Richard III | The final Yorkist king

Not only was Richard III the final York king to sit on the throne but was also the last of England’s Plantagenet kings. As the youngest son, Richard was never considered in the line of succession and yet has become one of the most divisive and talked about kings in history.  

Quick Facts:  

Born: 2nd October 1452, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire  
Died: 22nd August 1485 (aged 32), Bosworth Field, Leicestershire 
Reign: 26th June 1483 – 22nd August 1485 
Parents: Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville  
Predecessor: Edward V (nephew) 
Successor: Henry VII  (cousin)
Spouse: Anne Neville (1472-1485) 
Children: Edward of Middleham and also John of Gloucester and Katherine, both illigitimate.  
Royal House: Plantagenet, York branch 

Richard was born at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire and was the youngest son of Richard, the Duke of York and Cecily Neville. He was well born and well connected, part of the extended royal family and the son of a respected Duke. His older brother Edward would become Edward IV after defeating Henry VI in the War of the Roses, which would further propel Richard into a life of grandeur and power.  

Image: Richard III
As a child, his father was initially the governor of Normandy before relocating the family to Ludlow Castle. He was later the governor of Ireland and so the family moved around significantly. When the king, Henry VI suffered a bout of mental unwellness, his father stepped in the run the government on his behalf kicking off the war of the roses. After the death of his father and the deposition of Henry, Richard’s older brother Edward became king, making Richard a royal prince. As well as given a royal title, the Dukedom of Gloucester was created for him and he and his brother George, the Duke of Clarence moved into Greenwich Palace.  

Life as a royal prince 

Edward IV’s reign was marred with civil war and both he and Henry VI fought and deposed each other twice. As such Richard couldn’t get too comfortable in any of the royal palaces and for a time lived with his cousin Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick. Neville gained the title Kingmaker because of his influence among the royal family. He worked with the Duke of Clarence to return Henry to the throne, deposing Edward and exiling him to Flanders. Richard remained loyal to Edward, becoming his figurehead in Wales and joining him in exile before returning to participate in the Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury. During the latter, Edward of Westminster, the only son of Henry VI was killed and it is widely believed that Richard arranged this. Henry VI died shortly after in captivity, again, something believed to have been orchestrated by Richard, perhaps on Edward’s orders. Edward was returned to the throne around Richard’s 18th birthday and was given a variety of responsibilities as befitting a nobleman of the time. Even so, it was never expected that Richard would accede the throne, though there was only one real Lancastrian claimant left, Henry Tudor who was exiled to France, Edward had ten children and named his eldest son, also Edward, as his heir.  

 Richard the usurper  

Historians continue to debate when exactly Richard planned to usurp the throne and why. He gave the impression that he was loyal to Edward and the crown and appeared happy with his position. It is said that he intended to found his own dynasty, something that he did with vigour and at the expense of others. He financed much of his plan by seizing the finances of enemies defeated by his brother and coercing an elderly countess into surrendering her inheritance to him. He also married Anne Neville, the youngest daughter of his cousin, the Earl of Warwick – something done for financial gain. He insisted on being given her share of her parent’s inheritance, causing a rift with his brother, the Duke of Clarence, who had married her sister. Between them, the royal brothers (the King, the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of Gloucester) colluded to deprive the Neville sisters of their entitlements. Not content with stealing financially from his brother, Richard was later involved in a plot to accuse George of treason, something he was executed for leaving Richard to benefit greatly from his death.  

Richard’s character continues to divide opinion, some see him as being callous and ruthless, while others see that he merely manipulated circumstances to do what he deemed to be justified. However you see it, it is true that he gained much more power than originally intended in a short period of time. Edward IV never questioned his loyalty and he was named the king’s lieutenant in the north. There is some evidence that he was in fact so powerful in the region and had been so victorious over the Scottish army, that he could have easily gained the crown there. Instead, he went after the English one. The plan that most defines Richard and his reign is the one implemented on the sudden death of Edward IV. Whether Richard thought what he was doing was just or whether he was hungry for the power will never be confirmed, but what we do know is that on hearing of his brother’s death, Richard made his way across country to meet with his nephew, 12 year old Edward who had been named the new King.  

