James Ross, Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford and Duke of Ireland (1362–1392). Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2024, xviii, 298 pp.

Robert de Vere was the first (and only) Duke of Ireland and the ninth Earl of Oxford. In Richard II’s England he was (if we believe the chroniclers) detested by everyone who mattered except for Richard himself, who was infatuated with him. The results were dramatic and unfortunate. Widespread distrust of the monarchy led to Robert’s attempted coup on Richard’s behalf in 1387. It was soon crushed. Robert fled to the Low Countries (where he died, it seems, after a hunting accident); Richard’s unsteady rule staggered on, to culminate in his own deposition and murder.