Richard III was born in Fotheringhay Castle, on October 2, 1452. Richard was the eighth and youngest child of Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of York and Cecily Neville. Richard spent much of his childhood in Middleham Castle, in Wensleydale, where he was placed under the tutelage of Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, also known as Richard the Kingmaker. While living in Middleham Castle, Richard developed what would become a life-long friendship with Francis Lovell, who became one of Richard’s closest supporters.
The Early Life of Richard III
Following the death of his father and his older brother Edmund, at the Battle of Wakefield, Richard and his older brother, the Duke of Clarence, were sent to the Low Countries to where they were beyond the reach of Henry VI, and his Queen, Margaret of Anjou. Richard and the Duke of Clarence returned to England following the Yorkist victory at the Battle of Towton, which resulted in the coronation of their eldest brother, Edward IV as the King of England. At the same time, Richard became the Duke of Gloucester as well as a member of the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Bath. Following these events, Richard returned to Middleham Castle, where he began his knightly training. Richard would remain there until 1465.
During this period, Richard became involved in the rough and tumble politics of the War of the Roses. When Richard was 11 years old, he was appointed Commissioner of Array for the Western Counties. By the time Richard was 17, he had been given an independent military command.
In 1470, Richard, along with his brother Edward IV, was again forced to seek refuge in the Low Countries, this time with their sister, Margaret, who was married to the Duke of Burgundy. Following his return to England, Richard played a key role in the Yorkist victories at Barnet and Tewkesbury, which resulted in Edward being restored to the throne.
Richard III and the Princes in the Tower
Following the restoration of Edward IV, Richard continued to demonstrate his loyalty to Edward, as well as his skill on the battlefield. For his achievements on the battlefield, Richard was awarded large estates in northern England, in addition to being appointed Governor of the North. As a result of his vast land holdings, Richard became one of the wealthiest men in England.
In October, 1469, Richard became the Constable of England. In November of that year, Richard replaced the Baron of Hastings as Chief Justice of North Wales. In 1470, Richard was appointed Chief Steward and Chamberlain of South Wales. On May 18, 1471, Richard was named Great Chamberlain and Lord High Admiral of England. Around the same time, Richard’s other brother, the Duke of Clarence, was found to be plotting against Edward IV and charged with treason.
From the coronation of Edward IV until his death, Richard exercised total control over northern England, where he was extremely popular, particularly in York. In 1482, Richard recaptured Berwick-Upon-Tweed from the Scots. During this time, Richard’s rule in northern England was considered fair and just.
Edward IV died on April 9, 1483. Following Edward’s death, Richard’s nephews, Edward V and his younger brother, the Duke of York, were next in the line of succession. The Will of Edward IV named Richard as the Protector of the Realm, until Edward V came of age. Using his new authority, Richard quickly moved to isolate the family of the Queen Mother. Elizabeth’s brother, Earl Rivers, Edward’s half-brother Richard Grey and Edward’s Chancellor, Thomas Vaughn, were all arrested and taken north to Pontefract Castle, where they were put to death on the grounds of plotting to assassinate Richard. At the same time, Richard escorted Edward to the Tower of London where he was imprisoned.
Not long afterward, Richard issued a death warrant for the Baron of Hastings, who was accused of plotting Richard’s assassination with the Woodvilles and his mistress, Jane Shore. The Baron of Hastings was beheaded at the Tower of London on June 13, 1483. However, the Baron of Hastings was later proved innocent and Richard signed an indenture, promising royal protection to his widow, Katherine.
Earlier that year, rumours had begun circulating that Richard had murdered Edward V. In June, 1483, Richard ordered a statement to be read on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral, declaring the marriage of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville to be illegitimate. Richard III, not Edward V, was the rightful King of England.
In support of Richard, Parliament passed a Titulus Regius, based on the testimony of a bishop who claimed to have married Edward to Lady Eleanor Butler, who was still alive at the time, Edward married Elizabeth Woodville. Richard was crowned King of England on July 6, 1483 at Westminster Abbey.
Following the coronation of Richard III, Edward V and the Duke of York were gradually seen less and less, until they disappeared from public view altogether sometime in the autumn of 1483. Modern historians are not certain what happened to them after that, but it’s generally accepted that they were killed. Much of the evidence points to Richard as being responsible for their murders. However, any accusation of responsibility is fraught with controversy, due to the mostly circumstantial evidence. As a result, the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower has become one of the most enduring mysteries in British history.
The Death of Richard III
On August 22, 1485, Richard, along with a force of 8,000 men, met the army of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field. During the battle, Richard was abandoned by the Earl of Derby, Sir William Stanley and the Earl of Northumberland. These sudden defections in the middle of the battle had a severe effect on Richard’s army. These actions coupled with the death of the Duke of Norfolk severely demoralized Richard’s troops. Richard fought bravely, unseating Sir John Cheney, who was a champion jouster and killing Sir William Brandon, the standard-bearer for the Earl of Northumberland before being surrounded and killed. Tradition claims that Richard’s last words were "treason, treason, treason, treason, treason."
Polydore Virgil, the court historian to Henry VII, wrote, "King Richard, alone, was killed fighting manfully in the thickest press of his enemies." After the battle, Richard’s naked body was put on display at the collegiate foundation of the Annunciation of Our Lady and hanged by Henry Tudor, who was now Henry VII. Following Richard’s burial in the cemetery of Greyfriars Church in Leicester, Henry paid 50 pounds to have a marble and alabaster monument erected in honour of Richard in 1495.
According to one historical tradition, Richard’s body was thrown into the River Soar during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but other evidence suggests that a monument continued to mark Richard’s grave until 1612. The exact location of Richard’s tomb has been lost as a result of 500 years of development.
Richard III was the last English king to be killed in combat. Richard’s eight year old son had died the year before and as a result of this, Richard’s death also marked the fall of the House of Plantagenet and the rise of the House of Tudor with the coronation of Henry VII.
Sources
Ashley, Mike. British Kings and Queens. Robinson:London.1998.
Terry Long - I hold degrees in history and journalism. In addition to my contributions to Suite 101, I have also written for the Brampton Bulletin, the ...
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