Ireland

Ireland: The Triumph and the Ruin of Richard II
The book is an introspective first-person chronicle of the reign of King Richard II, written from the perspective of the deposed monarch during his final days in captivity at Pomfret Castle. It traces the arc of his life from a ten-year-old boy inheriting the crown and its burdens in 1377 to his final reckoning The narrative is structured around Richard's growing obsession with Ireland, which he initially sees as a chance for a glorious triumph to prove his worthiness as a sovereign.
Richard details the deteriorating situation in Ireland, where English control has shrunk to a small area known as "the Pale" and a powerful Irish chieftain, Art MacMurrough-Kavanagh, has risen in defiance of English authority. He recounts his initial expedition to Ireland in 1394, a magnificent display of force that he believed resulted in the complete submission of the Irish rebels, including MacMurrough-Kavanagh himself. This apparent triumph is celebrated with ceremonies in Dublin, where Richard knights his former enemies in a grand display of royal authority.
However, the book reveals how this triumph was a delusion. Upon his return to England, Richard's reforms and the submissions he received swiftly unravel, leading to a renewed Irish rebellion and the murder of his heir, Roger Mortimer. This event sparks a consuming obsession for vengeance that drives Richard to launch a second, more ruthless expedition to Ireland in 1399.
The narrative culminates in Richard's fatal miscalculation: while he is lost in the Irish wilderness pursuing his vengeance, his exiled cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, invades England and seizes the throne. The book ends with a defeated and imprisoned Richard reflecting on how his pursuit of an illusory triumph in Ireland led to the loss of his crown, his kingdom, and his life.