King Richard Koopa II

* Portrait as child
* Portrait as adult

**King Richard Koopa II**, historically known as **Richard the Remorseless**, was the twenty-fifth monarch of the Koopa Kingdom who reigned from the year 1397 until his deposition from the throne in the year 1419, reigning for a total of twenty-two years. He is considered one of the worst kings in the Kingdom's history, being both incompetent and unfit to rule, as well as vicious, malevolent and even psychotic at times, treating his subjects as mere pawns for his own amusement. Even Tyson views him as a terrible king, stating Bowser learnt nothing from how his disastrous reign went by having Bowser Jr. as his heir. His cruelty and viciousness eventually led to his own downfall however, as he was later deposed by his own cousin Prince John, who Richard's subjects happily supported and crowned as King John Koopa IV, before placing the former king in prison. Richard II ultimately starved to death in captivity in the year 1420, as John IV forgot to have his men feed him in order to keep him alive.

King Richard Koopa II is based on King Richard II of England.

## History

### Early Life

Prince Richard Koopa was born in the year 1388 as the second son of Prince Edrick Koopa, who would later ascend to the throne as King Edrick Koopa IV, and Queen Joanna Koopa, being their only surviving son, as his elder brother, Prince Alfred Koopa, died at the age of twelve years old. Richard is said to have always been a cruel and hateful child, often mistreating animals and women for his own amusement, even killing the former in various occasions too, which was a problem that only got worse as he grew older.

### Ascension to the throne

In the year 1397, Richard's grandfather, King Robert Koopa III, died after a long and prosperous reign of fifty-two years. Richard's father Edrick succeeded him as the new King Edrick Koopa IV, only to die thirty days after his coronation as a result of being infected with the Black Plague. Edrick's untimely death meant that Richard was able to ascend to the throne as King Richard Koopa II at the fresh age of nine years old. Because Richard was in his minority of age when he became king, his early reign was governed by a regency council headed by his three surviving uncles, Princes Blayne, Wulfrick and Tarquin. Despite this, Richard still held the title of king and acted as such around his subjects. It's likely that becoming king at such a young age also influenced Richard's ruthless actions, as demonstrated by him beheading a mustie in front of an audience and burning a Bishop alive while pointing and laughing at him. Eventually, the young king came of age and the regency of his uncles ended, with his cruelty only worsening as he continued to grew older and gain power, resulting in one of the worst tyrannical reigns the realm had seen in all of its history.

### Uprising of Bright Valley

Richard's uncle and one of his former three regents, Prince Tarquin, had enough of Richard's poor treatment of his subjects and poor management as a monarch, and rallied together a group of nobles to take control of the Koopa Kingdom away from the tyrannical king. Among these nobles was Richard's cousin, Prince John, the son of Richard's eldest uncle Prince Blayne who had somewhat of a rocky relationship with Richard. Prince Tarquin's plan failed, however, and he was sentenced to death, being drowned in a pool of lava alongside his son and heir Prince Joseph. Joseph was innocent and played no part in the rebellion, being merely executed for Richard's own amusement. John was meant to suffer the same fate as his uncle and cousin did, but Prince Blayne was able to convince his nephew of sparing his life, having him exiled to the Bohnenkraut Kingdom instead and promising that he will be able to inherit his father's lands and titles.

### The Fall of the Tyrant

Prince Blayne died in the year 1419, and almost instantly Richard II went back on the promise he had made to his late uncle, keeping Prince John's titles, lands and holdings for himself, and also planned on having John's children, whom at the time he was holding in captivity, executed as soon as he got back from his military campaign at the Frosted Kingdom. Prince John became aware of his cousin's intentions, and, fearing for the life of his children, gathered up an army with the help of Lord Birchard Python and Lord Symon Blackfoot, and made it back to the Koopa Kingdom before Richard returned, freeing his children and taking the throne for himself, with the nobles all willing to accept him as their new monarch, being crowned King John Koopa IV, putting an end to King Richard II's tyrannical reign of twenty-two years. When Richard returned to the Koopa Kingdom, he was ambushed by his own former men, now bearing John's Fire Flower as their emblem rather than the traditional Golden Koopa face they used whilst in the service of Richard. They arrested Richard and placed him in prison.

Though a valuable prisoner for the realm, Richard II ultimately died in captivity in the year 1420, starving to death in his prison cell as John IV forgot to have him fed in order to keep him alive. He was thirty-two years old at the time of his death.

Richard II never married or had children, so his heir apparent was Lord Raymund Kassimeer, followed by his sister Lady Anna Kassimeer, both of whom were mere infants at the time of Richard's deposition and death. However, the newly crowned John IV placed the siblings under imprisonment in the Black Tower, as he feared that any rebels to his reign might try to overthrow him and make one of them the new monarch. Kassimeer and his sister were later released from imprisonment, likely by John's son and successor, King John Koopa V, under the condition that they swore an oath to never try to take the throne for themselves.