Richard of Bordeaux and Henry of Bolingbroke, cousins born just three months apart, were ten years old when Richard became king of England. They were 32 yrs old when Henry deposed Richard and declared himself King of England. While Richard had birthright on his side, he was a narcissist who lacked any qualities of leadership and declared he could make up his own laws. He recruited a private army loyal to himself rather than the realm and tried to destroy those who had any resistance to his will. Unlike the King, Henry was a leader, a soldier and a chivalric hero who was responsible and principled. After King Richard banished his cousin and seized his inheritance, Henry deposed Richard as a tyrant and declared himself the lawful ruler. While welcomed as a champion of the people, soon King Henry was facing rebellion and was trapped by political uncertainty. Acclaimed historian and author Helen Castor brings to life the captivating story behind one of the strangest and most fateful events in English history (and the inspiration behind one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated plays). Dr. Castor will describe these explosive events and explain what happened when Richard demanded loyalty to himself as an individual, rather than duty to the established constitution, and how he tried to reshape reality rather than concede to the truth. She will tell a story about how a nation was brought to the brink of catastrophe and disintegration—and, in the end, how it was brought back.