The Life and Times of Richard III

So, did Richard III kill the young king and the young prince? Was he this bloodthirsty king? Was he hump-backed? This book does a nice job of laying out what we know about King Richard III's life. I don't know about other readers, but I depended heavily on pages 218-219 (where a genealogical tree is provided) to keep the players straight. Again, for others this might not be a problem, but I sometimes lost sight of who was who and how each was related to another in the complex, shifting tides of dynastic conflict, characterized by the War of the Roses. The book depicts the struggles between the House of York and the House of Lancaster (I live in central Pennsylvania, and the cities of York and Lancaster are called, fittingly enough, the Red Rose City and the White Rose City). Part of the struggle over time that makes it so complex was the many leaders who would switch sides to gain advantage. Treachery was a part of the ongoing conflict. In this tapestry, the life of Richard III is discussed and assessed. At times, he was "in" as he grew up; at other times he was "out" (fleeing abroad for awhile until the political temper in England allowed his return). Overall, he is described as capable, a successful military leader and administrator at a young age. When his father died, leaving the crown to a very young son, Richard was named as the Protector. Given the uncertainty of the times, Richard eventually took the opportunity to imprison the young king and his brother and take the crown himself. The two eventually died in the Tower of London. What happened? The other does a careful analysis of this and--in the end--can't make a definitive judgment. But his "default" logic is at least sensible. Then, the short reign of Richard III and his defeat in battle. The book does nicely in, first, simply describing Richard's life and, second, trying to place it in context and assess is role in history. If interested in a nonpartisan account of this controversial royal figure, this is not a bad starting point.

Anthony Cheetum theorizes on the questions the amateur Richard enthusiast wants answered: Did he murder his nephews in a power play for the throne? What impact did his reign have on the History of England? Was he really a hunchback? This biography is organized chronologically beginning with the birth of Richard and ending with his death. The book focuses mainly on the courtly intrigue and military battles of the War of The Roses and Richard's ascension. We are also treated to many illustrations enlivening the key players and time period. The writing is academic and at times dry. It assumes readers only possess basic knowledge of the monarch, and so we are given a thorough account of his life. While Cheetem doesn't offer any definitive answers, he does dissect the reigning theories with historical context, political analysis and first person narratives. And Cheetem to his credit strives to give a very balanced account of Richard, not painting him as villain or hero, but he lets the reader draw their own conclusions based on the evidence provided. The life and times of Richard III is a very worthwhile read for anyone with interest.

The book is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about Richard III. It's enjoyable - reading more like a novel than a history text. Moreover, the book is filled with black-and-white as well as color illustrations with brief descriptions of their significance to Richard or the times. In addition to being well-written, the book is an objective overview of Richard's life as well as the times in which he lived. He paints Richard neither as villian nor saint, but as a man charged with much responsibility at a young age and during troubled times. For more in-depth coverage of Richard III, read Jeremy Potter's GOOD KING RICHARD? or Charles Ross's RICHARD III. The first reviews historical assessments of the man while the latter is a detailed biography.

This is an eminently readable text. The author is a good story teller. He effectively uses a narrative style that brings these historical characters to life. He begins by setting Richard in his historical context. Briefly reviewing the events from the minority of Richard II, which set in motion the events leading to the Wars of the Roses he weaves the tapestry that becomes Richard III. Cheetham (the author) goes to great pains to show the complexity of Richard's personality contrasted with the power-driven tyrant of Shakespeare's work. Additionally, he helps the reader by continually reminding us of the role of the supporting characters in this unfolding drama. Finally, the author painstakingly looks at alternative theories surrounding the deaths of young King Edward V and Prince Richard. He does not mention the unlikely theory that they were spirited away for safekeeping. Rather, he explores the possibilities that others besides Richard III had motive and opportunity to murder the youths. This is not mere alibi for Richard, since he demonstrates the holes in each theory. In the end this book gives even treatment of Richard and his accomplishments and his misdeeds. It is a fair review of a monarch that has suffered from more bad press than he deserves.

Richard III has always been portrayed as the uncle who murdered his two young nephews, so he could be king. Others have claimed that it was not King Richard III, but King Henry VII, who killed King Edward IV's two heirs. History tells us that Edward IV and his Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, had many children, and among them were two boys. When King Edward died, his brother, Prince Richard, offered to take care of his young nephews. Their mother felt that she had to agree. Later on, Richard had them declared illegitimate, before the children disappeared. Richard was king between 1483-85. He died in a battle with Henry Tudor, who became the new king. Henry married King Edward IV's eldest daughter, Elizabeth York. The marriage ended the War of the Roses, as the two Houses, of Lancaster (Henry), and York (Elizabeth) were joined together. The reason some people have claimed that it could just as well have been Henry who murdered the two boys,is because he needed them dead in order to seize the throne. In this book, Anthony Cheetham gives us his opinion of what happened.