history, as it has been borne by many influential figures throughout history. Before King Edward IV dies, Queen Elizabeth knows that Richard is her enemy, but she doesn’t fully realise what he is capable of. Although Queen Elizabeth had influence and power as queen, as a widow she is powerless.

What are the Variant Forms of Richard?

• A portrayal of Richard II stopping the joust between Hereford and Norfolk  © The picture gets very complicated at this stage as the chronicles only contain Hereford’s side of the story.

{

• Just as the Black Death shook the foundations of society from below, so the fall of Richard II and subsequent Wars of the Roses would redefine it from above.

|}

• In the United States, Richard is a common name and has been consistently popular for decades.
• Branson had expressed his concerns about the tender process and questioned the validity of the business plan submitted by FirstGroup.

{

• For example, he did not go anywhere without his 311 man bodyguard of royal archers, and favour at court once again concentrated on a handful of loyalists that owed everything to the king.

|}{

• Richard was imprisoned and died, probably murdered, in Pontefract Castle in 1400.

|}

The character Grandson Richard 39 in Terry Pratchett’s Wings is modelled on Branson. Due to the line performing below VTEC’s expectations, it was announced in May 2018 that the contract would be terminated early by the government. VTEC ceased operating on 23 June 2018 and operations passed to a government-owned operator, London North Richard Eastern Railway. Branson had expressed his concerns about the tender process and questioned the validity of the business plan submitted by FirstGroup. The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, announced there were “significant technical flaws” in the process and mistakes had been made by transport staff. In July 2012, Branson announced plans to build an orbital space launch system, designated LauncherOne.

Singers and musicians

{

• Parliament selected a regency council that excluded the king’s uncle and leading lord, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

{

• The ultimate humiliation came with the execution of four of Richard’s favourite knights, including the beloved Burley.

|}

• Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby was the son of Gaunt; the same age as Richard II, the two would become bitter foes.

{

• The marriage treaty had secured peace with France, while the one power in the land who had posed a real threat to Richard’s position was dead.

|}

• His uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, was murdered and Richard, earl of Arundel, executed on Tower Hill.

{

• Due to the line performing below VTEC’s expectations, it was announced in May 2018 that the contract would be terminated early by the government.

|}

|}
Attacks on France failed, financial reforms did little to improve government, the Commons became disillusioned and the king’s popularity increased. De Vere raised the men of Cheshire in defence of the king and met the five lords in a battle that resulted in his defeat. The ultimate humiliation came with the execution of four of Richard’s favourite knights, including the beloved Burley. For a man like Richard this kind of event, and the humiliation that accompanied it, would never be forgotten. Richard’s government was making just about every mistake possible and now fell in the face of a parliamentary backlash. The Scots, unable to match this force, retreated and refused to be drawn into battle, leaving Richard to burn the border abbeys and depart without gain.

Failed business ventures

{
• Educated in a European style for the first four years of his life, Richard would bring a new sense of class and civility to the English throne.

|}{

• Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, had the title but no wealth and gained many profitable offices as his influence over the king increased.

|}

• Richard constructed the first royal bathhouse, may well have invented the pocket handkerchief and used a spoon for the first time.
• The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, announced there were “significant technical flaws” in the process and mistakes had been made by transport staff.

{

• Branson made several world record-breaking attempts after 1985, when in the spirit of the Blue Riband he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing by ship.

|}

• The naïve king, surrounded by sycophants, fell into the age old mistake of only rewarding favourites.

His interest derived from a natural wish to extend royal authority to all edges of his kingdoms, ruling via local fiefs. No-one could look the king in the eye and all deferred to him in a public and effusive way. In 1397 he gained a taxation grant without there being the requirements for war, for the first time; a dangerous precedent for the king to rely upon. Peace at home led the government to look abroad and Richard’s attention turned to reasserting the crown’s authority in Ireland. Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, youngest son of Edward III, brother of Gaunt and uncle to the king, led them. Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick led the strong family interest that had been the main power in the West Midlands for over a century.

Richard II’s life and reign

Gaunt’s enormous experience, great wealth and high ambition aroused the jealousy of Richard and his friends. Any slight had to be avenged whilst the king’s person sought constant praise, respect and even worship. As with so much about Richard, the reality of his leadership failed to rise to the majesty of its appearance. The son of England’s greatest warrior lord, the Black Prince, and a renowned European beauty, Joan of Kent, Richard was born in Bordeaux, 1367. Educated in a European style for the first four years of his life, Richard would bring a new sense of class and civility to the English throne. Those named Richard tend to be determined and resilient, facing challenges head-on with a sense of bravery and confidence.

2007: Entry into space travel and Virgin Media

At the peak of its usage in 1946, 3.566% of baby boys were given the name Richard. The baby name has since suffered a substantial fall in popularity, and is today of occasional use. The name Richard has predominantly been a baby boy name, though it has also been given to girls in the past century.