The Last Testaments of Richard II and Henry IV
Tyrant and usurper: the last wills of Richard II and Henry IV give rare insight into the medieval monarchs who wore the crown.
On 7 June 1376 the Black Prince, heir to the throne of England, made his will. He had been ill for eight years, but still, on what would prove to be the day before his death, he was as preoccupied as ever with both magnificence and control. He specified the lavish design of the tomb in which he wished to lie in Canterbury Cathedral, and the 14 lines of French verse (‘as you are, so I was; as I am, so you will be’) to be inscribed upon it. The prince also described the procession that should escort his coffin to the grave, and itemised the gifts – including a suite of black tapestries decorated with his ostrich-feather badge – he intended for favoured religious foundations and members of his family and household.
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