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| Posthumous portrait by unknown artist (c. 1550s) |
Birth name: Richarde Fotheringhay Plantagenet of Yorke
Born: 02 October 1452, Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, Kingdom of England
Father: Richard, Duke of York
Mother: Lady Cecily Neville
House: York
Nationality: English
Religion: Catholicism
Claim: Sibling of Edward IV
Reign: 26 June 1483 - 22 August 1485 (2 years)
Coronation: 06 July 1483
Predecessor: Edward V
Successor: Henry VII
Died: 22 August 1485 (aged 32), Bosworth, Leicestershire, Kingdom of England
Cause: Killed in battle via head trauma
Burial: Greyfriars then Leicester Cathedral
Motto: Loyalty binds me
Spouse(s):
- Lady Anne Neville (m. 1472 - 1485)
Children:
- With Unknown Women
- John Plantagenet of Gloucester (c. 1468 - c. 1499)
- Katherine Plantagenet, Countess of Pembroke (c. 1469 - 1487)
- With Lady Anne Neville
- Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales (c. 1473 - 1484)
Appearance:
Richard was of medium height with a very slender frame. He had blue eyes and blonde or light brown hair, as well as a prominent chin.
He also suffered from scoliosis, though this likely wasn't visible under layers of clothing. It may have slightly affected his posture, but not to the degree that was depicted in Shakespeare's play, nor did he have a withered arm.
Character:
He was well known for his bravery, which is even credited by his enemies. He was a strong and capable fighter, and was believed to be highly ambitious, though to what degree he displayed this trait is still highly debated today.
Despite often being viewed as scheming, in actuality, Richard was fiercely loyal, always supporting his brother, King Edward IV in his claim to the throne, and never once betrayed him unlike their other brother, George, Duke of Clarence. It appears he may have only taken the throne out of a sense of duty due gossip regarding his nephew, King Edward V's legitimacy, and because many nobles and other people within England had petitioned him to do so.
However, it is undeniable that he is a prime suspect in the disappearance of his nephews in the Tower of London, yet there is no solid evidence to support this other than possessing the most obvious motivation.
Richard was also a highly skilled warrior and tactician.
He was noted to have had a good reputation throughout the majority of his life. He appears to have been very loving and close to his wife and was also described as having a 'great heart'. He was also known for his strong sense of justice and fairness.
There is no evidence that he was any more brutal than what was typical at the time in order to survive in medieval England.
Biography:
Richard was born in Fortheringhay, England in 1452, and was the eleventh child of Richard, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Cecily Neville.
At the time of his birth, England was currently at the height of the Wars of the Roses. His father had a strong claim to the throne of England, and would oppose the rule of the Lancastrian King Henry VI, who was also largely regarded as a weak ruler. In 1459, his father fled England along with other York loyalists, and Richard and his brother George were placed in the care of his aunt, the Duchess of Buckingham.
In 1460, his father would return, and, alongside his brother Edmund, was killed in the Battle of Wakefield which resulted in a Lancastrian victory. Richard's mother then sent him away to the Netherlands for his own safety. However, not long afterwards in 1461, his brother was victorious over the Lancastrians in the Battle of Towton, and King Henry VI was deposed. His brother became King Edward IV of England, and Richard returned to the kingdom to take part in his brother's coronation. Edward then made Richard the Duke of Gloucester.
Richard then spent the rest of his adolescence in Yorkshire, where he was mainly raised by the Earl of Warwick, and was trained to become a knight. While here, Richard would meet the love of his life, Warwick's daughter, Anne Neville, and it was believed that a marriage would be arranged between the two of them. However, his brother would oppose the idea due to rising tensions between Edward and Warwick. It's possible that regardless of this, Richard and Anne may have been secretly seeing each other during this period. Despite being denied marriage with Anne, Richard remained loyal to his brother.
By 1470, Warwick had switched sides and began supporting the House of Lancaster. He married his daughter Anne to Henry VI's son, Prince Edward, and began assisting in their plans to recapture the throne. Edward IV was successfully deposed, and both he and Richard were forced to flee to Burgundy, where they were taken in by their sister, Margaret, who had married the Duke of Burgundy.
