Richard I known as Richard the Lionheart(ed) French Richard Coeur de Lion (b. Sept. 8, 1157, Oxford, Eng.—d. April 6, 1199, Chalus, Duchy of Aquitaine) Duke of Aquitaine (1168-99) and Poitiers (1172-99) and king of England, duke of Normandy, and count of Anjou (1189-99). He inherited Aquitaine from his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Denied real authority there, he rebelled against his father, Henry II (1173— 74) and later enlisted Philip II of France in a successful campaign against Henry (1189). Crowned king of England on Henry’s death that year, Richard embarked on the Third Crusade (1190), stopping in Sicily to name Tancred king and conquering Cyprus. He won victories in the Holy Land, but, after failing to gain Jerusalem, he signed a truce (1192) with Sala- din. On his way home Richard was captured by Leopold of Austria and turned over to Henry VI of Germany, who imprisoned him until a ransom was paid (1194). Richard returned to England and reclaimed the throne from his brother John, then spent the rest of his life in Normandy fight¬ ing against Philip II.
Richard II (b. Jan. 6, 1367, Bordeaux—d. February 1400, Pontefract, Yorkshire, Eng.) King of England (1377-99). The grandson of Edward III,
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GRANT HEILMAN
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Richard III > Richelieu I 1619
he inherited the throne during his boyhood, and his uncle John of Gaunt and other nobles dominated the government. The Black Death brought on economic problems, leading to the Peasants' Revolt (1381), which Rich¬ ard quelled with false promises. His enemies among the nobility placed limits on his royal power (1386-89), but he later took revenge on them. He banished John of Gaunt’s son, Henry, and confiscated his vast Lan¬ castrian estates. While Richard was absent in Ireland, Henry invaded England (1399) and seized power as Henry IV. Richard was then forced to abdicate the throne. He was then imprisoned, and sometime in Febru¬ ary 1400 he was executed; by means unknown.
Richard III (b. Oct. 2, 1452, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, Eng.—d. Aug. 22, 1485, Bosworth, Leicestershire) Last Yorkist king of England. He was made duke of Gloucester in 1461 after his brother Edward of York had deposed the weak Lancastrian king Henry VI and assumed power as Edward IV. Richard and Edward were driven into exile in 1470 but returned and defeated the Lancastrians in 1471. On Edward’s death (1483), Richard became protector for Edward’s son, the 12-year- old King Edward V, but he usurped the throne and confined Edward and his little brother to the Tower of London, where they were murdered. Henry Tudor (later Henry VII) raised an army against Richard, who was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Later Tudor histories and William Shakespeare’s play Richard III painted Richard as a mon¬ ster and were gross caricatures motivated by the new dynasty’s need to denigrate its predecessor.
Richard, (Joseph Henri) Maurice (b. Aug. 4,1921, Montreal, Que., Can.—d. May 27,2000, Montreal) Canadian ice-hockey player. He played right wing for the Montreal Canadiens (1942-60) and became the first National Hockey League player to score 50 goals in a regular (50-game) season (1943-44). His nickname, “Rocket,” reflected his speed and aggres¬ sive play. He was also noted for his clutch scoring and fiery temper.
Richards, l(vor) A(rmstrong) (b. Feb. 26, 1893, Sandbach, Cheshire, Eng.—d. Sept. 7, 1979, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) English critic and poet. While a lecturer at Cambridge, Richards wrote influential works, including Principles of Literary Criticism (1924), in which he intro¬ duced a new way of reading poetry that led to the New Criticism. A student of psychology, he concluded that poetry performs a therapeutic function by coordinating various human impulses into an aesthetic whole. In the 1930s he spent much of his time developing Basic English, a language system of 850 basic words that he believed would promote international understand¬ ing. He taught at Harvard University from 1944.
Richards, (Isaac) Vivian (Alexander) (b. March 7, 1952, St. John’s, Antigua) West Indian professional cricket player. Bom into a sport¬ ing family, Richards appeared in his first Test match for the West Indies against India in 1974, but he came to prominence with a score of 192 while batting against India in his second Test that year. In 1976 Richards scored a record 1,710 runs. His 56-ball century (scoring 100 points on 56 balls bowled) in 1985 is a record in Test cricket. Richards played a vital role in the West Indies’ two World Cup triumphs. He captained the West Indies in 50 Tests with 27 victories and holds the record for never having lost a series as captain. He was selected Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1977 and was also one of the five cricketers of the century selected by Wisden in 2000. He began coaching the West Indies team upon his retire¬ ment as a player in 1991.
Richardson, Dorothy M(iller) (b. May 17, 1873, Abingdon, Berk¬ shire, Eng.—d. June 17, 1957, Beckenham, Kent) English novelist. From age 17 she engaged in teaching, clerical work, and journalism. For much of her life she worked on her sequence novel Pilgrimage, comprising 13 volumes beginning with Pointed Roofs (1915). The final volume, March Moonlight, was published a decade after her death. A sensitive autobio¬ graphical account of a woman’s developing consciousness, it was a pio¬ neering work in stream-of-consciousness fiction.
Richardson, Henry Handel orig. Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson (b. Jan. 3, 1870, Melbourne, Austl.—d. March 20, 1946, Fairlight, Sussex, Eng.) Australian-bom English novelist. In 1888 she left Australia to study music in Germany, and she spent the rest of her life abroad, settling in England in 1904 with her husband, J.G. Robertson. Mau¬ rice Guest ( 1908), her antiromantic first novel, concerns a music student’s disastrous love affair. Her masterpiece, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, 3 vol. (1917-29), combining description of an Australian immigrant’s life and work in the goldfields with a powerful character study, is considered the crowning achievement of modem Australian fiction to that time.
Richardson, Henry Hobson (b. Sept. 29, 1838, Priestley Plantation, La., U.S.—d. April 27, 1886, Brookline, Mass.) U.S. architect. He studied at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and the Ecole des Beaux-Aits in Paris. His designs for Boston’s Brattle Square (1870-72) and Trinity (1872-77) churches won him a national reputation. He designed houses, libraries, suburban railroad stations, educational buildings, and commer¬ cial and civic structures. Instead of the narrow vertical proportions and Gothic features used by his contemporaries, he favoured horizontal lines, simple silhouettes, and large-scale Romanesque or Byzantine-inspired details. The Crane Memorial Library in Quincy, Mass. (1880-82), with its granite base, clerestory windows, tiled gable roof, and cavernous entrance arch, stands among his finest mature works. His Romanesque style had an integrity seldom achieved by his many imitators, and the functionalism of his designs presaged the work of Louis H. Sullivan.
Richardson, John (b. Oct. 4, 1796, probably Fort George, Upper Canada—d. May 12, 1852, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Canadian writer. His experience in the British army in the War of 1812 and later abroad pro¬ vided material for some of his writings. The first Canadian novelist to write in English, he won acclaim with his third novel and only enduring work, Wacousta (1832), a gothic story about the Indian uprising led by Pontiac. His nonfiction includes Personal Memoirs of Major Richardson (1838) and War of 1812 (1842).
Richardson, Sir Ralph (David) (b. Dec. 19, 1902, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eng.—d. Oct. 10, 1983, London) British actor. He began his acting career at age 18 and gained prominence in the 1930s and ’40s at the Old Vic in roles such as Peer Gynt, Petruchio, Falstaff, and Volpone, gaining a reputation as one of the greatest actors of his time. He made his screen debut in 1933 and became known for playing urbane, witty characters and later for eccentric old men. His many films included The Fallen Idol (1948), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Grey stoke (1984).