History UsefulNotes / RichardIII

Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1452 - 1485), crowned '''King Richard III''' in 1483, was the sixth son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and brother of King Edward IV of England, who had seized the throne from the reigning Lancastrian king, Henry VI. (The complicated relationships of the various branches of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet were the principal cause of the "UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses", in which Richard distinguished himself.) On Edward's death, he seized the throne from Edward's son (called Edward V, though he was never actually crowned), declaring him and his younger brother Richard of York bastards. (Traditionally, Richard had his nephews murdered in the Tower of London; this has been much disputed since at least late Tudor times.) A rebellion led by Henry [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Tudor]], Earl of Richmond, arose, and Richard was killed fighting for his kingdom at Bosworth Field.

* Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is an EpicFantasy that is loosely based on the WarsOfTheRoses and is filled with echoes of "The Princes in the Tower" and several characters - Stannis Baratheon, Ned Stark, Theon Greyjoy - are loosely patterned or direct expies of the historical Richard, with the fan favorite Tyrion Lannister, a deformed DeadpanSnarker dwarf, matching the rhetorical splendor of Shakespeare's Richard III. Arnolf Karstark seems a straight Expy of the theatrical Richard.

The remains showed signs of scoliosis (a curved spine) - which could have given him uneven shoulders but certainly not a hunchback - but there were no signs of the other deformities claimed by Tudor propagandists. It has also been claimed his preferred weapon in battle was a mace, which can be quite heavy. This would have enlarged the muscles of his fighting arm significantly, giving a further basis for the hunchback legend. It was also found that he did indeed go down fighting-his body showing that he suffered over a dozen injuries, three of which would have been fatal fairly quickly. Of those three injuries, one could have only been inflicted after death. This was the blow to his pelvis, which would have been armored at the time of his death. The other two, a blow from a sword and a halberd-type weapon, both to the skull, were more likely the fatal wounds.

Richard's traditional reputation was largely formed by Sir UsefulNotes/ThomasMore's ''History of king Richard the thirde'', which (possibly based on the reminiscences of John Morton, Bishop of Ely) depicts Gloucester as a [[RedRightHand hunch-backed, withered-armed]] Machiavellian villain. More's account formed the basis for Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/RichardIII'', which has probably been the most influential account of Richard's life and character -- despite its obvious historical shortcomings -- and has indeed tended to color perceptions of the entire [[TheLateMiddleAges Late Mediaeval period]].

Nevertheless, Richard's [[{{Retcon}} rehabilitation]] started fairly early. In the reign of James I (''i.e''., after the death of the [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI last]] of the [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Tudors]]), the antiquarian [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Buck Sir George Buck]] discovered the suppressed ''Titulus Regius'' that set forth the Parliamentary explanation for Richard's assumption of the throne and claimed he had seen a letter (now lost, if it ever existed at all) from Edward V's sister, Elizabeth of York, which established the friendly relations between them, and wrote his ''History of King Richard III'' in an attempt to moderate the king's negative image. Unfortunately, Buck died insane, and his history was published only after his death, by his grandson (1646). The concept of a Richard slandered by Henry Tudor (considered by most a man of few scruples) gained a strong following, and has influenced historians, either positively or negatively, ever since.

Popular depictions of Richard since Shakespeare's plays have generally veered back and forth from outright evil (Richard may be considered the patron saint of the HistoricalVillainUpgrade) to a revisionist version in which Richard, though appearing a somewhat cynical DeadpanSnarker, is nevertheless a fundamentally decent human being -- often the only decent human being in what is otherwise a DeadlyDecadentCourt.

He is often portrayed as a creepy old man even though he died aged only 32. He was also a WarriorPrince and the best warrior in England, second only to his brother Edward.

To everyone's surprise, Richard's remains were [[DatedHistory unearthed from a carpark in 2012]] and, using DNA from two descendants of his sister, identified as his in 2013. (Well, to everyone's surprise as nobody realised the carpark was built over the former site of the cemetary where he was said to be buried, before the cemetary itself moved somewhere else) Whether the popular view of this divisive king will change (and if so, how) is anyone's guess at this point. The remains showed signs of scoliosis (a curved spine) - which could have given him uneven shoulders but certainly not a hunchback - but there were no signs of the other deformities claimed by Tudor propagandists. It has also been claimed his preferred weapon in battle was a mace, which can be quite heavy, and thus would have enlarged the muscles of his fighting arm significantly. This oversized extremity may have formed the basis of the hunchback legend.

It was also found that he did indeed go down fighting-his body showing that he suffered over a dozen injuries, three of which would have been fatal fairly quickly. Of those three injuries, one could have only been inflicted after death. This was the blow to his pelvis, which would have been armored at the time of his death. The other two, a blow from a sword and a halberd-type weapon, both to the skull, were more likely the fatal wounds.

