After Edward IV died in 1483, a dispute began between to major factions – the Woodvilles and Richard of Gloucester. The Woodvilles were the family of Elizabeth Woodville, Edward’s wife, with whom he shared many children. Edward V, the heir to the throne, was the son of Elizabeth Woodville, and so this put them in a good position. However, Richard of Gloucester was Edward’s brother and had shown himself to be a very useful and successful man to Edward during his reign. They both had their various strengths and weaknesses, and they both wanted the same thing. Control of England.…
When Edward VI died in 1483, there was debate as to who was most suited to take up his position on the throne. It has been argued that Richard, Duke of Gloucester had himself set on usurping the throne from the rightful heir Edward V, as soon as his brother died. Others argue that it was never the case that his immediate wishes were to seize the throne; actions after his brother’s death led him to this decision. There is evidence for and against to support the principal statement.…
Richard III demonstrated a great capacity to become a good king. Whilst in charge he made many wise decisions and the bad choices were made with the best of intentions or due to necessity. I will show how far he had the capacity to become a great king.…
Henry was born in 1491; he was the third child of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Henry was given the title of Prince Henry in 1503 until the passing of his father when he took the title of King Henry VIII in 1509. Henry was quickly thrown into the world of responsibilities and duties of the King of England. He married his eldest brothers widow Katharine of Argon in 1503, before his reign as King started. Henry is one of the most memorable Kings for many reasons, his relations with France throughout the years, executions, and many failed marriages are a few of the events that made Henry so memorable.…
Clearly the death of Richard at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 was the final contributing factor to his demise, but it had certainly been brought about by Henry Tudor’s efforts and was undoubtedly not an event of simply sheer fortune for Tudor. It is the act of Richard breaking rank in a seemingly desperate final drive for victory that many site as the reason for the succession of Henry Tudor, though it is the events prior to this that determine whether Richard was left with no other choice.…
Henry II Is best known for murdering Thomas Becket, who was a close friend of him. He was the king of England from 1154–1189 and was a ruthless ruler. In 1152 Henry II marries Eleanor of Aquitaine and together they have eight children. Their marriage was not perfect, Eleanor had rumors that she had feelings for Prince Raymond of Antioch and even Henry’s own father, Geoffrey of Anjou. At the end the marriage worked out. Henry did not have a good relationship with the rest of his family, neither with other powerful people.…
Shakespeare’s “Richard III” exists as a providential narrative in support of the Tudor Myth; that it was only through the divinely sanctioned rule of Henry VII that brought about peace after an era of turmoil under the reign of Richard III. As such, Shakespeare’s pro-Tudor bias highlights the politically and morally absolutist agenda of his time.…
During the War of the Roses, England was constantly in a state of war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, who were massive rivals that competed for the throne of England (History 320 Lecture, 10/30/2015). In Polydore Vergil’s account of Henry VII, Richard III’s personal ambition can be seen. The author first tells of a nightmare Richard has the night before Bosworth Field, which Vergil believes was “no dream but a conscience guilty of heinous offences, a conscience, I say” (Polydore Vergil, Account of Henry VII, 479). Though the source makes no explicit mentions of it, it is widely believed that Richard III murdered his nephews to take the throne. When his brother, Edward IV died, his legitimate son was crowned Edward V, but was shortly taken captive by his uncle and placed into the Tower of London (History 320 Lecture, 10/30/2015). Instead of allowing for a legitimate heir to take the throne as it should have gone, Richard went to immeasurable lengths to ensure he would be king, further escalating the conflict and disrupting English society as a whole. This caused not only great scandal, but Richard III was a terrible king, guilty of many offenses as Vergil states. He created great disruption not only in his court by taking the throne away from his nephew, but also to the lives of his subjects. Vergil makes note of this as well, specifically mentioning the strife of the English people, who had consistently been “torn by rival factions” (Polydore Vergil, Account of Henry VII,…
