1) Historical background – The Wars
of Roses (1455 - 1485)
2) Childhood
3) Education
4) The Young Duke
5) Marriage
6) Children
7) Accession to the Throne
8) Coronation and Reign
9) Death
10) Succession
11) Legacy
12) Popularity
13) Richard III by Shakespeare
1) Historical background – The Wars of Roses (1455 - 1485)
After the end of the wars in France (1453), England herself was torn with a tragic
internal conflict between two powerful branches of the royal family – the House of York
(Richard, Duke of York) and the House of Lancaster (Henry VI).
They waged civil war against each other in order to secure the trhrone for their
contenders. The wars lasted 30 years and are called the WARS OF ROSES because the
white rose was the symbol of the Yorkists and the Lancastrians were represented by the
red rose.
2) Childhood
Richard Plantagenet was born on October 2, 1452, at Fotheringhay Castle, in
Northamptonshire. He was the twelfth of thirteen children born to Richard, Duke of
York, and his wife, Cecily Neville, and the youngest of the seven who survived infancy.
During the seven years he lived at Fotheringhay Richard had the company only of his
brother George, who was three years his senior, and his sister Margaret, who was six
years older than he. Edward and Edmund, the two oldest boys, lived at Ludlow Castle in
the Welsh Marches, while Anne and Elizabeth, the older girls, were being trained in other
noble households according to the custom of the day. The children saw their parents only
rarely.
Richard grew up in unstable and dangerous period in English history. The old feudal
system of loyalty based on land tenure was crumbling and a new power, based on the
system of "livery and maintenance," was taking its place. In return for the "good-lordship"
of a powerful magnate, a retainer promised his services in peace and war. Thus, the lord
had armed men when he needed them and the retainer received protection against his
enemies, wages in some cases, and, all too frequently, immunity from punishment by law.
It was common practice during the fifteenth century for powerful lords to threaten or bribe
juries to find in their favor. It was the sworn duty of the monarch to see that justice was
done, but during the reign of Henry VI this oath had little meaning. Henry had frequent
periods of madness and the court was dominated by his beautiful and high-spirited wife,
Margaret of Anjou. She protected her partisans and persecuted those whom she believed
to be against her. She treated Richard's father, the Duke of York, as her chief enemy and
so turned him into one.
During the spring and summer of 1459 it was apparent that the queen intended an allout war against the Yorkists. The Duke of York, fearing that Fotheringhay was no longer
safe, moved Margaret, George, and Richard to Ludlow, a large, strongly fortified castle
belonging to his family. It was there that Richard met his two oldest brothers for the first
time. Edward, Earl of March was seventeen and Edmund, Earl of Rutland, was sixteen.
Appearance: In this family of large, fair, healthy children the dark, undersized, sickly
Richard must have seemed like a changeling.
It is thought that the withered arm, limp, and
crooked back of legend are complete
fabrications, but if he did have a disability, it
may have been the result of a bout of polio as
a small child. It is said that he used a crutch in
early youth, but sometimes stubbornly refused
it for fear of looking "weak", and had
abandoned it entirely by age ten. Some sources
claim Richard's "deformity" may have actually
been an overly muscular right arm, owing to
the mace he favored in battle, and his body compensating for years of wielding the heavy
club. At worst it was possibly Sprengel's deformity or simple scoliosis.
3) Education
Richard, Duke of York died at the Battle of Wakefield on 30 December 1460. His
eldest son, Edward, seized the throne of England in March the following year and
defeated the Lancastrians at Towton on the 29 March.
When the news of the Yorkist victory reached Burgundy in mid-April, George and
Richard were escorted to Calais by a guard of honor. From there they went to the Palace
of Shene (Richmond) where
their brother, King Edward IV,
waited to greet them. Richard
was not quite nine years old, yet
in his brief lifetime he had
experienced great danger and
misfortune -- the loss of his
father, a brother and an uncle,
and virtual imprisonment and
exile. Now, under the protection of his handsome, gifted brother, fortune for the first time
appeared
to
smile
on
him.
On June 27 George and Richard, newly created Knights of the Bath, took part in the
coronation of the new king. Edward named George as the Duke of Clarence and
Richard as Duke of Gloucester, and both boys were made Knights of the Garter.
The age of nine was none too soon to begin the customary period of apprenticeship in
the household of a great noble in order to learn all the knightly accomplishments. The
king had decided that his brother Richard should enter the household of the richest and
most powerful nobleman in England, his cousin the Earl of Warwick. Late in the year
1461 Richard went to the earl's great castle of Middleham in Wensleydale to begin his
training. It was there that he met Robert Percy and Francis Lovell who were also being
schooled in Warwick's household. These two youngsters became Richard's closest friends
and remained, to the end of their lives, his staunchest supporters. The boys all lived
together and received instruction in Latin, law, mathematics, music, religion, and the code
of chivalric behavior and etiquette. Each day they practiced riding, hunting, and the use of
arms. In the evening they were taught to sing, dance, and play musical instruments.
