Lords Appellant

It is the older (Norman) French form of the present participle of the verb appeler, the equivalent of the English 'to appeal'.

The Lords Appellant proceeded to punish the King's disgraced favourites by calling the "Merciless Parliament" of 1388 to pass judgement.

Sir Simon Burley was found guilty of exercising undue influence over the king and was sentenced to death.

His influence enabled Richard to slowly rebuild his power until 1397, when he reasserted his authority and destroyed the principal three among the Lords Appellant.

His uncle Gloucester was murdered in captivity in Calais; it was (and remains) widely believed[weasel words] that he was killed on Richard's orders.

A Victorian depiction of the Lords Appellant throwing down their gauntlets to King Richard II .
From left to right: Arundel ; Gloucester ; Mowbray ; Bolingbroke (later Henry IV); and Warwick .