Henry V:
Henry V ruled from 1413-1422, and was from the House of Lancaster. He fought the French in the Hundred Years War, and his most famous battle is the Battle of Agincourt. Henry died at age 35 of an unknown illness.
Henry VI:
Henry VI was crowned King of England and King of France as an infant and ruled from 1422-1461. He lost the Hundred Years War and almost all of England’s French territories. He suffered from mental illness and therefore lost his crown to Richard, duke of York. He fought with Richard, a Yorkist, and began the War of the Roses.
Edward IV:
Edward VI ruled from 1461-1470. He was the first king from the Yorkist family, and had fought alongside his father, Richard, to gain control of the throne. Eventually Edward had to flee Lancastrian forces but he returned a year later and defeated the Lancastrians. He had Henry VI executed.
Henry VI:
Henry regained control of the crown in 1470, but quickly lost it a year later. Henry was executed by Edward IV on May 21, 1471.
Edward IV:
Edward VI ruled from 1471-1483. He defeated the Lancastrian forces and had Henry VI executed. Edward died in 1983 but he left behind two young sons, Edward V and Richard.
Edward V:
Edward V was to become king at age 12. Edward, however, was captured by his uncle, Richard III, and confined in the tower of London. Soon after, Edward was declared illegitimate by Parliament and Richard III had Edward and his brother murdered.
Richard III:
Richard III ruled from 1483-1485. He was made king because he had his nephews, who were in line for the thrown, detained and murdered. Richard was killed by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
Henry VII:
Henry VII was crowned in 1485 and was the first Tudor to be crowned king. Henry VII was the head of the Lancastrian household and he fought Yorkist forces to become king. He died in April 1509.
Part II
Why did Shakespeare portray Richard III the way he did?
Shakespeare portrayed Richard III the way he did because he was heavily influenced by Sir Thomas More's view of Richard III. More researched Richard III by conducting interviews with Richard III's enemies and those who served him. More also did research by looking at the work of a bishop who was Yorkist but became Lancastrian during Richard's reign. Either way, all the people had reasons for not necessarily telling the truth about Richard and therefore casting him in a dark light to future writers like Shakespeare.
Traditionalist: A traditionalist source is one whose views were based upon wanting to keep things the same, one who did not oppose the current regime. In Richard III's time, a traditionalist source would most likely be someone of the House of York.
Revolutionist: A revolutionist source is one who would want the current monarchy overthrown. In the time of Richard III, a revolutionist source would probably be someone of the Lancastrian family or the Tudor family. Richard III was Yorkist and therefore a revolutionist would be someone of a different house.
Lancastrian: Lancastrian was a view of or pertaining to the House of Lancaster. The house of Lancaster was a branch of the House of Plantagenet. A Lancastrian source would be a source that supported the house of Lancaster, especially during the War of the Roses.
Ricardian: A Ricardian source is a view of someone who wants to restore Richard III's reputation as a "good king." After Richard III died many rumors, started by the Tudors, damaged Richard's reputation and cast him in a dark light.
from Vergil, Polydore. Anglica Historia, Books 23-25. London: J. B. Nichols, 1846. : Lancastrian
The first entry is very much a Lancastrian view of Richard III. I would have to say so because of the following quotes:
"Richard having by this meane obtaynyd almost his hartes desire, convaighed his nephewys from the bysshop of Londons howse unto the Towr;"
"Wherfor, burning with rage incredible to bring to effect the thing which in mynd was resolvyd, he drew a plot for the lord Hastinges as foloweth"
"when he showld geave a signe they showld suddaynly rushe owt, and, compassing about them who should syt with him, to lay handes specyally uppon William lord Hastinges, and kill him forthwith."
These quotes talk about how Richard III had his nephews captured and killed, so he could become king. The quotes used descriptive words that imply that Richard was devious and was getting just what he wanted through these actions.
Horace Walpole (1768): Ricardian
The second entry is one of a Ricardian view. I can tell because of the following quotes:
"The old countess of Desmond, who had danced with Richard, declared he was the handsomest man in the room except his brother Edward, and was very well made."
