We know that before his execution, Henry Stafford, Richard III’s ally suddenly turned rebel, asked for an audience with Richard, but was denied. Sadly, we now have no idea of what Buckingham meant to say. So what was it? Here are a few possibilities: Sorry sorry sorry! You know, don’t you think we should just …
I was going to write a rather long post today about Richard III and the supposed precontract between Edward IV and Eleanor Butler, but I got sidetracked last night by this post. Neat, isn’t it? Naturally, I got to trying to make my own video trailer, and before I knew it, it was bedtime. I’ll …
A Half-Hearted Happy Coronation Day to Richard III and Anne Read More »
On June 25, 1483, three men were executed at Pontefract Castle. They were Anthony Woodville, Lord Rivers, the new king’s maternal uncle; Richard Grey, the king’s half-brother; and Thomas Vaughan, the king’s chamberlain, who had served him since infancy. They were beheaded on orders of the king’s sworn protector, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who would …
The Yorkists: The History of a Dynasty by Anne CrawfordHambledon Continuum, 2007ISBN: 978 1 85285 351 8 I was excited when Anne Crawford’s The Yorkists: The History of a Dynasty appeared on my Amazon screen. Among other works, Crawford, an archivist at Wells Cathedral, has edited Letters of the Queens of England, 1100-1547 and Letters …
Here’s a scenario for you: You’re a widow in your sixties, in ill health and living in a nunnery. Your husband and eldest son have been executed as traitors. Your second son is busy trying to overthrow the king. Your son’s lands have been forfeit to the crown. A vigorous young man of twenty, a …
Gloucester, Greed, and Granny: Richard III and the Countess of Oxford Read More »
Poring over the Latin manuscript of Sir Thomas More’s History of King Richard III, in which More squarely lays the blame for the murder of the Princes in the Tower on Richard III, cryptographers have made a shocking discovery as to the Princes’ real cause of death. Five-year-old Thomas More himself was the killer. The …
Scene 1: Westminster Hall is bedecked with greenery and tapestries covered with little white boars as King Richard III and Queen Anne enter. They look around admiringly. Anne: Isn’t it beautiful? (Coughs) I beg your pardon. And look, I’ve left a couple of places vacant just in case your nephews Edward and Richard return for …
Maybe you’ve been like the guy below, saying to yourself, “Gee, I wish I knew more about Richard III’s mother-in-law, Anne Beauchamp, Countess of Warwick. I wonder where I could find out more about her.” (Admit it. Of course you’ve been thinking this. It’s been tearing at you this entire summer.) Well, ponder no more, …
Richard III’s Mother-in-Law, and My Five Favorite Historical Novels Read More »
When you’ve been reading the Mickey Spillane obits, and you’ve been researching the Wars of the Roses, and it’s late at night, and you haven’t updated your blog in a few days, this is what happens. Really. The future Edward IV to Eleanor Talbot “It isn’t going to be easy getting through this engagement, kitten, …
I’ve been reading Michael Hicks’ Anne Neville: Queen to Richard III, a biography that has excited much outrage among Ricardians, mainly for its description of Richard III as a “serial incestor.” Hicks’ description is based on Richard’s marriage to Anne, his sister-in-law, and his supposed plans to marry Elizabeth of York, his niece. Although, as …