Richard III (1452 – 1485)

Richard III is the definitive villain of the British Monarchy and was depicted as such in William Shakespeare ’s play; Richard III.

Richard III is seen throughout history, and in Shakespeare’s famous play about power and corruption, as a megalomaniac, hunchback, who murdered his two young nephews to gain the throne of England , but his eventual demise brought about the end of the Yorkist and Plantagenet dynasty and started the Tudor dynasty.

Richard lived at a time when civil war was rife in England with the War of the Roses, pitting the White Rose of York against the Red Rose of Lancashire. Richard was of the House of York, as was his elder brother and incumbent King Edward IV.

When Edward died, Richard was appointed Lord Protector of the Realm, and was tasked with taking care of his nephews; Princes Edward V (aged 12) and Richard (aged 9), who were next in line to the throne. But Richard, seeing his opportunity to seize the throne, had the boys placed in the Tower of London, for their own safety, he claimed and had their protectors and family executed on trumped up charges of treason.

With his nephews locked away and his enemies dead, Richard surreptitiously launched a propaganda campaign, claiming that his brother’s marriage had been bogus and that his nephews were illegitimate and therefore that Richard was the rightful heir to the throne.

The campaign was successful, they were declared illegitimate and on July 6, 1483 Richard was crowned king at Westminster Abbey . Shortly afterwards the two Princes of the Tower disappeared. To this day it is unknown what happened to the two Princes, it is assumed they were murdered at the hands of their uncle, but their remains have never been found.

Richard’s reign lasted just two years as his many enemies gathered to oust him and rallied their support around the earl of Richmond, Henry Tudor who was Welsh from Lancastrian descent. Henry returned from exile in France and landed in South Wales , where he steadily gathered his army to meet Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22nd August 1485. Although Richard had far superior numbers, many of his key lieutenants switched their support and Richard was quickly outnumbered, and Richard was killed in battle. His burial site is unknown..