"Richard, who was slender and not tall, had one shoulder a little higher than the other: a defect, by the magnifying glasses of party, by distance of time, and by the amplification of tradition, easily swelled to shocking deformity"
"What feature in this portrait gives any idea of a monster? Or who can believe that an eye-witness, and so minute a painter, would have mentioned nothing but the inequality of the shoulders, if Richard's form had been a compound of ugliness? Could a Yorkist have drawn a less disgusting representation?"
The quotes above discuss how Richard was a very handsome man, just like his brother Edward. It is also mentioned that Richard had one slight imperfection, one should higher than the other, that through the spread of gossip and time was called a major deformity.
Citations for Part II
"lancastrian." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lancastrian>.
"revolutionist." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/revolutionist>.
"Ricardian (Richard III)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 12 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardian_(Richard_III)>.
"traditionalist." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/traditionalist>.
Part III
Richard III
In consequence,
Part II
Why did Shakespeare portray Richard III the way he did?
Shakespeare portrayed Richard III the way he did because he was heavily influenced by Sir Thomas More's view of Richard III. More researched Richard III by conducting interviews with Richard III's enemies and those who served him. More also did research by looking at the work of a bishop who was Yorkist but became Lancastrian during Richard's reign. Either way, all the people had reasons for not necessarily telling the truth about Richard and therefore casting him in a dark light to future writers like Shakespeare.
Traditionalist: A traditionalist source is one whose views were based upon wanting to keep things the same, one who did not oppose the current regime. In Richard III's time, a traditionalist source would most likely be someone of the House of York.
Revolutionist: A revolutionist source is one who would want the current monarchy overthrown. In the time of Richard III, a revolutionist source would probably be someone of the Lancastrian family or the Tudor family. Richard III was Yorkist and therefore a revolutionist would be someone of a different house.
Lancastrian: Lancastrian was a view of or pertaining to the House of Lancaster. The house of Lancaster was a branch of the House of Plantagenet. A Lancastrian source would be a source that supported the house of Lancaster, especially during the War of the Roses.
Ricardian: A Ricardian source is a view of someone who wants to restore Richard III's reputation as a "good king." After Richard III died many rumors, started by the Tudors, damaged Richard's reputation and cast him in a dark light.
from Vergil, Polydore. Anglica Historia, Books 23-25. London: J. B. Nichols, 1846. : Lancastrian
The first entry is very much a Lancastrian view of Richard III. I would have to say so because of the following quotes:
"Richard having by this meane obtaynyd almost his hartes desire, convaighed his nephewys from the bysshop of Londons howse unto the Towr;"
"Wherfor, burning with rage incredible to bring to effect the thing which in mynd was resolvyd, he drew a plot for the lord Hastinges as foloweth"
"when he showld geave a signe they showld suddaynly rushe owt, and, compassing about them who should syt with him, to lay handes specyally uppon William lord Hastinges, and kill him forthwith."
These quotes talk about how Richard III had his nephews captured and killed, so he could become king. The quotes used descriptive words that imply that Richard was devious and was getting just what he wanted through these actions.
Horace Walpole (1768): Ricardian
The second entry is one of a Ricardian view. I can tell because of the following quotes:
"The old countess of Desmond, who had danced with Richard, declared he was the handsomest man in the room except his brother Edward, and was very well made."
"Richard, who was slender and not tall, had one shoulder a little higher than the other: a defect, by the magnifying glasses of party, by distance of time, and by the amplification of tradition, easily swelled to shocking deformity"
"What feature in this portrait gives any idea of a monster? Or who can believe that an eye-witness, and so minute a painter, would have mentioned nothing but the inequality of the shoulders, if Richard's form had been a compound of ugliness? Could a Yorkist have drawn a less disgusting representation?"
The quotes above discuss how Richard was a very handsome man, just like his brother Edward. It is also mentioned that Richard had one slight imperfection, one should higher than the other, that through the spread of gossip and time was called a major deformity.
Citations for Part II
"lancastrian." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lancastrian>.
"revolutionist." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/revolutionist>.