Nevertheless, Richard's [[{{Retcon}} rehabilitation]] started fairly early. In the reign of James I (''i.e''., after the death of the [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI last]] of the [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Tudors]]), the antiquarian [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Buck Sir George Buck]] discovered the suppressed ''Titulus Regius'' that set forth the Parliamentary explanation for Richard's assumption of the throne and claimed he had seen a letter (now lost, if it ever existed at all) from Edward V's sister, Elizabeth of York, which established the friendly relations between them, and wrote his ''History of King Richard III'' in an attempt to moderate the king's negative image. Unfortunately, Buck died insane, and his history was published only after his death, by his grandson (1646). Nevertheless, the concept of a Richard slandered by Henry Tudor (considered by most a man of few scruples) gained a strong following, and has influenced historians, either positively or negatively, ever since.

-->''Can you imagine it,''\\

To everyone's surprise, Richard's remains were [[DatedHistory unearthed from a carpark in 2012]] and, using DNA from two descendants of his sister, identified as his in 2013. Whether the popular view of this divisive king will change (and if so, how) is anyone's guess at this point. The remains showed signs of scoliosis (a curved spine) - which could have given him uneven shoulders but certainly not a hunchback - but there were no signs of the other deformities claimed by Tudor propagandists. It has also been claimed his preferred weapon in battle was a mace, which can be quite heavy, and thus would have enlarged the muscles of his fighting arm significantly. This oversized extremity may have formed the basis of the hunchback legend.

* Creator/GeorgeRRMartin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is an EpicFantasy that is loosely based on the WarsOfTheRoses and is filled with echoes of "The Princes in the Tower" and several characters - Stannis Baratheon, Ned Stark, Theon Greyjoy - are loosely patterned or direct expies of the historical Richard, with the fan favorite Tyrion Lannister, a deformed DeadpanSnarker dwarf, matching the rhetorical splendor of Shakespeare's Richard III.

* In the ''AnnoDracula'' series, Richard [[spoiler: is the villain of "Vampire Romance", and ''more'' of a monster than in Shakespeare]].

!!Richard III provides examples of the following tropes:

