Richard III (October 2, 1452-August 22, 1485), King of England, reigned from 1483 to 1485. The younger brother of Edward IV, he was regent in 1483 (Edward IV's behest granted Richard the title of Lord Protector, enjoying power). It is rumored that he killed his nephew Edward V and ascended the throne (British historians still dispute the whereabouts of the "Prince of the Tower", but there is no conclusion that Richard is the culprit). Supposed the rebellion of the Duke of Buckingham who claimed the right to succeed to the throne. However, during the battle with Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, he was defeated and killed due to the rebellion of his subordinate William Stanley.
Richard III was the last king of the York Dynasty and the last king of the Plantagenet Dynasty. Playwrights such as Shakespeare portrayed him as a "hunchbacked tyrant." However, King Richard III made great achievements during his reign. He established a complete legal aid system and bail system, assisted universities, churches, and established the Northern Parliament, which enjoyed widespread love in the region at that time.
character experience
Early life
Richard was the third son of Richard Plurlet, the third Duke of York and Sicily Neville's eight children. He was born in Castle Fordlinheim in 1452 and was one of the four descendants of the Duke and Duchess of York who lived to adulthood. Richard spent most of his childhood at Midham Castle in Winsley Valley, where he was led by his cousin Richard. Grown up under the guardianship of Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick. (Because of his outstanding influence in the Wars of the Roses, this person is known as the "King Maker" in history.)
After his father and brother Edmond (Earl of Rutland) died in battle at Wakefield, Richard, as a young boy, was placed under the protection of the Earl of Warwick. He was at his estate in Warwick with Francis? Lovell (later Viscount Lovell) became an excellent friend, and the friendship remained strong for the rest of Richard's life. Another child in the family was Warwick's daughter Anne Neville, who later married Richard.
governance talent
During Edward IV's rule in England, Richard not only demonstrated his loyalty to his brother, but also his talent as a military commander. He was given the vast land in northern England and the title of Duke of Gloucester, and was appointed Governor of the North. Everything made Richard the richest and most powerful aristocrat in England and the loyal right-hand man of Edward IV. In contrast, another brother in the family who successfully lived to adulthood, George? Plantagenet (later the first Duke of Clarence) was executed by Edward IV for treason in 1478, and his descendants were also deprived of the right to inherit the throne.
Richard controlled northern England until the death of Edward IV. Here, especially in York City, he enjoys widespread love and attention. His administration not only provided fair and generous assistance to universities, but also made considerable contributions to the church. He established the Northern Parliament and promulgated some laws to protect individual rights. The Scottish recapture of the town of Berwick on the Tweed in 1482 also contributed a lot to his reputation. [2]
Regent ascended the throne
Edward IV died on April 9, 1483, and his will granted Richard the title of Lord Protector, enjoying power (not as Regent). Edward IV's 12-year-old son Edward V and 9-year-old Prince Richard are the first and second successors to the throne.
The family of Elizabeth Woodville, the queen of Edward IV, challenged the rights of the "king-maker" Earl of Warwick and interfered in court politics. After taking office, Richard III arrested Edward V's uncle Anthony. Woodwell (the second Earl of Rivers and brother-in-law of Edward IV) and other advisers sent them to Fort Pontflec in Yorkshire, where they were executed for attempting to assassinate the Regent. Later, he arranged for Edward V and his younger brother Richard to move into the royal residence in the Tower of London.
On June 22, 1483, a representative of Richard read a statement outside St. Paul's Cathedral, claiming for the first time that he was based on Edward IV and Elizabeth? Woodville's marriage was illegal, and their children became illegitimate children and automatically lost their right to the throne; and Edward, Richard's brother George's only son, was also deprived of his right to the throne on the grounds of George's treason while the late king was alive. Therefore, the true heir to the British throne should be Richard. A bishop testified that Edward IV married Elizabeth? Previously, he had worked for Edward and Elena? Butler married based on the woman's marriage in Elizabeth? The fact that Woodwell was still alive when he married Edward IV, Edward IV and Elizabeth? The declaration that the marriage between Woodville was null and void was immediately passed by Parliament, and a bill of kingship was enacted to formally declare the two little princes lost their rights to inheritance, and the title of King of England belonged to Richard.
On July 6, 1483, Richard III was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
ruling career
Although he was in power for only two years, Richard III still demonstrated his outstanding political talents. During his administration, Richard III introduced a series of liberalization reform measures, such as enacting bail bills and lifting restrictions on the publishing and printing industry. He and Queen Anne donated money to Cambridge University, provided funds for the church, and established the Royal House of Arms.