In December 1483 the bodies of Prince Richard and Prince Henry, only 12 and 9, were found murdered in the Tower of London. The mystery of who killed the boys is still a mystery to this day, however many suspect their uncle Richard III of York. Many historians who recorded the event explicitly express that they’re certain Richard III is responsible, and there’s many valid reasons to support their assumption.…
There is no doubt that Richard and Joffrey shared similar personalities: they are both flagitious. In the play Richard III, Richard not only spreads rumors of his own brothers, but also kills them in order to gain more power and obtain the crown. Similarly, Joffrey slaughters every potential threat to his throne, from powerful nobles to innocent civilians. Despite the fact that they are both cruel, their ways of interpreting cruelty are profoundly different. Richard was a subtle, sneaky, deceitful person. In the play, he didn’t simply just stand out and kill people. On the contrary, he manipulated his followers to perform the murders. Consequently, other royalties would never expose his secrets. Joffrey, on the other hand, is a well-known tyrant. He kills people without evidence that they have betrayed the throne. Joffrey and Richard differ in their attitude towards others: while Richard III is shrewd and hides his motives, Joffrey let his emotions overrule his strategic developments. Joffrey’s impulsiveness is a critical factor to his final, though Richard III was able to successfully avoid death thus far in his…
Edward V was the great-great-great-grandson of Edward III and the son of Edward IV, the previous king, therefore making him have a strong claim to the throne. When his father died he was only 12 years old and so people weren’t sure if he was ready to be king, or if he needed someone to watch over him. His uncle Richard Duke of Gloucester- later known as Richard III- was made protector and guardian of Edward which meant he partly controlled what Edward did. He wasn’t on the throne for very long and so didn’t have much of an influence during his reign. There was a brief conflict with the Woodville’s who were adamant they had more of a claim to the throne, but Richard had them arrested. Richard spread a rumour that Edward V was illegitimate to the throne which was why he needed a protector, however once Richard took the throne both Edward and his brother disappeared in the tower of London and were never seen again.…
Throughout history there have been various rumors that King Richard III murdered his two nephews known as the princes of the tower. When Detective Alan Grant received a portrait of Richard Plantagenet, his desire to solve the mystery was peaked. As Grant investigates the allegations against Plantagenet, an abundance of information was recovered. Alan Grant’s ability to make wise selections, view a variety of perspectives, and thoroughly analyze the information allowed him to solve the mystery.…
Shakespeare also gives great insight on Richard’s mind via diction. In Richard’s opening lines he specifically says, “Our dreadful marches to delightful measures” (1,1,8). Instead of fighting the Lancasters Richard (and his family) are in a time of harmony. He intentionally changes the negative word to a positive. Lines like these are all throughout the opening soliloquy. Richard allows the audience to see that he is at peace, that he is relaxed. By his big soliloquy in Act 5, Richard’s attitude is down. He’s worried about all the deeds he’s done. He directly states, “Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am:” (5,3,211). Not only does he leave the negative word of “murderer” in the sentence, but he…
The Tudor dynasty experienced differing uncertainties throughout their reigns on the throne of England. From politics and war overseas, to succession difficulties. Each Monarch throughout early modern England faced conflicting challenges and hardships, nevertheless Henry VIII stands out among them all. Henry’s turbulent years on the throne presents an evolution throughout English society, culture, religion and politics, to name a few. Henry was not expected to become King, being only the third child of Henry VII, himself also an unexpected King, winning his throne on the battle field against Richard III in 1485. His early youth was not that of the first in line to the throne, due to the unexpected death of this elder brother Arthur, Henry…
During this time, Richard, Duke of York had mostly been serving in Ireland and was gaining influence as a champion of the public’s discontent with the crown after its series of losses in France and economic difficulties. As Henry VI was still childless, Richard was now the heir presumptive, as a distant relative of Henry VI through a different son of King Edward III. William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk was widely believed to be at fault for the loss of Normandy, and was directly accused of such by Richard, Duke of York. Suffolk was then sentenced to exile, but was murdered during his flight.…