It didn't take long for King Henry VI to lose support once again, and both Edward and Richard seized their opportunity. Richard would play a key role in the battles to come, which once again resulted in a Yorkist victory. Prince Edward was killed alongside the Earl of Warwick, and Henry VI was captured and murdered, thus greatly weakening the Lancastrian faction.
Richard immediately began making plans to finally marry Anne Neville, but this time, his plans were prevented by his brother, George, Duke of Clarence. George was married to Anne's sister, Isabel, and he was keen on claiming the Warwick inheritance for himself. Anne was currently under George's guardianship, and in order to gain his brother's approval, Richard renounced any potential claims he would have on Warwick's lands and titles upon their marriage.
It's possible that George may have also disguised Anne as a servant around this time, with Richard having to come to her rescue, though this story may be more legend than reality.
In 1472, Richard and Anne finally married. The two of them would then go on to have one child together, Prince Edward of Middleham. But the relationship between Richard and George remained tense, especially after he placed their mother-in-law under his protection. George would also fall out of King Edward IV's favour, and Richard inherited all of the Warwick lands and titles anyway, while George would eventually be arrested for treason and drowned in a vat of wine.
Over the remainder of his brother's reign, Richard became one of the most powerful men in the country. He spent most of his time in the north of England, all while loyally serving his brother. He defended England against Scotland and was even able to capture some Scottish land.
However, his brother would die in 1483, and Richard's nephew became King Edward V of England. But because Edward was only 12 years old, Richard was appointed as his Lord Protector. The Woodvilles, the family of the now queen dowager, Elizabeth Woodville, immediately began plotting against Richard, and attempted to undermine his position. Richard would quickly become wise to this, and intercepted his nephew on his journey to London, and had many members of the Woodville family arrested while revealing the plot to Edward V. Richard then became Edward's escort, and helped settle him into the Tower of London to await his coronation. Edward would soon be joined by his younger brother, also named Richard. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Woodville was forced to flee into sanctuary with her other children.
By this point, rumours had begun circulating that the marriage between Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville had not been valid on the grounds of his previous betrothal to another woman. This would make Edward V, as well as his brothers and sisters, illegitimate, while making Richard the rightful heir to the throne. The information became so widespread, that the citizens of London began to petition Richard to claim the crown for himself, and Edward V was officially declared illegitimate before his coronation could occur. Richard accepted the petition and became King Richard III of England.
Meanwhile, the two now illegitimate sons of Edward IV remained in the Tower of London, where they would disappear under mysterious circumstances. They were likely murdered, and Richard remains the prime suspect to this day. In all likelihood, in order to further secure his position, the two princes were murdered on Richard's orders.
In 1484, both Richard and his wife would be left devastated by the sudden death of their only child, Edward. The two of them became inconsolable with grief, and this left Richard without a legitimate heir. Anne in particular took the loss incredibly hard to a point where she made herself seriously ill. She would never recover from her grief, and would die from tuberculosis less than a year later.
Once again, Richard was plunged into deep mourning, not helped by the fact that rumours began circulating that he had poisoned his wife. Anne also died during a solar eclipse, which many people in England interpreted as a bad omen for Richard and his reign.
Despite the deaths of Henry VI and his son, the Lancastrian faction had begun plotting once again. A notable figure within England, Lady Margaret Beaufort, began putting forward her own son, Henry Tudor, as an alternative monarch to Richard. Henry had been a fugitive living on the continent for the past few years, and currently had the strongest claim to the throne from the House of Lancaster. Elizabeth Woodville began conspiring with him, and Henry promised to marry her daughter, Richard's niece, Elizabeth of York, if he became king, and would officially unite the houses of York and Lancaster.
However, support for Richard remained strong, and Henry's forces were outnumbered, and did not immediately pose a large threat to Richard's regime.
Richard III and his forces came face to face with Henry Tudor and his supporters in Bosworth Field in 1485. However, there were a few noble houses that remained neutral and watched the battle from a distance, waiting to swoop in and help an obvious victor at the last moment.