There have been two large-scale insurrections against Richard III in history. The first rebellion occurred in 1483. The former supporter of Richard III, Henry Stafford (second Duke of Buckingham) and Henry Stepford (2nd Duke of Buckingham), and Henry Stepford, were killed. Led by Tudor (2nd Earl of Richmond). The incident was quickly put down by Richard III, and the Duke of Buckingham was beheaded near the Ox Head Inn in Selysbury. Tudor fled to France. But in 1485 another mutiny occurred, this time led by Henri. Tudor and his uncle Jasper? Tudor. The rebels successfully landed in England and defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Plain. The Lancaster family defeated the York family in this battle and achieved a decisive victory in the War of the Roses.
Die in battle
On August 22, 1485, Richard and Henry Tudor's Lancaster forces fought on Bosworth Plain. Even though Richard's troops were initially two-to-one, Thomas said. Stanley (the first Earl of Derby), William? Sir Stanley and Henry? Percy, the fourth Earl of Northumberland, defected and turned to Henry? Tudor. This severely weakened Richard III's military strength and had a significant impact on the outcome of the Battle of Bosworth. In addition, Richard III's very close companion, John, Duke of Norfolk, Howard's death also greatly damaged the morale of Richard and his men.
Some records point out that Richard was quite brave and good at the Battle of Bosworth, not only defeating the famous warrior John? Sir Chaney captured the horse and killed Henry? William, Tudor's flag bearer? Sir Brandon. He almost killed Henry himself before being besieged and killed. According to ancient times, his last words were: "Treason, treason, treason."¡»
According to legend, Richard consulted a prophet in a town in Leicestershire before entering the war. The prophet predicted: "The place where the spurs hit when you ride your horse to the battlefield will be the place where your brain will explode on the return journey." "While heading to Bosworth Plain, his spurs touched the stone on the Wave Bridge. Legend has it that when Richard III's body was carried back from the battlefield on horseback, his head broke open when it hit the same stone.
Another legend tells that Richard III and Henry were preparing to fight to the death, a battle that would determine who would rule England. One morning before the battle began, Richard sent a stabler to prepare his favorite warhorse."Hurry up and nail it," the stabler said to the blacksmith,"The king hopes to ride it to lead the battle." "'You have to wait,"the blacksmith replied." A few days ago, I nailed all the horses, but the iron plates were gone. "'I can't wait. "cried the stabler impatiently. The blacksmith buried himself in his work, took four horseshoes from an iron bar, smashed them flat, shaped them, fixed them on the hooves, and then began to drive nails. After nailing three palms, he found that there were no nails to nail the fourth palm. I'm missing a few nails,"he said." It'll take some time to smash two. "I told you I couldn't wait. "said the stabler urgently. "I can nail the horseshoe on, but not as strong as the others. "'Can you hang on? "asked the stabler. "I should," replied the blacksmith,"but I'm not sure. "'Well, that's it,'cried the stabler,' hurry up, or the king will blame it. "The two armies met, and King Richard charged in, urging his soldiers to face the enemy. Suddenly, a horse shoe fell off, the horse fell to the ground, and Richard was also overturned to the ground. The frightened horse jumped up and fled, and the king's soldiers turned and retreated, and Henry's troops surrounded him. He waved his sword in the air and shouted,"A war horse! A warhorse! I would trade my kingdom for a warhorse! "(Note: This legend has been denied by modern historians. Archaeologists studied bones and found that Richard III died at the last moment before his death and was still fighting.)
Richard III became the last British king to die on the battlefield. According to historical records, his body was displayed naked after the war and was finally buried in the Church of St. Franciscans in Leicester. Henry? Tudor later inherited the throne of Richard and became King Henry VII of England. He immediately consolidated his throne by marrying Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV, the heiress of the York family. Later, with the coming to power of Henry VIII and the implementation of the Religious Reform, many monasteries in England were razed to the ground, and the exact location of the tomb of Richard III was no longer known.
On February 4, 2013, researchers at the University of Leicester held a press conference and stated that after DNA identification (compared with the DNA of a descendant of a relative of Richard III) and historical research, it was confirmed that the bones found in the parking lot were Richard III. The skeleton had 10 wounds, 8 on the skull and 2 on the body. This discovery provided more conclusive evidence for the British Battle of Bosworth in 1485