Who was Richard III?
King Richard III was a medieval king of England, who ruled from 1483 to 1485, before being slain on the battlefield at Bosworth Field by the forces of Henry Tudor, self-proclaimed Earl of Richmond. By virtue of conquest, Henry became King Henry VII, the father of Henry VIII and grandfather of Elizabeth I. Richard was born into a family of royal blood, the Plantagenets, descended from King Edward III. His elder brother ruled England as Edward IV, after deposing the Lancastrian king Henry VI. After the death of Edward IV, it was discovered that the children of his unpopular marriage to Elizabeth Woodville were legally illegitimate, and Richard, as the only surviving Plantagenet son, was asked by Parliament to assume the throne. Why a Society in his name? Richard III, by the grace of William Shakespeare, has come down to us through history as a murderous tyrant, who plotted and killed his way to the throne of England. Shakespeare based his play on the writings of various “historians” unde
Richard was born in Fotheringhay Castle on October 2nd 1452. As Duke of Gloucester his hard work helped keep his brother, Edward IV, on the throne. Richard III was king of England from 1483 to 1485. He died in battle at Bosworth Field in Leicestershire on August 22. Shakespeare cast him wrongly as a murdering villain, and the image stuck. Shakespeare was a brilliant dramatist but a lousy historian. By studying what is known of his life a totally different man emerges. For lots more information about this fascinating man visit the Richard III Society’s web site, the American Branch’s web site, and other sites run by branches of the Richard III Society worldwide. The page of Ricardian web sites provides links to most of them. Back to the top Back to the home page Why is there a society about him and what are its aims? Thanks to the success of the bad press Richard received from Sir Thomas More, Henry VII and ultimately William Shakespeare, much of what people believe about Richard is tot
Was he a good king and able administrator, a murderer, or merely a bungler? We’ll never know; Henry VII saw to that. Historical reductivism probably means that Richard will remain the Crouchback, the usurper, the murderous uncle — just as Henry VII will continue to be thin-lipped and miserly and Mary will be bloody. Truth redefines itself with time and changing mores, especially when coupled with a deliberate attempt to erase the record. What is certain is that historians, both amateur and professional, will continue to engage in lively debate over Richard’s character and actions, evincing, as Potter succinctly says, “a faith that even after all these centuries the truth is important.” (260) Links Richard III Society http://www.richardiii.net The Richard III and Yorkist History Server Sponsored by the Richard III Society, American Branch http://www.r3.org/intro.html Biography Lea Ann Alexander is Special Collections Librarian at Huie Library. She received her MLS from Indiana Universi
Shakespeare’s ‘Now is the winter of our discontent’ soliloquy performed by Ian McKellen in his film version of ‘Richard III’ from 1995. —tho with the long introduction in this modernized version, the soliloquy actually starts about 5 and a half minutes into this clip. I really like the re-created 30s style jazz tune here, but for those who want just THE SPEECH, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke5-SUDrHMU Stacey Kent (born 1968 in New Jersey) is the fine jazz singer in this clip (and in real life!). Excellent music by Trevor Jones for this film. Christopher Marlowe. 1564–93 The Passionate Shepherd to His Love COME live with me and be my Love, And we will all the pleasures prove That hills and valleys, dales and fields, Or woods or steepy mountain yields. And we will sit upon the rocks, And see the shepherds feed their flocks By shallow rivers, to whose falls Melodious birds sing madrigals. And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies; A cap of flowers, an