In his will, Edward IV had named his oldest son as his successor and Richard as Lord Protector. Something that was regularly done to bring about stability if a new king was still under age. Being Lord Protector meant you would advise and rule on the new king’s behalf until they were old enough to do so themselves. This position alone would have granted Richard much more power than he had previously experienced but clearly, it wasn’t enough.  

Edward V’s household prepared to journey with him from his home at Ludlow Castle to London for his coronation. The head of his household was Anthony Woodville, his maternal uncle and the majority of the travelling party was made up of members of his mother’s family. Although the Woodville’s were suspicious of Richard, he swore allegiance to the new king and so they agreed to meet with him on the road and allow him to accompany him to London. The Woodvilles were concerned that Richard could gain too much power and that Edward would become little more than a puppet and so wanted him coronated immediately, something that would make the role of Lord Protector somewhat obsolete. Although Richard went along with the plan to move the new king to London, he worked to postpone the coronation repeatedly.  

He met with Edward V, Anthony Woodville and Richard Grey, the king’s older half brother and then the following day had bother Woodville and Grey arrested, stating that they were a danger to the new King. The pair had their lands seized and were sent to Pontefract Castle where they were later executed. Edward was powerless to resist and besides, Richard was his uncle, so clearly had his best interests at heart, right? Richard assured him that it was all for his own safety, claiming absolute loyalty. He dismissed the rest of Edward’s household and escorted him to London with his own retinue. As he was known to be the Lord Protector, this wasn’t seen as suspicious to the wider population and it wasn’t unheard of for family members to turn against each other, the country had after all been living with the fall out of a civil war for years. At this point, although Edward was known to be king, Richard was recognised as head of the government.  

Once arriving in London, Richard took his nephew to the Tower of London, which as well as being a prison, was a royal residence and one that was often used prior to coronation. The young king was kept under armed guard with Richard claiming that this was all for his protection while awaiting coronation. We now know that Richard never intended for Edward to be coronated. In fact, Edward had the shortest reign of any king, he was never crowned and was deposed just two months after gaining the title. Elizabeth Woodville, Edward’s mother, fled to Westminster Abbey with her remaining children to seek sanctuary once she heard that Richard had Edward in custody. It wouldn’t be long though before he had another of her children, her youngest son, also Richard, in his grip. The ten year old was the new Duke of York and was heir apparent until his brother married and had children. Richard claimed that he simply wanted to ensure that the prince was at the coronation, but he too went into the Tower.  

The next stage of Richard’s plan was to execute Lord Hastings for treason. Hastings was a long term supporter of Edward IV and by extension Edward V and was one of the voices questioning why the coronation was being delayed. Once Hastings had gone, Richard was the most powerful person in government, allowing him to declare that he was the rightful king, not his nephew. There had been rumours for years that Cecily Neville had been unfaithful, resulting in Edward IV being illegitimate – it was noted that Edward was tall and blonde and their father short and dark. Richard on the other hand did resemble his father. He also floated the idea that his brother’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was invalid and in an act of parliament called Titulus Regius claimed that all ten of his nieces and nephews were illegitimate. Edward’s reign came to an end on 26th June 1483, just two months after his father’s death. The act remained in place until Henry VII repealed it.  

 Richard the king 

Richard was crowned Richard III at Westminster Abbey on 6th July 1483 alongside his wife Anne and Edward V and his younger brother were never seen again.  