"Ricardian (Richard III)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 12 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardian_(Richard_III)>.
"traditionalist." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/traditionalist>.
Part III
Richard III
Born was I, in fourteen fifty-two
Known as Richard Plantagenet.
My father was Duke of York
And my mother was Cecily.[1]
But father died when I was young
In the Battle of Wakefield[2]
Upon my father’s death,
My brother Edward IV was made king.
I was named Duke of Gloucester
And Knight of the Garter and Knight of the Bath[3]
My brother died and left behind
Two sons to succeed the throne.
I became Lord Protector of the two,
But I really wanted to become king.
Desperate was I,
A message was read
That my dead brother’s wife
Had an illegitimate marriage.[4]
In consequence,
I won the test
And I was named king after all.[4]
My nephews disappeared,
Never to be seen again.
Some claim it was I,
Who murdered the pair
But the truth shall never be known.[5]
During my reign
I established many things,
I met my despise
In fourteen eighty-five
At the Battle of Bosworth Fielde[6]
Henry Tudor, with his Lancastrian forces,
Stoke my army a blow.
We trudged and we fought
With all that we could
But it was simply not enough.[6]
Eventually he got to me,
Ready to strike
And I did meet my end.
Henry Tudor defeated me,
And took with him the crown of England.[5]
[1] "Polydore Vergil." Polydore Vergil. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://www.richard111.com/polydore_vergil.htm>.
[2] "Battle of Wakefield." Google Maps. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=battle of wakefield&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Battle of Wakefield&gl=us&ei=5CGeTNieO4XElQfilIjLAQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA>.
[3] "Biography on King Richard III." Richard 111. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://www.richard111.com/Biography on King Richard III.htm>.
[5] More, Thomas. "Richard III." Richard III Society - American Branch. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://www.r3.org/bookcase/more/moretext.html>.
[6] "Richard III Society- Ballad of Bosworth, Text." Richard III Society - American Branch. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://www.r3.org/bosworth/ballad2.html>.
Henry Tudor
Henry Tudor
Born was I in fourteen fifty-seven.
But I did not really live,
Until the Battle of Bosworth Fielde
Where I won the beautiful crown.[1]
Through the battle I ended the reign
Of the House of Plantagenet.
A new family would come to rise,
The Tudor dynasty.
I lived my life
With my lovely wife,
Elizabeth of York.[2]
My marriage to her combined the houses
Of York and Lancaster.
This unification ensured my crown
And gave my reign a chance to blossom.
I had seven children with my wife,
But only four did survive.
Arthur, Henry, Margaret, Mary
The future descendents of the throne.
During my reign,
I accomplished many things.
I secured the political stability in my country
With a few simple acts.[3]
My eldest son, Arthur,
Perished before I.
But his alliance to the Spanish,
We did want to keep alive.[4]
So my son Henry,
Stepped forth at once
And became betrothed
To Catherine of Aragon. [5]
However, as time came to pass
The marriage did not sit right with me.
I never did see the marriage of my Henry.
I did die in 1509
Of a disease called tuberculosis.[6]
My Henry took the crown
And the Tudor name continued on.[7]
[1] "Richard III Society- Ballad of Bosworth, Text." Richard III Society - American Branch. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://www.r3.org/bosworth/ballad2.html>.
[2] Vergil, Polyvore. "A Description of Henry VII." TudorHistory.org. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://tudorhistory.org/primary/description.html>.
[3] "Avalon Project - The Letters Patents of King Henry the Seventh Granted Unto Iohn Cabot." Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://avalon.law.yale.edu/15th_century/cabot01.asp>.
[4] "Primary Sources: The Death of Prince Arthur Tudor, 1502." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/darthur.html>.
[5] "Primary Sources - Letter from Katharine of Aragon to Her Husband, King Henry VIII, 16 September 1513." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter2.html>.
[6] "Primary Sources: The Obituary of King Henry VII, 1509." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/hobit.html>.
[7] "Primary Sources: The Coronations of King Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon, 1509."EnglishHistory.net. Web. 25 Sept. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/h8crown.html>.
Excellent work. Really liked your poems.
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