Richard fearlessly defended his crown, and his bravery was even praised by his enemies. Nobles and barons who had been watching from the sidelines would then ultimately decide to side with Henry Tudor, likely out of family loyalty rather than any personal grievances towards Richard. This turned the advantage in Henry's favour, but Richard fought on.
At some point, Richard lost his horse as well as his helmet, and this left him vulnerable. It's not known who dealt the killing blow, but at some point, Richard experienced severe head trauma to the back of his skull, to the point where parts of his brain were exposed.
Richard would then die on the battlefield from this injury the moment it occurred.
Rule:
Richard's reign would fall under complex scrutiny, as Tudor propaganda greatly skewed the historical perspective. In popular culture, due to previously mentioned Tudor propaganda, Richard is often viewed as a tyrannical ruler, who was manipulative and seized power after murdering his nephews. Yet much of the contemporary evidence does not support this.
His main interest during his reign appeared to be fair law and order. He established a Court of Requests where poor people who could not afford legal representation could have their grievances heard, and initiated the idea within England of one being innocent until officially being proven guilty.
He invested in education and outlawed the banning of books.
Fraud was greatly tackled and reduced during his reign.
He was also able to centralise government within England and greatly improve living conditions within northern England.
Richard protected his throne until the very end, refusing to give up, even in the heat of battle when it became obvious that he was going to lose. Even his enemies remarked kindly on his abilities and bravery as a warrior king.
Trivia:
Richard was of medium height with a very slender frame. He had blue eyes and blonde or light brown hair, as well as a prominent chin.
He also suffered from scoliosis, though this likely wasn't visible under layers of clothing. It may have slightly affected his posture, but not to the degree that was depicted in Shakespeare's play, nor did he have a withered arm.
Character:
He was well known for his bravery, which is even credited by his enemies. He was a strong and capable fighter, and was believed to be highly ambitious, though to what degree he displayed this trait is still highly debated today.
Despite often being viewed as scheming, in actuality, Richard was fiercely loyal, always supporting his brother, King Edward IV in his claim to the throne, and never once betrayed him unlike their other brother, George, Duke of Clarence. It appears he may have only taken the throne out of a sense of duty due gossip regarding his nephew, King Edward V's legitimacy, and because many nobles and other people within England had petitioned him to do so.
However, it is undeniable that he is a prime suspect in the disappearance of his nephews in the Tower of London, yet there is no solid evidence to support this other than possessing the most obvious motivation.
Richard was also a highly skilled warrior and tactician.
He was noted to have had a good reputation throughout the majority of his life. He appears to have been very loving and close to his wife and was also described as having a 'great heart'. He was also known for his strong sense of justice and fairness.
There is no evidence that he was any more brutal than what was typical at the time in order to survive in medieval England.
Biography:
Richard was born in Fortheringhay, England in 1452, and was the eleventh child of Richard, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Cecily Neville.
At the time of his birth, England was currently at the height of the Wars of the Roses. His father had a strong claim to the throne of England, and would oppose the rule of the Lancastrian King Henry VI, who was also largely regarded as a weak ruler. In 1459, his father fled England along with other York loyalists, and Richard and his brother George were placed in the care of his aunt, the Duchess of Buckingham.
In 1460, his father would return, and, alongside his brother Edmund, was killed in the Battle of Wakefield which resulted in a Lancastrian victory. Richard's mother then sent him away to the Netherlands for his own safety. However, not long afterwards in 1461, his brother was victorious over the Lancastrians in the Battle of Towton, and King Henry VI was deposed. His brother became King Edward IV of England, and Richard returned to the kingdom to take part in his brother's coronation. Edward then made Richard the Duke of Gloucester.
Richard then spent the rest of his adolescence in Yorkshire, where he was mainly raised by the Earl of Warwick, and was trained to become a knight. While here, Richard would meet the love of his life, Warwick's daughter, Anne Neville, and it was believed that a marriage would be arranged between the two of them. However, his brother would oppose the idea due to rising tensions between Edward and Warwick. It's possible that regardless of this, Richard and Anne may have been secretly seeing each other during this period. Despite being denied marriage with Anne, Richard remained loyal to his brother.
