On 19th December 1387 AD, an army of the Lords Appellant led by the Henry of Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, [future King Henry IV, King Richard's first cousin] and Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, [King Richard's uncle] prevented the forces of King Richard II, commanded by Robert de Vere, 1st Duke of Ireland, from crossing the bridge over the River Thames at Radcot in Oxfordshire. The King's men attempted to force the crossing of the bridge at which time the only casualties occurred including Thomas Molyneux who was killed by Thomas Mortimer. Around 800 men drowned in the marshes whilst trying to escape. Robert de Vere narrowly escaped to France. The victory of Lord's Appellants led to the Merciless Parliament, February 1388 - June 1388, at which members of King Richard's court were tried for their crimes, and a number attainted. King Richard would take his revenge on his uncle in 1397 having murdered whilst imprisoned at Calais. Henry of Derby would force King Richard to abdicate in 1399 becoming the first of the Lancastrian Kings. Thomas Walsingham : "Meanwhile, the Duke of Ireland, fleeing, came to a river. When he wished to cross by a bridge, he found it broken. Reaching another bridge, he encountered archers who blocked his passage. Thus, turning away from them and searching for a ford, he urged his horse into the river. There, soon transformed from a rider into a swimmer, he reached the other bank. Since it was night, the servants of the lords did not pursue the fugitive, particularly because they were unfamiliar with the paths of the region. However, his horse, along with his helmet, gauntlets, and breastplate, fell into the possession of the lords. As a result, it was later believed for a long time that he had drowned. Additionally, the lords intercepted his cart and saddlebags, discovering many items, most notably letters from the king addressed to him. These letters instructed him to hasten to London with great force, assuring him that the king was prepared and committed to live and die by his side. These documents provided the lords with strong evidence of the king's inconsistency and fickleness." 📷 : Robert de Vere fleeing after the Battle of Radcot Bridge; taken from the Gruthuse manuscript of Froissart's Chroniques. #archaeohistories