Who really won at Bosworth? (by Katherine Newman-Warren)

I think increasingly it is Richard who has ultimately gained the greater victory. Henry won temporal power and died in his bed but Richard has gained a kind of immortality that Henry could never hope to achieve and went down fighting as a warrior king with the symbols of his kingship on his body. If…

Is this a new Richard film? Or not…..?

http://www.blackmorevale.co.uk/Extras-sought-Somerset-appear-major-Hollywood/story-26757962-detail/story.html http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Long-haired-men-requested-extras-Hollywood-film/story-26744545-detail/story.html Before you examine the above links, let me say that the following tale of woe demonstrates the hazards of taking a press article at face value. Beware of doing so, for it can lead you up the garden path. . . Right. To the links. They require some wading through a clutter of…

The Human Shredder again

It seems that a denialists’ source has denied that the first “Tudor” had any documents destroyed, except for the 1484 Titulus Regius that documented Edward IV’s bigamy so conclusively, for which they were caught red-handed. With this exception, there “isn’t a ghostly trace” of destruction, so it seems. On May 27, we clearly showed the…

The latest on the search for Henry I in Reading

Another good article here: http://www.livescience.com/51235-search-for-king-henry-tomb.html

The Tragedy of King Richard 111 (not by William Shakespeare)

Part 7 – Long live king Richard, England’s worthy king! “ Cousin of Buckingham and sage grave men, Since you will buckle fortune on my back To bear her burden whe’er, I will or not I must have patience to endure the load” (William Shakespeare)   “ Touched you the bastardy of Edward’s children?” Bastard…

Even by Tudor and Stuart Standards, Edward IV’s Marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was Invalid

I’ve discovered a wonderfully detailed monograph written by a 21st-century professor of history (whose specialty is the social history of early modern England) that illustrates very nicely that the medieval canon laws governing pre-contracted marriages that resulted into the dissolution of Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville survived, intact and without alteration, through the Reformation.…

The Strange Death of Lancastrian England

When Henry IV had his final succession statute passed through Parliament he made no provision for the throne beyond his children and their offspring. Neither the Beauforts, the Yorks, or even the Hollands got so much as a line. This was quite understandable, given that he had four sons and two daughters. No one could…

The Best Novel You’ve Never Heard Of (unless you’re a supporter of Richard III)….

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godandthemachine/2015/06/the-best-novel-youve-never-heard-of/ We all know Josephine Tey, so it’s good see a new review at patheos.com. It is quoted in full here:- The Best Novel You’ve Never Heard Of June 16, 2015 by Thomas L. McDonald It’s a mystery where the mystery is 500 years old, and everyone already knows the solution. Or at least they…

It’s All in the Stars

When I was younger, I used to dabble in creating horoscopes for my friends and they often remarked how accurate they were as regards personality traits. So I wondered whether Richard III’s horoscope would shed some light on his character and thence his reputation. Obviously, not everyone is convinced about the accuracy of astrology, but…

A Chivalrous Plantagenet Tradition, Discontinued by the Tudors

The Order of the Garter is the most senior and the oldest British Order of Chivalry and was founded by Edward III in 1348. (http://www.royal.gov.uk) Its 25 members include the Sovereign and 24 “knights-companion” who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally. When it was founded…