From the man who brought you Monty Python and the Holy Grail, get ready for . Richard II?
That's right: Last night, former Monty Python member Terry Jones addressed a packed room in Rodin College House's Rooftop Lounge on the historical legacy of one of England's most notorious monarchs.
Jones said that Richard II, who ruled England between 1377 and 1399, is often portrayed as "a very naughty boy" whose extravagance and censorship cost him the throne, but that he was a righteous king who was the unfortunate "victim of spin" by English historians of the time.
Jones painted a picture of a struggling Richard II hampered by three baron uncles who enforced regulation for the benefit of England, not himself.
At one point, Jones noted that the present view of Richard is no more accurate than a "Lego reconstruction of Shakespeare's face" is in identifying what Shakespeare actually looked like.
Jones also drew upon documents ranging from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas to justify Richard's actions.
Jones's fascination with history is deeply rooted in his career, including his comedic roots.
"During my time with the Monty Python group," Jones said, "I was moonlighting at the library as a historian."
While writing and directing the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Jones said "history was always on my mind, and, to my amazement, everyone agreed to go with a medieval focus."
For Jones, this long-held "fascination" with medieval history led him to extensive research on 13th-century England -- and, ultimately, to Richard II.
Nonetheless, Jones is still most well known for his comedy, and many attendees of last night's lecture were avid Monty Python fans.
Before the lecture began, Zhana Sandeva, a College freshman from Bulgaria, commented that the Monty Python phenomenon was "internationally ridiculous."
College sophomore Xiao Linda Kang noted that she was a "long time fan" of Jones' Monty Python work.
Following the lecture, Sophie Coulombeau, an English Literature Masters student, said she was "impressed with [Jones'] transformation" from comedian to historian.
For Jones, Richard promoted peace, prosperity, meritocratic promotion in government, and mercy - not his own vanity.
This, Jones said, represents a "brave experiment in monarchial rule."