Richard maintained throughout his reign that he was justified in his actions and he believed that his nephew was illegitimate because of his brother’s previous betrothal. Something that was never contended at the time of his marriage. Whether or not he did orchestrate the murder of Edward V and Prince Richard has continued to be debated to this day. Richard himself never publicly confirmed or denied that the boys were dead even though theories about what happened to them continued to undermine him. Though it is widely agreed that Richard was the most likely subject, the Duke of Buckingham and Henry Tudor were also implicated. Something that seems to absolve Richard is that he and Elizabeth Woodville came to a truce, he allowed her and her daughters to come out of sanctuary, housing them in royal residences and providing for them. He did also intend to marry his oldest niece Elizabeth of York after the death of his wife Anne. Historians debate whether Elizabeth Woodville would have entertained this idea if she truly believed that Richard had murdered the princes, though he did have Richard Grey executed on false charges, which throws confusion over her own motives. She would later have her daughter married to Henry Tudor, who would usurp the throne from Richard and throughout their marriage would plot against Henry to restore the York line to the throne. Whatever happened to the princes and whatever Elizabeth Woodville’s feelings on the matter, she served as an ally for Richard as during his reign.  

On his coronation, Richard presented himself as a reformer, claiming that he was committed to justice and righting the moral wrongs of his brother’s rule. However, he was never fully respected or liked by his subjects. He was deemed to be a murderer, a tyrant and a committer of incest due to his interest in his niece. The fact that he sought to strengthen his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York also saw many view him as a contradiction, if Elizabeth and her siblings were illegitimate, how was she to strengthen his hold on the crown? Throughout his two year reign, he faced opposition from the rulers of southern England who saw Richard as nothing but a usurper. He was also under constant threat of invasion from France who recognised Henry Tudor as an alternative. Though Henry’s claim wasn’t as strong as Richard’s, he was supported by the southern nobles who disliked Richard so much they didn’t care who removed him. Henry Tudor’s claim was via the Beaufort line on his mother’s side, his grandfather was the half brother of Henry VI and he was a descendant of the Welsh Tudors of Penmynydd. Though the Tudor weren’t considered nobles in England, they were a prominent family in Wales.  

Richard’s hold on England weakened after the death of his only son in 1448. Several family members attempted to overthrow him and when exiled, headed to France to join Henry Tudor’s campaign. Tudor’s army was made up of French and Scottish mercenaries, as well as some English lords, supported by Baron Thomas Stanley, the Lord High Constable of England, his step father and one of the most powerful men in the country. Tudor and his army invaded in 1485, meeting Richard’s forces at Bosworth Field culminating in one of the most famous battles in English history. Richard was killed in battle and Henry ascended the throne becoming Henry VII, marrying Elizabeth of York and uniting the York and Lancaster houses, ending the War of the Roses.  

The debate continues  

Centuries later, Richard’s remains were found under a carpark in Leicester. He was the last English king to die in battle and examination of his remains in 2013 showed that he had 11 significant wounds, eight of them to the head, indicating that he had likely lost his helmet during the battle. It is believed that Richard’s naked body was tied to a horse and transported to Leicester before being displayed in a church and then buried in Greyfriers Church, Leicester. Henry VII later paid for a marble monument for Richard, though the exact location of his final resting place was lost to time and development. The Richard III Society who aim to reassess the king’s reputation commissioned an archaeological dig to recover his grave and identifying him via his DNA. He was reburied in Leicester Cathedral in 2015.  

Richard’s character continues to be debated. The Richard III Society say that he has been unfairly represented throughout history. Records show that he was faithful to his wife and that his two known illegitimate children were fathered prior to his marriage. However, following the death of Anne Neville, he was forced to publicly deny that he had poisoned her in order to marry his niece. There is no evidence to suggest that he had an affair with Elizabeth of York. Many contemporary views on Richard were shaped by propaganda from Henry VII’s reign and the plays of Shakespeare that paint Richard as a villain, though peers from the time claim that he was pious and promoted legal fairness. However you view him, he remains one of the most divisive kings in history.  

Places to visit:  

Richard III museum, York 
The museum can be found at Monk Bar, in one of the city’s medieval gateways. Monk Bar is the tallest gateway in the city walls. The museum features a chamber built by Richard himself.  

Barnard Castle, County Durham 
Former home of the Neville family.  

Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, Leicestershire 

Warwick Castle, Warwick 
The castle was at one point granted to Richard when he was Duke of Gloucester.