Richard III 1483-85

• Richard III


  One of the most controversial monarchs in the history of English kings and queens
• Richard III was traditionally cast as a villain, accused of stealing the throne from his nephew and having him killed
• It's possible Richard III was actually a good king who was illegally overthrown, and his reputation was dragged through the mud by history's victors
• Richard III's reign


  Just over 2 years, from 1483 to 1485
• Richard III was the last of the 14 Plantagenet kings that ruled between 1154 and 1485
• Plantagenet split


  Into the House of Lancaster and the House of York, with Richard III belonging to the latter
• Richard III was born

  1452
• Richard III's early story is tied to the Wars of the Roses, which began around 60 years prior to his reign
• Henry VI's loss of Gascony in 1453 led to a mental breakdown and the Duke of York stepping forward as a strong leader
• Richard III's father, the Duke of York, was killed by Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Wakefield when Richard was around 8 years old
• Richard's brother, Edward IV, overthrew Henry VI and had himself crowned in 1461
• In 1470, Edward IV was briefly overthrown by the Earl of Warwick, but Richard and Edward IV soon returned and defeated Warwick's forces
• In 1472, at age 19, Richard married Anne Neville, the widow of Henry VI's son and the daughter of the defeated Earl of Warwick
• Richard became the most powerful magnate in the north of England, ruling on his brother's behalf
• In 1481, Richard led an invasion of Scotland, recaptured Berwick, and occupied Edinburgh, for which he was rewarded with the Duchy of Cumberland
• In 1483, after the sudden death of his brother, King Edward IV, Richard took charge of matters, declaring Edward V illegitimate and taking the throne himself as Richard III
• Edward V and his younger brother disappeared and were presumed murdered, leaving Richard III facing constant threats of being overthrown
• Richard III faced opposition from many who viewed him as an illegitimate usurper, as well as the threat of Henry Tudor, who had a tenuous claim to the throne
• In 1485, Henry Tudor invaded England, faced Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, and emerged victorious, becoming King Henry VII
• After Richard III's death, he was painted as a villain, with his deformity used to cast him as evil, though modern analysis shows his disability was unrelated to his actions
• There are records of Richard III having a kind streak and trying to introduce good laws when he was king, suggesting he may have been a good ruler whose reputation was unfairly tarnished
• The truth about the fate of the princes in the tower and Richard III's role in it remains a mystery