Richard worked diligently on all of his lessons, but his greatest effort was directed toward
developing skill in the use of weapons.
During the next few years the king heaped honors and lands on his two brothers. At
the age of twelve Richard was appointed Commissioner of Array for nine counties and
charged with levying troops to clear Northumberland of Lancastrians. George, although
he was three years older than Richard, was not considered sufficiently mature for this
responsibility, a fact which infuriated him. This, and other incidents of this period which
indicated Edward's favoritism to Richard, may have marked the beginning of the hostility
which
George
later
displayed
toward
both
his
brothers.
4) The Young Duke
Meanwhile, King Edward clandestinely married a Lancastrian widow, Elizabeth
Woodville, in 1464 and began to alienate Warwick, his most powerful ally who had
favoured a political match with a European princess. Over the next five years the
relationship between king and 'over-mighty' earl deteriorated until civil strife was resumed
in 1469 and the following year Edward was driven into exile. One of the causes of their
dispute was the marriage of Warwick's elder daughter to Clarence without the king's
permission.
Richard accompanied Edward to the continent and on
their return to England in 1471 the teenager was given
command of the vanguards at the Battles of Barnet and
Tewkesbury. These battles were resounding Yorkist
victories and both Warwick and the Lancastrian heir, Prince
Edward, were killed. The former king, Henry VI, died a
few days later in London.
Richard now assumed the responsibilities of his
position. He had been admiral of England since 1461 and
he was now appointed constable.
During the remaining years of his brother's reign, Richard of Gloucester left the north
only occasionally. Such occasions included the invasion of France in 1475 and attending
the parliament of 1478 when their brother Clarence was attainted for treason and privately
executed. In the summer of 1482, Richard invaded Scotland at King Edward's behest. He
was accompanied by the Scots king's brother, the duke of Albany. Richard and Albany
marched as far as Edinburgh before Richard strategically withdrew over the border.
5) Marriage
Following the decisive Yorkist victory over the Lancastrians at the Battle of
Tewkesbury, Richard married the widowed Anne Neville, younger daughter of the late
Earl of Warwick. Anne's first husband had been Edward of Westminster, son of Henry VI.
Following his death at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, she disappears from the records
for a while, her whereabouts unknown. It is popularly believed that she had fallen under
the dubious control of George of Clarence, who had an interest in preventing her from
marrying again, because it gave him full control over the joint inheritance of Anne and her
elder sister Isabel, George's wife. In a scene straight out of "Cinderella", Richard is said to
have found Anne working as a scullery maid in a London chophouse and "rescued" her;
but the truth is not known. Their marriage took place on 12 July 1472.
6) Children
Richard and Anne had one son, Edward Plantagenet (also known as Edward of
Middleham, 1473 – 9 April 1484), who died not long after being created Prince of Wales.
After his death the king and queen shut themselves in their apartments at Nottingham
Castle to mourn their loss. Richard´s queen died less then a year later on 16 March 1485.
(Richard had two illegitimate children as well, John of Gloucester and a daughter named
Kathryn.)
7) Accession to the Throne
On 9 April 1483 King Edward died, a few days short of his forty-first birthday. There
had been no time to prepare for a transition of power and the heir, another Edward, was
twelve years old. Factions were immediately formed, each believing that they had an
important role to play in the government of England. There was the queen and her
extensive family; the old nobility, represented in the former king's Council and which
included the late king's friend and chamberlain, William, Lord Hastings; and his surviving
brother, Richard, who would take the role of lord protector.
At the time of his father's death, the new king was at Ludlow
under the tutelage of his maternal uncle, Earl Rivers. The queen
sent for them to come to London and for the king to be crowned
without delay. Lord Hastings possibly informed Richard of his
King Edward IV
brother's death and urged that he come immediately to London.
with his wife
and Edward
Richard was joined on his journey by the duke of Buckingham, a
distant cousin. At Northampton, Richard and his followers met Earl
Rivers and who was arrested. Richard then moved onto Stony
Stratford where the king was resting, made three further arrests and
escorted his nephew to London.
The queen, on hearing of these events, withdrew to sanctuary in Westminster Abbey
with her family. Edward V arrived in London on 4 May, the day for which his coronation
had been planned, and the event was rescheduled for 22 June. Richard and the Council
continued with the preparations for the coronation and with the governance of the country,
but on 13 June Richard announced that a plot against him had been discovered and
accused Lord Hastings of being the instigator. The latter was immediately executed and
Archbishop John Rotherham, Bishop John Morton and Thomas, Lord Stanley were
arrested.