* {{Archenemy}}: He hated the Woodvilles and they hated him back.
** The Stanleys were also this, having got embroiled in localized warfare with Richard over a castle that belonged to one of Richard's Knights. They ended up betraying Richard at Bosworth.
* AManIsNotAVirgin: He very much loved -- and was faithful to -- his wife Anne Neville after they married and seems to have loved her for some time before that, but he ''did'' have two bastard children from before his marriage. He was a faithful husband, but obviously not a monk.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: One of the facts that has never been disputed is Richard's battle prowess.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: His joint coronation with his wife Anne Neville, which was the best-attended coronation in ''years''.
* {{Badass}}: Like his big brother Edward, he was a dedicated asskicker.
* BadassLongrobe: Richard's surcoat which he wore over his armor during battle.
* BeamMeUpScotty: Richard ''probably'' didn't cry out for a horse right before dying, as reported by Shakespeare. (We think.)
* CavalryBetrayal: Lord Stanley and Northumberland to Richard at the disastrous Battle of Bosworth Field.
* CavalryOfficer: Richard both before and after his coronation. This makes sense, because Richard's scoliosis infringed on his breathing, making him more easily fatigued, which would have been remedied on horseback.
* TheGoodChancellor[=/=]EvilChancellor: During his brief stint as Lord Protector. Which one he was is up for debate. However he is certainly good at his job, managing the North so well he had support there even after his death.
* ClearMyName: The whole ''point'' of the Richard III Society.
* CoolHelmet: Richard apparently wore his crown outside of his helmet.
* CustomUniform: Due to his scoliosis, Richard's armor would have had to have been custom-built.
* DatedHistory: The discovery of his remains under a car park in Leicester.
* DecisiveBattle: Barnet and Tewkesbury, which earned Richard his reputation as a military commander and put his brother Edward IV on the throne of England.
** Bosworth.
* DefiantToTheEnd: Per Polydore Vergil: ''"He died fighting manfully in the thickest press of his enemies."''
* DiabolusExMachina: Richard lost his son, his wife, and his own life inside of two years after becoming king.
* DueToTheDead: After his skeletal remains were rediscovered 530 years after his death, left in a pauper's grave at Greyfriars in Leicester and in modern times forgotten and paved over with a parking lot, Richard III's exhumed remains were reinterred at nearby Leicester Cathedral with the full honors befitting a king of England, including the presence of the Archibishop of Canterbury. Surprisingly, there were still some who saw this as controversial - given that for five centuries Richard III had been vilified as the evilest king in English history (though the Richard III society insists this was Tudor propaganda).
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Despite being very much a HandicappedBadass, Richard still goes down surrounded by his enemies.
** Even better: he came within ''a few feet'' of Henry Tudor during his cavalry charge and actually killed his standard bearer as well as unhorsing a 6'2" bodyguard of Henry's. Did we mention that Richard's height could not have exceeded 5'8"?
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Getting part of your skull sliced off with a halberd sure counts.
* FinalBattle: Bosworth, again.
* FrontlineGeneral: As King of England, Richard definitely qualifies at Bosworth.
** Not to mention Barnet, Tewkesbury, and his campaigns in Scotland.
* FullBoarAction: His personal heraldic device was a white boar.
* TheGoodKing: Definitely seen as such by his contemporaries, thanks to his legal reforms for the benefit of the English peasantry.
** In fact, upon hearing of his death at Bosworth, the Aldermen of York wrote in the city records: "On this day was our good King Richard [[TheHeroDies piteously slain and murdered]], to the great heaviness of the city." Keep in mind, this was at the risk of execution by the new regime.
* HandicappedBadass: UpToEleven: In a time when painkillers did not exist, Richard had a severe case of scoliosis, possibly coupled with osteoarthritis that would have caused massive pain and, as shown in the documentary ''Resurrecting Richard III'', restriction of lung capacity due to the twisting of the ribcage, which would have made him more easily fatigued. Still an epic-level {{Badass}}? Hell yes.
* HappilyMarried: With his VictoriousChildhoodFriend Anne Neville. Uniquely for the period, it was a love match that didn't cause LoveRuinsTheRealm. He did have two acknowledged illegitimate children but from before his marriage. And, to counter the idea he married her for money, he actually gave up valuable parts of the Neville inheritance to marry her, and the marriage itself wasn't an advantageous match -- she was primarily known at the time as the daughter and widow of traitors.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform: Richard's aforementioned surcoat, as well as the crown he wore outside of his helmet and clearly visible.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: The discovery of his body in 2012 makes it quite clear that the Shakespearean limp, withered arm, and hunchback (distinct from scoliosis) were fictional.
* HopeSpot: When Richard comes close to killing Henry Tudor at Bosworth. [[ForegoneConclusion It doesn't last very long]].
* InTheBack: Both of the lethal injuries are to the back of the skull, and analysis has shown that they could only have been inflicted if Richard had been forced to his knees at the time.
* InvulnerableHorses: Averted: One of the main contributors to Richard's death was the fact that his horse was caught in a mire, leaving him open to being [[ZergRush Zerg Rushed]] by Stanley's soldiers.
* LastOfHisKind: He was the last of the Plantagenets, England's oldest ruling family.
* LawOfInverseFertility: The worst of his problems began with the death of his son and only child, Edward. Queen Anne was far too frail to bear another child, and thought barren. She soon died of consumption, leaving Richard a childless widower scrambling for an heir. His nephew John de la Pole was named heir, only to die in 1487 at the Battle of Stoke Field.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's eerie how similar he and his father (also called Richard) were, in personality and their lives. While Richard Jr succeeded in becoming King where his father failed (although he did manage to be declared heir to the throne), it was to be short-lived.
* OneManArmy: At Bosworth, he personally scattered many of Henry Tudor's bodyguards, killed several of his best knights, and struck down Tudor's banner. It took a ZergRush by the treacherous Stanley's troops to actually bring him down.
* StraightForTheCommander: Came within inches of personally killing Henry Tudor.
* TheStoic: He was apparently a very tightly-wound man, and was described as being of unimpeachable moral character when he was a duke. He was less of a good time than Edward, but shared none of his vices.
* WarHawk: This is kind of a running theme for the House of York. Richard was very much in favour of Edward's 1475 campaign in France and was disappointed when it ended with the King of France bribing Edward to leave.

!!Works associated with Richard of Gloucester:

* KilledOffForReal: This is the usual result when you have [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat part of your skull sliced off by a halberd]].

To everyone's surprise, Richard's remains were [[HistoryMarchesOn unearthed from a carpark in 2012]] and, using DNA from two descendants of his sister, identified as his in 2013. Whether the popular view of this divisive king will change (and if so, how) is anyone's guess at this point. The remains showed signs of scoliosis (a curved spine) - which could have given him uneven shoulders but certainly not a hunchback - but there were no signs of the other deformities claimed by Tudor propagandists. It has also been claimed his preferred weapon in battle was a mace, which can be quite heavy, and thus would have enlarged the muscles of his fighting arm significantly. This oversized extremity may have formed the basis of the hunchback legend.

* HistoryMarchesOn: The discovery of his remains under [[CrowningMomentOfFunny a car park]] in Leicester.

