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Who was Richard III?

Richard III was born on 2nd October 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire and was a member of the royal House of York. He was the youngest of eight surviving children born to Richard, 3rd Duke of York (1411-1460) and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (1415-1495). Richard was born during the tumultuous Wars of the Roses. His oldest brother became King Edward IV in 1461 and died unexpectedly in 1483. Richard became King instead of Edward’s son on 26th June 1483 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6th July.

Richard III faced and defeated a rebellion in October 1483. He held one Parliament in early 1484. Richard’s only legitimate son, Edward of Middleham (1476-1484) died in mid-April 1484, and Richard’s wife Queen Anne Neville (1456-1485) passed away in March 1485. Richard III then faced an invasion in August 1485 led by Henry Tudor (1457-1509) and backed by the French crown. The two armies met at the Battle of Bosworth on 22nd August 1485. Henry’s forces were victorious with the backing of a third army under the Stanley family. Richard III was killed after leading a cavalry charge and remains the last King of England to die on the battlefield.

Richard III’s body was taken to Leicester where it was buried in the Church of the Greyfriars. His mortal remains were rediscovered in 2012 and reburied at Leicester Cathedral in 2015. A Visitor Centre now stands on the original grave site to tell the fascinating story of King Richard III.

Why is there a Richard III Society?

Centuries of reassessment of the story of Richard III led to the creation of the Richard III Society in 1924. The Society’s Mission Statement explains that it exists in the belief that the traditional stories surrounding Richard III are not supported by the available evidence, and that research to drive reassessment is the best way to get closer to the truth about the life and reign of Richard III.

The Society has members around the world who come to the story of Richard III through a variety of paths. What is shared is a belief that the traditional story of Richard III is unfair and unreasonable, that there is evidence to support a reassessment of his life and reign, and that there is more evidence to be found.

Why speak to the Richard III Society?

The Richard III Society is the leading resource for information on the life and reign of King Richard III. A number of members are leading academics in the field of fifteenth century study.

The Society publishes a members’ magazine quarterly and an annual academic journal. Alongside these, the Society is involved in publishing new books related to the study of Richard III and the late fifteenth century.

The Society is well placed to provide information and comment on matters related to Richard III, Yorkist rule, the Wars of the Roses and the early Tudor period. We are able to assist with fact checking, research, sources and providing well informed comment on numerous matters to help improve media presentation of the complexities of the late fifteenth century.

We have the expertise and experience to help.

What good things did Richard III do?

The Society’s interest in the reassessment of King Richard III is centred on the belief that much of what we know with any certainty about his actions is at odds with the traditional depiction of him. A good example of this lies in Richard III’s Parliament in 1484 and other examples of his lawmaking. Measures implemented include reforms of the bail system to increase fairness and drive the notion in English law of being innocent until proven guilty. Jury composition was also addressed to drive out corruption. Richard also created the Court of Requests which was designed to allow those who could not afford to bring legal cases to have access to justice and the courts. It was therefore an early forerunner of legal aid.

There are many more examples of action taken by Richard III as king which appears to be in line with his interests and policies as Duke of Gloucester in the decade or so before he was king. These stand against the several crimes of which he is accused, often without evidence to support the claims. The juxtaposition in which the Society and its members are interested is the proven evidence of Richard’s actions as opposed to the largely unsubstantiated claims of his crimes, and how the two apparently irreconcilable figures behind them can be understood.

Why is Richard III controversial?

The death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth ended 331 years of Plantagenet rule and ushered in the beginning of the 118 year Tudor era. As the founder of a new dynasty that had taken the throne by conquest, Henry VII was aware of an imperative to paint his predecessor as a villain who warranted removal from the throne. This was a necessity to avoid Henry himself being viewed as a murderer of God’s anointed king.

Over the years, decades and centuries that followed it was the image of Richard III as a tyrant that prevailed. In the absence of any direct descendants to defend Richard III’s reputation, others took up the challenge. The effort to re-examine and reassess Richard III began soon after the death of Queen Elizabeth I, and the end of the Tudor dynasty, in 1603.

The gaps that exist in the contemporary source material and the bias of near contemporary sources mean that many facets of Richard’s story are open to multiple interpretations, which leads to differing views and continued debate.

 

What are the main points of controversy?

The most famous and enduring mystery that surrounds Richard III is the fate of his nephews, known as the ‘Princes in the Tower’. There remains no evidence to support the notion that the Princes were murdered in 1483, let alone that Richard was responsible for their deaths. If there were murders, then it is reasonable to consider Richard III the prime suspect, but not to consider the matter proven. There is significant evidence that both boys survived beyond the reign of Richard III and investigation of this mystery is ongoing, with new sources emerging.

Richard III is also accused of murdering Earl Rivers, Sir Richard Grey, and Lord Hastings in 1483, though there is reason to believe each had a judicial trial in the form of a court martial, using powers Richard held as Constable of England. There are also suggestions that Richard was involved in the death of Henry VI. Similarly, there is no contemporary evidence to support this charge, and if Henry VI was killed, it was certainly on the orders of King Edward IV.

The Society approaches each of these incidents with an open mind to contextualise the events and to reassess the available evidence.

 

How does the Society seek to confront these controversies?

The Society’s Mission Statement drives members to engage in research that might uncover new evidence to add context to the events of Richard III’s life and reign. With a network of academics and members the Society is well placed to champion research into various areas of the second half of the fifteenth century. The Society can also assist in interpreting and contextualising these sources. Research, and approaching material with an open mind and an intention to reassess existing evidence, are doors that can be opened to shed new light on old stories.

The Society and its members also advocate on social media and in various other settings for a reassessment of the sources relating to Richard III. The Society does not generally seek to offer answers but rather to question the prevailing narrative where it rests on insufficient and unsatisfactory evidence.

How long has controversy existed around Richard III?

Richard III’s reputation has suffered since at least 1485, after his death. There is some evidence that his character was under question in 1483, though much of this relies on later sources. The earliest scholarly attempt to reassess the reputation of Richard III came in 1619. Sir George Buc, who had been an MP under Elizabeth I and became Master of the Revels to James I. He compiled numerous manuscripts, many of the originals of which have since been lost, that aligned to oppose the prevailing view of Richard III at the end of the Tudor era.

Richard III has, ever since, been the subject to changes in his reputation. Even today, more than five centuries after his death, his character and actions are debated. In this regard, Richard III remains a uniquely fascinating figure from history.

What are the main challenges to the Society's work?

Shakespeare! Although William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of King Richard III was a fictional play, it built on a century of attacks on Richard III’s reputation. The play is a masterpiece in the examination of the anti-hero but was also written as a tragedy rather than a history. The character of Richard is something of an oddity for Shakespeare in that he is a lead character who undergoes no development whatsoever.

Many writers through the Tudor period helped to create and forge the bad reputation of Richard III. While historians recognise Shakespeare’s Richard III as fiction, there is ongoing debate about the reliability of, and reliance on, dramatic narrative accounts such as that of Sir Thomas More.

The lack of clear, unequivocal contemporary source material for the reign of Richard III remains a challenge to efforts to reassess the events of 1483-5 and Richard’s role in them. This is why research, engaging with historians and with the media are key to the Society’s work. Research can broaden our understanding, historians can help contextualise evidence, members of the Society can advocate for a reassessment, and the media can help challenge the widely held belief that Richard III can be considered guilty of the numerous crimes of which he is accused.

Richard III Society
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