Today in 1452 Richard Plantagenet, the future Richard III, was born. He was the last Plantagenet king, usurping his brother’s throne in 1483 because he claimed that his brother, Edward VI’s children, were illegitimate because of a previous secret marriage precontract before Edward married his wife Elizabeth Woodville.
Richard was born to Richard, the third Duke of York, and his wife Cecily Neville. While he only ruled for 2 years before being killed by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth, even his detractors say that he was a fair monarch, and tried to bring justice to areas of the country that were still lawless thanks to the ongoing Wars of the Roses. Of course, he likely also killed his nephews (though of course it hasn’t been proven, and lots of people still argue about it) but so much of the information that we get about him is through the lens of Tudor propaganda, it’s hard to get a really clear picture of Richard.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Episode Link: the ReConsider Podcast on Reconsidering Richard III
https://www.englandcast.com/2016/10/reconsider-richard-iii-and-book-giveaway/