* In TV series ''The White Queen'', which is based on Philippa Gregory's ''Cousins War'' series, Richard is portrayed as a loyal supporter to his brother Edward IV.

* HandicappedBadass: UpToEleven: In a time when painkillers did not exist, Richard had a severe case of scoliosis coupled with osteoarthritis that would have caused massive pain and, as shown in the documentary ''Resurrecting Richard III'', restriction of lung capacity due to the twisting of the ribcage, which would have made him more easily fatigued. Still an epic-level {{Badass}}? Hell yes.

Nevertheless, Richard's [[{{Retcon}} rehabilitation]] started fairly early. In the reign of James I (''i.e''., after the death of the [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI last]] of the [[TheHouseOfTudor Tudors]]), the antiquarian [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Buck Sir George Buck]] discovered the suppressed ''Titulus Regius'' that set forth the Parliamentary explanation for Richard's assumption of the throne and claimed he had seen a letter (now lost, if it ever existed at all) from Edward V's sister, Elizabeth of York, which established the friendly relations between them, and wrote his ''History of King Richard III'' in an attempt to moderate the king's negative image. Unfortunately, Buck died insane, and his history was published only after his death, by his grandson (1646). Nevertheless, the concept of a Richard slandered by Henry Tudor (considered by most a man of few scruples) gained a strong following, and has influenced historians, either positively or negatively, ever since.

Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1452 - 1485), crowned '''King Richard III''' in 1483, was the sixth son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and brother of King Edward IV of England, who had seized the throne from the reigning Lancastrian king, Henry VI. (The complicated relationships of the various branches of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet were the principal cause of the "UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses", in which Richard distinguished himself.) On Edward's death, he seized the throne from Edward's son (called Edward V, though he was never actually crowned), declaring him and his younger brother Richard of York bastards. (Traditionally, Richard had his nephews murdered in the Tower of London; this has been much disputed since at least late Tudor times.) A rebellion led by Henry [[TheHouseOfTudor Tudor]], Earl of Richmond, arose, and Richard was killed fighting for his kingdom at Bosworth Field.

** In fact, upon hearing of his death at Bosworth, the Aldermen of York wrote in the city records: "On this day was our good King Richard [[TheHeroDies piteously slain and murdered]], to the great heaviness of the city."

Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1452 - 1485), crowned '''King Richard III''' in 1483, was the sixth son of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and brother of King Edward IV of England, who had seized the throne from the reigning Lancastrian king, Henry VI. (The complicated relationships of the various branches of TheHouseOfPlantagenet were the principal cause of the "UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses", in which Richard distinguished himself.) On Edward's death, he seized the throne from Edward's son (called Edward V, though he was never actually crowned), declaring him and his younger brother Richard of York bastards. (Traditionally, Richard had his nephews murdered in the Tower of London; this has been much disputed since at least late Tudor times.) A rebellion led by Henry [[TheHouseOfTudor Tudor]], Earl of Richmond, arose, and Richard was killed fighting for his kingdom at Bosworth Field.

* LikeFatherLikeSon: It's eerie how similar he and his father were, in personality and their lives. While Richard succeeded in becoming King where York failed, it was to be short-lived.

* HappilyMarried: With his VictoriousChildhoodFriend Anne Neville. Uniquely for the period, it was a love match that didn't cause LoveRuinsTheRealm. He did have two acknowledged illegitimate children but from before his marriage.

* Archenemy: He hated the Woodvilles and they hated him.
** The Stanleys were also this, having got embroiled in localised warfare with Richard over a castle that belonged to one of Richard's Knights. They ended up betraying Richard at Bosworth.

It was also found that he did indeed go down fighting, his body showing that he suffered over a dozen injuries, three of which would have been fatal fairly quickly. Of those three injuries, one could have only been inflicted after death. This was the blow to his pelvis, which would have been armored at the time of his death. The other two; a blow from a sword, and a a halberd-type weapon, both to the skull, were more likely the fatal wounds.

* TheGoodChancellor[=/=]EvilChancellor: During his brief stint as Lord Protector. Which one he was is up for debate.

* DiabolusExMachina: Richard lost his son, his wife, and his own life inside of two year after becoming king.

* OneManArmy: At Bosworth, he personally scattered many of Henry Tudor's bodyguards, killed several of his best knights, and struck down Tudor's banner. It took a ZergRush by Stanley's troops to actually bring him down.

* WarHawk: This is kind of a running theme for the House of York. Richard was very much in favor of Edward's 1475 campaign in France and was disappointed when it ended with the King of France bribing Edward to leave.

* DiabolusExMachina: Richard lost his son, his wife, and his own life inside of a year after becoming king.

* HappilyMarried: With his VictoriousChildhoodFriend Anne Neville. Uniquely for the period, it was a love match that didn't cause LoveRuinsTheRealm.