John Morton, Bishop of Ely and later Archbishop of Canterbury, is considered by
some to be an important source of the Tudor propaganda against Richard III.
John Morton is also thought to be the source of other accusations against Richard, notably
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the murder of the Princes in the Tower
the murder of Henry VI himself
the "private execution" of his brother George, Duke of Clarence
the murder of his wife's first husband, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales
the murder of William, Lord Hastings
of forcing his wife, Anne Neville, to marry him against her will
of planning an incestuous marriage to his niece Elizabeth of York (and perhaps killing
his wife so he could)
of accusing his own mother of adultery and his late brother the king of being
illegitimate
of accusing Jane Shore and Elizabeth Woodville of witchcraft in withering his arm
of being illegitimate himself
On 16 June the young king's brother, Richard, Duke of York left Westminster Abbey
and joined his brother in the royal apartments at the Tower. On 22 June Dr Edward Shaa,
brother of the mayor, declared to the citizens of London, that King Edward IV's marriage
to Elizabeth Woodville was illegal. This was because of a precontract of marriage
between Edward IV and Lady Eleanor Butler. The children of the marriage were
illegitimate, and therefore, barred from the throne of England. Within four days Richard
was acclaimed king of England.
8) Coronation and Reign
King Richard III was crowned, together with his wife Anne, on 6 July 1483 at
Westminster Abbey. Shortly afterwards the couple
began a progress around the country which ended
in York with the investiture of their son Edward
as prince of Wales. In the autumn of 1483,
however, King Richard suffered a serious set-back
(the death of
his son) his
former
supporter, the
Duke of Buckingham, became involved in a rebellion,
based primarily in the west country and Kent. Although
swiftly repressed, the effects were far-reaching and King Richard now began to rely more
on his northern supporters, placing them in the offices left vacant by the rebels.
The rebellion had been supported by a scion of the house of Lancaster, the exiled
Henry Tudor, a descendant of King Edward III through his son John of Gaunt's
legitimised Beaufort family. Tudor had assumed the role of representative of the
Lancastrian line and focus for any disaffected English nobles and gentry.
On Christmas Day 1483 in Rennes Cathedral, Henry Tudor declared his intention of
marrying King Edward IV's eldest daughter, the Lady Elizabeth, when he became king of
England. He then spent the next eighteen months planning his invasion.
King Richard meanwhile called his first, and only, parliament in January 1484. The
legislation covered three main areas, the ratification of Richard as king, the passing of acts
of attainder against the October rebels and the passing of a number of acts designed to
reform part of the legal system.
9) Death
Richard was, at least outwardly, a devout man and an efficient administrator.
However, he was a Yorkist and heirless, and had ruthlessly removed the Woodvilles and
their allies; he was therefore vulnerable to political opposition. His apparently loyal
supporter, Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, turned against him and was executed
late in 1483.
Bosworth Field
Richard's enemies united against him. According to local tradition in Leicester Richard
went to see a seer in the town before heading off for the Battle of Bosworth Field on
August 22 1485 to meet Lancastrian forces led by Henry Tudor. She told him "where
your spur should strike on the ride into battle, your head shall be broken on the return".
On the ride into battle his spur struck the
bridge stone of the Bow Bridge; as he
was being carried back over the back of a
horse his head struck the same stone and
was broken open. Tudor succeeded
Richard to become Henry VII, and
cemented the succession by marrying the
Yorkist heir, Elizabeth of York.
Legends notwithstanding, Richard was
abandoned at Bosworth by the Lords
William Stanley and Henry Percy, 4th
Earl of Northumberland, Stanley
switching sides, which severely depleted
his army's strength.
It is said that Richard's body was dragged naked through the streets before being
buried
at
Greyfriars
Church,
Leicester.
According to one
tradition, during
the Dissolution of the
Monasteries
his
body was thrown into
the nearby River
Soar, although other
evidence suggests
that this may not be
the case and that
his burial site may
currently be under
a car park in Leicester.
There is currently
a memorial plaque in
the
Cathedral
where he may have
once been buried.
A body dragged from
Soar and initially
believed to be Richard
was later found to
be an Anglo-Saxon
warrior who died
nearly
500
years
before
Richard
was
killed.
This
conclusion
was
made through both
carbon dating and the size of the body and the thickness of the bones. Richard is described
in contemporary accounts as being rather short and stocky
10) Succession
By the time of his last stand against the Lancastrians, he was a widower without a
legitimate son. After his son's death, he had initially named his nephew, Edward, Earl of
Warwick, Clarence's young son and also the nephew of Queen Anne Neville, as his heir.