By 1470, Warwick had switched sides and began supporting the House of Lancaster. He married his daughter Anne to Henry VI's son, Prince Edward, and began assisting in their plans to recapture the throne. Edward IV was successfully deposed, and both he and Richard were forced to flee to Burgundy, where they were taken in by their sister, Margaret, who had married the Duke of Burgundy.
It didn't take long for King Henry VI to lose support once again, and both Edward and Richard seized their opportunity. Richard would play a key role in the battles to come, which once again resulted in a Yorkist victory. Prince Edward was killed alongside the Earl of Warwick, and Henry VI was captured and murdered, thus greatly weakening the Lancastrian faction.
Richard immediately began making plans to finally marry Anne Neville, but this time, his plans were prevented by his brother, George, Duke of Clarence. George was married to Anne's sister, Isabel, and he was keen on claiming the Warwick inheritance for himself. Anne was currently under George's guardianship, and in order to gain his brother's approval, Richard renounced any potential claims he would have on Warwick's lands and titles upon their marriage.
It's possible that George may have also disguised Anne as a servant around this time, with Richard having to come to her rescue, though this story may be more legend than reality.
In 1472, Richard and Anne finally married. The two of them would then go on to have one child together, Prince Edward of Middleham. But the relationship between Richard and George remained tense, especially after he placed their mother-in-law under his protection. George would also fall out of King Edward IV's favour, and Richard inherited all of the Warwick lands and titles anyway, while George would eventually be arrested for treason and drowned in a vat of wine.
Over the remainder of his brother's reign, Richard became one of the most powerful men in the country. He spent most of his time in the north of England, all while loyally serving his brother. He defended England against Scotland and was even able to capture some Scottish land.
However, his brother would die in 1483, and Richard's nephew became King Edward V of England. But because Edward was only 12 years old, Richard was appointed as his Lord Protector. The Woodvilles, the family of the now queen dowager, Elizabeth Woodville, immediately began plotting against Richard, and attempted to undermine his position. Richard would quickly become wise to this, and intercepted his nephew on his journey to London, and had many members of the Woodville family arrested while revealing the plot to Edward V. Richard then became Edward's escort, and helped settle him into the Tower of London to await his coronation. Edward would soon be joined by his younger brother, also named Richard. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Woodville was forced to flee into sanctuary with her other children.
By this point, rumours had begun circulating that the marriage between Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville had not been valid on the grounds of his previous betrothal to another woman. This would make Edward V, as well as his brothers and sisters, illegitimate, while making Richard the rightful heir to the throne. The information became so widespread, that the citizens of London began to petition Richard to claim the crown for himself, and Edward V was officially declared illegitimate before his coronation could occur. Richard accepted the petition and became King Richard III of England.
Meanwhile, the two now illegitimate sons of Edward IV remained in the Tower of London, where they would disappear under mysterious circumstances. They were likely murdered, and Richard remains the prime suspect to this day. In all likelihood, in order to further secure his position, the two princes were murdered on Richard's orders.
In 1484, both Richard and his wife would be left devastated by the sudden death of their only child, Edward. The two of them became inconsolable with grief, and this left Richard without a legitimate heir. Anne in particular took the loss incredibly hard to a point where she made herself seriously ill. She would never recover from her grief, and would die from tuberculosis less than a year later.
Once again, Richard was plunged into deep mourning, not helped by the fact that rumours began circulating that he had poisoned his wife. Anne also died during a solar eclipse, which many people in England interpreted as a bad omen for Richard and his reign.
Despite the deaths of Henry VI and his son, the Lancastrian faction had begun plotting once again. A notable figure within England, Lady Margaret Beaufort, began putting forward her own son, Henry Tudor, as an alternative monarch to Richard. Henry had been a fugitive living on the continent for the past few years, and currently had the strongest claim to the throne from the House of Lancaster. Elizabeth Woodville began conspiring with him, and Henry promised to marry her daughter, Richard's niece, Elizabeth of York, if he became king, and would officially unite the houses of York and Lancaster.
However, support for Richard remained strong, and Henry's forces were outnumbered, and did not immediately pose a large threat to Richard's regime.
