10 Traitors Who Were Proven Right
8. King Richard II Was A Tyrant Surrounded By Fools And Traitors - Thomas De Mowbray, 1st Duke Of Norfolk
It's hard not to feel a little sympathetic towards Thomas de Mowbray, because every time he took royal authority to task, he was proven right.
Early in the reign of Richard II of England, de Mowbray was a leading member of a group known as the Lords Appellant, who took up arms against the King.
These men believed Richard II had become little more than a tyrant, surrounded by favourites who encouraged the young King's baser instincts.
Having seen off the sycophants surrounding the King, de Mowbray stood up for Richard when the other Lords Appellant called for the monarch to be deposed.
Reconciling with Richard, de Mowbray soon rose in power and became a crucial player in keeping the King on his throne.
While many of the other Lords Appellant were systematically tried and executed in the years following their rebellion, de Mowbray was useful to the Crown and kept his cool and his head.
Then, in 1397, de Mowbray became embroiled in a quarrel with Henry Bolingbroke, Richard II's cousin and possible successor, given that the King had no children.
Each man accused the other of treason, and parliament decreed they settle their dispute through ritual combat.
Richard II intervened and had both men exiled. While Henry was initially exiled for ten years, de Mowbray was rewarded for his previous loyalty (admittedly having begun his political career as a traitor) with permanent banishment.
Thomas de Mowbray spent the rest of his life on the European mainland, dying on 22 September 1399. A month earlier, Henry Bolingbroke had returned to England to overthrow Richard II, who was formally deposed on 1 October 1399. Bolingbroke became King as Henry IV.
It's not known if Richard II ever felt regret for sending de Mowbray away, but it's a safe bet to say that he should have sided with de Mowbray over Bolingbroke.