388. He was a man who may have considered himself as ‘king within London’ but, by the time of his execution, he was widely viewed as a man without scruples, who even his closest supporters had abandoned. In his final months, he was isolated by friends and foes. Having reached the pinnacle of power, Brembre ultimately fell from grace and was accused of the worst of crimes, treason.
Dr Daniella Marie Gonzalez is a medievalist working in the archive and heritage sector. Her research focuses on discourse, notably the concept of common profit, and political language in late medieval London. Twitter @DeeGonz92
You can find out more about the stories touched on in this blog in our exhibition Treason: People, Power & Plot, which runs until 6 April 2023, where you can view the following documents and many more:
- The 1352 Treason Act
- Inventory of goods forfeited by the Appellees in 1388
- Records of Richard II’s ‘Revenge Parliament’ against the Lords Appellant
You can also read more about Richard II and treason in our book, A History of Treason, available to purchase now from our online shop and all good booksellers.
- TNA, SC 8/21/1004 (The Painters’ Petition); SC 8/21/1005 (The Armourers’ Petition); SC 8/20/998 (The Cordwainers’ Petition); SC 8/198/9882 (The Goldsmiths’ Petition); SC 8/20/999 (The Saddlers’ Petition).
- SC 8/21/1004 (The Painters’ Petition); SC 8/20/1001B (The Leathersellers and Whittawyers’ Petition).
- SC 8/21/1003 (The Pinners’ Petition); SC 8/21/1002 (The Founders’ Petition); SC 8/94/4664 (The Drapers’ Petition); SC 8/21/1004 (The Painters’ Petition); SC 8/21/1005 (The Armourers’ Petition).
- SC 8/20/999 (The Saddlers’ Petition); SC 8/20/998 (The Cordwainers’ Petition).
- SC 8/20/1000 (The Embroiderers’ Petition).
- Marion Turner, ‘Politics and London Life’ in A Concise Companion to Chaucer ed. Corinne Saunders (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005), p. 15.
- The Westminster Chronicle 1381-1394 ed. L. C. Hector and Barbara F. Harvey (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982), pp. 234-37.
- Thomas Favent, ‘History or Narration Concerning the Manner and Form of the Miraculous Parliament at Westminster in the Year 1386, in the Tenth Year of the Reign of Richard the Second after the Conquest, Declared by Thomas Favent, Clerk’ trans. Andrew Galloway in The Letter of the Law: Legal Practice and Literary Production in Medieval England ed. Emily Steiner and Candace Barrington (London: Cornell University Press, 2002), p. 245.