Richard III and his forces came face to face with Henry Tudor and his supporters in Bosworth Field in 1485. However, there were a few noble houses that remained neutral and watched the battle from a distance, waiting to swoop in and help an obvious victor at the last moment.
Richard fearlessly defended his crown, and his bravery was even praised by his enemies. Nobles and barons who had been watching from the sidelines would then ultimately decide to side with Henry Tudor, likely out of family loyalty rather than any personal grievances towards Richard. This turned the advantage in Henry's favour, but Richard fought on.
At some point, Richard lost his horse as well as his helmet, and this left him vulnerable. It's not known who dealt the killing blow, but at some point, Richard experienced severe head trauma to the back of his skull, to the point where parts of his brain were exposed.
Richard would then die on the battlefield from this injury the moment it occurred.
Rule:
Richard's reign would fall under complex scrutiny, as Tudor propaganda greatly skewed the historical perspective. In popular culture, due to previously mentioned Tudor propaganda, Richard is often viewed as a tyrannical ruler, who was manipulative and seized power after murdering his nephews. Yet much of the contemporary evidence does not support this.
His main interest during his reign appeared to be fair law and order. He established a Court of Requests where poor people who could not afford legal representation could have their grievances heard, and initiated the idea within England of one being innocent until officially being proven guilty.
He invested in education and outlawed the banning of books.
Fraud was greatly tackled and reduced during his reign.
He was also able to centralise government within England and greatly improve living conditions within northern England.
Richard protected his throne until the very end, refusing to give up, even in the heat of battle when it became obvious that he was going to lose. Even his enemies remarked kindly on his abilities and bravery as a warrior king.
Trivia:
- He was the last Plantagenet king of England, bringing an end to the dynasty that had lasted over 300 years. Richard was also the last monarch of England to be killed in battle.
- After the battle, his body was stripped and paraded around naked, allowing people to disrespect his corpse.
- His body had remained missing for centuries until it was found in 2012, having been buried in a monastery whose ruins were then buried under what became a car park in Leicester.
Quotes:
"I will die King of England."
Final words before the Battle of Bosworth Field.
"Amongst
other our secular businesses and cures, our principal intent and
fervent desire is to see virtue and cleanness of living to be advanced,
increased, and multiplied."
Regarding his principles as a ruler.
"Not
one foot will I fly, so long as breath bides within my breast; for, by
Him that shaped both sea and land, this day shall end my battles or my
life."
Final speech to his military.
Timeline of Reign:
| 1483: The Princes in the Tower - Richard III holds former Edward V and his brother in the Tower.
| 1483: The Princes Disappear - Edward V and his brother mysteriously vanish.
| 1483: Buckingham Rebellion - Buckingham rebellion defeated and leader is executed.
| 1484: Royal College of Arms founded - Established by Richard III.
| 1484: English Printing Press begins - William Caxton prints English translation of Aesop's Fables.
| 1484: Succession Crisis - Death of Prince Edward of Middleham leaves no legitimate heir.
| 1484: Council of the North founded - Established by Richard III.
| 1485: Death of Anne Neville - The death of his wife is viewed as a bad omen for his reign.
| 1485: Invasion of Henry Tudor - Henry Tudor's French backed invasion lands in Wales.
| 1485: Battle of Bosworth Field - Richard III defeated and killed by Henry Tudor.
Sources & Further Reading:
Hicks, M. (2019). Richard III | Biography & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-III-king-of-England
King Richard III.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2009). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Richard_III.jpg
pixeltocode.uk, P. (n.d.). Richard III. Westminster Abbey. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/richard-iii
Richard III. (2022). The National Archives. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/stories/richard-iii/
Richard III: Discovery and identification | University of Leicester. (n.d.). Le.Ac.Uk. https://le.ac.uk/richard-iii
Steward, M. (2022). King Richard III the Last Medieval King. Discover
Middle Ages.
https://www.discovermiddleages.co.uk/kings-and-queens/king-richard-iii
Richard III of England Timeline. (n.d.). World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/timeline/Richard_III_of_England/
West, E. (2023). Richard III, king of northern hearts. Wrong Side of History. https://www.edwest.co.uk/p/richard-iii-king-of-northern-hearts
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