On Aug. 22, 1498 Richard III was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth. The victor, Henry VII, became King of England and founded the Tudor dynasty. To remember Richard, a very misunderstood figure in history, I have decided to highlight books about him this week.
Many people have read or at least heard of Richard III as depicted by Shakespeare. He is an evil hunchback who murders his innocent and young nephews to claim the throne. But how true is this depiction?
I. Young Richard
Richard was the fourth surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York. His father was killed at the Battle of Wakefield during the Wars of the Roses. Later, his brother Edward became Kind Edward IV. Richard, unlike their brother George, served Edward faithfully throughout the Wars and his brother’s on and off again reign.
Author Josephine Wilkinson has released the first volume of a series she is writing on Richard titled Richard III: Vol 1 The Young King to Be. In it, she writes on the early life Richard “from the insignificant younger brother of a would-be king to Knight of the Garter, duke, respected soldier and loyal supporter to Edward IV, Richard faced extreme danger and heady triumph, poverty and abundance, neglect and acclamation as the House of York rose to the heights of power and propelled him a glorious career at Court.”
Here’s the amazon link. It offers a “look inside.”
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II. Richard: The King
After the death of Kind Edward IV, Edward V, the former King’s young son rose to the throne. However, Richard was quick to move. He took the young king into his custody and placed him and his younger brother in the Tower for their safety. He then moved with parliament to have the boys declared illegitimate, stating that Edward IV had been precontracted to Eleanor Talbot, thus his marriage to Elizabeth Wydville was invalid and their sons illegitimate. This made Richard king.
John Ashdown-Hill has taken this and written an interesting book on Richard’s rise to the throne. It is titled Eleanor The Secret Queen: The Woman Who Put Richard III on the Throne.
According to the product description, “this book argues that Eleanor Talbot was married to Edward IV, and that therefore Edward’s subsequent marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was bigamous, making her children illegitimate. When Edward IV died in 1483, the Yorkist succession was called into question by doubts about the legitimacy of his son, Edward (one of the Princes in the Tower). The crown therefore passed to Edward’s undoubtedly legitimate younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. But Richard, too, found himself entangled in the web of uncertainty, since those who believed in the legitimacy of Edward IV’s children viewed Richard III’s own accession as usurpation. From the day when Edward IV married Eleanor, or pretended to do so, or allowed it to be whispered that he might have done so, the House of York, previously so secure in its bloodline, confronted a contentious and uncertain future.”
Here’s the amazon link for more information.
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III. Richard the Murderer?
The newly bastardized princes stayed in the Tower. They played in the turrets or on the Tower Green. However, slowly they began to play less and less in public until they completely stopped. Their disappearance has become one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Many books have been written on them including one investigating Richard’s possible part in the disappearance.
Alison Weir believes that Richard was responsible, as the later Tudor historians (including Thomas More) state. Her book, The Princes in the Tower, “explores documentary evidence and various theories about the fate of the famous Princes in the Tower of London. Relying on contemporary accounts, Weir assesses credibility and compares details. Her sound research and rational arguments make a convincing case for Richard’s direct involvement in the murder of his two young nephews. While she admits that there is no convincing evidence that Richard was hunchbacked or more evil than his contemporaries, Weir does show that he was supremely unpopular, largely because of the murder of the children.”
Here’s the link.
Other historians do not believe Richard was responsible for the murders. The Richard III Society is one group which offers several other possible candidates including Henry VII. Here’s the link to their site.
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IV. Richard the Husband
Many forget that Richard was not just a king and possibly a murderer, but also a husband. His wife was Anne Neville, daughter of “The King Maker.” This new biography on Anne offers an interesting look at Richard, showing him as a murderer who eventually killed off Anne’s family and herself. According to the product description, “In addition to killing her first husband, this fascinating new biography also reveals how Richard also helped kill her father, father-in-law, and brother-in-law, imprisoned her mother, and was suspected of poisoning Anne herself. Dying before the age of 30, Anne Neville packed into her short life incident enough for many adventurous careers, but was always the passive instrument of others’ evil intentions. In this book, Anne’s story is told in her own right, uncovering the real wife of Richard III.”
Here’s the amazon link.
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V. The End of Richard III
As explained above, Richard’s short reign ended with his death at the Battle of Bosworth. A new book by John Ashdown-Hill chronicles Richard’s last days. According to the product description, The Last Days of Richard III is a “new and uniquely detailed exploration of Richard’s last 150 days explores these events from the standpoint of Richard himself and his contemporaries. By deliberately avoiding the hindsight knowledge that he will lose the Battle of Bosworth Field, this book presents a new Richard—no passive victim, awaiting defeat and death, but a king actively pursuing his own policies and agenda. It also reexamines the aftermath of Bosworth—the treatment of Richard’s body, his burial, and the construction of his tomb. Based on newly discovered evidence and wider insights it explores the motives underlying these events. And there is the fascinating story of why and how Richard III’s DNA was rediscovered, alive and well, and living in Canada.”
Here’s the amazon link.
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VI. Richard the Myth
Finally, I wanted to point out two books devoted to uncovering the truths behind the many myths surrounding Richard.
According to author Annette Carson, Richard III: Maligned King “seeks to redress the balance by examining the events of his reign as they actually happened, based on reports in the original sources. Eschewing the overlay of assumptions so beloved by historians, she instead traces actions and activities of the principal characters, using facts and timelines revealed in documentary evidence. Daring to investigate areas where historians fear to tread, this book raises some controversial questions. Was Edward IV assassinated? Did Queen Elizabeth Woodville engage in witchcraft? Why did Thomas More lay down his pen, leaving his dramatic attack on Richard unfinished?”
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Another book examining the myths is Richard III: England’s Black Legend by Desmond Stewart “argues that the traditional view of Richard III is very near the truth - Shakespeare’s Richard is closer to reality than the image of a betrayed hero favoured by his modern defenders.”
Here’s the link.
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For more on Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth, check out the Tudor Times Blog.
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