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COVER STORY
RICHARD III
A re-enactment of the
Battle of Bosworth, at
which Henry Tudor's
forces slay King Richard
ALAMY X1, GETTY X2, PRESS ASSOCIATION X1
Large crowds lined the streets
as the coffin containing the
remains of Richard III was
taken to Leicester Cathedral
for reinterment on 26 March
2015. The Archbishop of Canterbury
led the service, members of the royal
family were present, the Queen herself
wrote a message for the order of service,
while the Leicester authorities made it
clear that Richard was being buried not
just with dignity but with honour. For
many of those present, Richard was a
much-maligned king who was finally
getting the respect he deserved. But not
everyone saw it that way. Writing in The
Guardian, Polly Toynbee bemoaned the
fact that Britain "mourned a monster"
simply because he had been king.
Even today, this controversial monarch
continues to divide opinions.
Born in 1452 at Fotheringhay,
Northamptonshire, Richard was
the fourth son of Cecily Neville and
Richard of York, whose conflict with
the Lancastrian Henry VI was a major
cause of the Wars of the Roses. In
1460, Richard’s father was killed at
the Battle of Wakefield but in 1461,
his eldest brother, Edward, defeated
32 HISTORYREVEALED.COM
"Unlike his sibling,
Richard appears the
very model of a loyal
younger brother"
the Lancastrians at Towton. became
Edward IV and appointed Richard Duke
of Gloucester. Unlike his unreliable
sibling, George, Duke of Clarence, whose
machinations would see him executed
in 1478, Richard appears the very model
of a loyal younger brother. Living up to
his motto of ‘Loyauté me Lie’ (Loyalty
Binds Me), he joined Edward in exile
after Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick
had restored Henry VI to the throne in
1470. The following year, they returned
Anthony Woodville (kneeling) was a
loyal supporter of Edward IV (seated),
and was executed in 1483 almost
certainly on Richard's orders
to England and Richard contributed to
the Yorkist victories at Barnet (where
Warwick was killed) and Tewkesbury
where he led Edward’s vanguard.
Richard was well rewarded. He was
given control of lands confiscated
from the Nevilles and his marriage
to Warwick’s daughter, Anne, gained
him more territory in the north of
England, which became his power
base. As Edward’s lieutenant in the
north, he seems to have been an able
administrator and the chronicler John
Rous described him as a "good lord" who
punished "oppressors of the commons".