After Anne's death, however, Richard named another nephew, John de la Pole, Earl of
Lincoln, as his heir.
11) Legacy
Since his death, Richard III has become one of England's most controversial kings.
Modern historians recognise the damage done to his reputation by "historians" of the next
reign, and particularly by William Shakespeare. Amongst other things, Richard was
represented as physically malformed, which in those days was accepted as evidence of an
evil character. However, it has been demonstrated that he could not have carried out most
of the crimes attributed to him. The major exception is the question of whether he was
responsible for the deaths of his nephews, the "Princes in the Tower".
The Richard III Society was set up during the 20th century in an attempt to rehabilitate
Richard, and has gathered considerable research material about his life and reign. Its
members, known as "Ricardians", hold events, raise monuments and attempt to preserve
the king's memory
12) Popularity
Richard appears in the 2002 List of "100 Great Britons" (sponsored by the BBC and
voted for by the public), alongside such others as David Beckham.
13) Richard III by Shakespeare
The Life and Death of King Richard III is William
Shakespeare's version of the short career of Richard III of
England.
The speech reveals Richard's jealousy and ambition, as his
brother Edward rules the country successfully. Richard is an
ugly hunchback, describing himself as "rudely stamp'd" and
"deformed, unfinish'd", who cannot "strut before a wanton
ambling nymph.
Richard plots to have his brother Clarence, who stands before him in the line of
succession, conducted to the Tower of London as a suspected assassin; having bribed a
soothsayer to confuse the suspicious king.
Richard next ingratiates himself with "the Lady Anne" -- Anne Neville, widow of
the Lancastrian Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. Despite her prejudice against
him, Anne is won over by his pleas and agrees to marry him.
Queen Margaret, Henry VI's widow, returns in defiance of her banishment and warns
the squabbling nobles about Richard. The nobles, Yorkists all, reflexively unite against
this last Lancastrian, and the warning falls on deaf ears.
Edward IV, weakened by a reign dominated by physical excess, soon dies, leaving as
Protector his brother Richard, who sets about removing the final obstacles to his
ascension. He meets his nephew, the young Edward V, who is en route to London for his
coronation accompanied by relatives of Edward's widow. These Richard arrests and
(eventually) beheads, and the young prince and his brother are coaxed into an extended
stay at the Tower of London.
Assisted by his cousin Buckingham (Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham),
Richard mounts a PR campaign to present himself as a preferable candidate to the throne,
appearing as a modest, devout man with no pretensions to greatness. Lord Hastings, who
objects to Richard's ascension, is arrested and executed on a trumped-up charge.
His new status leaves Richard sufficiently confident to dispose of his nephews.
Buckingham conditions his consent for the princes' deaths on receiving a land grant,
which Richard rejects, leaving Buckingham fearful for his life. As the body count rises,
the increasingly paranoid Richard loses what popularity he had; he soon faces rebellions
led first by Buckingham and subsequently by the invading Earl of Richmond (Henry VII
of England). Both sides arrive for a final battle at Bosworth Field. Prior to the battle,
Richard is visited by the ghosts of those whose deaths he has caused, all of whom tell him
to “Despair and die!”. He awakes screaming for 'Jesu' (Jesus) to help him, slowly
realizing that he is all alone in the world and that even he hates himself.
Lord Stanley and his followers desert, leaving Richard at a disadvantage. Richard is
soon unhorsed on the field at the climax of the battle, and utters the often-quoted line,
“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!”
In dramatic terms, perhaps the most important feature of the play is the sudden
alteration in Richard's character. For the first 'half' of the play, we see him as something of
an anti-hero, causing mayhem and enjoying himself hugely in the process:
“I do mistake my person all this while;
Upon my life, she finds, although I cannot,
Myself to be a marvellous proper man.
I'll be at charges for a looking-glass;”
Almost immediately after he is crowned, however, his personality and actions take a
darker turn. He turns against loyal Buckingham ("I am not in the giving vein"), he falls
prey to self-doubt ("I am in so far in blood, that sin will pluck on sin;"); now he sees
shadows where none exist and visions of his doom to come ("Despair & die").
Historical Context
Shakespeare's depiction of Richard and his "reign of terror" is unflattering, and
modern historians find it a distortion of historical truth.
Shakespeare is not famous for his historical accuracy; this play is representative of his
work in that respect. Queen Margaret did not in fact survive to see Richard's accession to
the throne; her inclusion in the play is purely dramatic.
Sources
-
internet : www.britannia.com, www.r3.org, www.wikipedia.org, www.britannica.com
McDowall, D. (2000). An Illustrated History of Britain. Longman
Martina Pinková, Irena Chvojková
Mcr - aj