Henry was born in 1491; he was the third child of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Henry was given the title of Prince Henry in 1503 until the passing of his father when he took the title of King Henry VIII in 1509. Henry was quickly thrown into the world of responsibilities and duties of the King of England. He married his eldest brothers widow Katharine of Argon in 1503, before his reign as King started. Henry is one of the most memorable Kings for many reasons, his relations with France throughout the years, executions, and many failed marriages are a few of the events that made Henry so memorable.…
When Edward VI died in 1483, there was debate as to who was most suited to take up his position on the throne. It has been argued that Richard, Duke of Gloucester had himself set on usurping the throne from the rightful heir Edward V, as soon as his brother died. Others argue that it was never the case that his immediate wishes were to seize the throne; actions after his brother’s death led him to this decision. There is evidence for and against to support the principal statement.…
Richard, Duke of Gloucester always detested his brother Edward IV after his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, as he was made to look a fool by him when he found out they was married. Furthermore, when society found out of this marriage, this almost put Gloucester at an advantage because in that century, the King was supposed to marry a person that would influence the Kingdom in a good way, not out of love. Nevertheless, Because of this, Gloucester revealed that it was rumoured that Edward IV was already married, when he was got married to Elizabeth Woodville. For this reason, the marriage was deemed illegitimate, thus making Edward V’s inheritance of the throne illegitimate. This was a very strong move from Gloucester, and ultimately, because of this, he gained the throne, and the power to…
Clearly the death of Richard at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 was the final contributing factor to his demise, but it had certainly been brought about by Henry Tudor’s efforts and was undoubtedly not an event of simply sheer fortune for Tudor. It is the act of Richard breaking rank in a seemingly desperate final drive for victory that many site as the reason for the succession of Henry Tudor, though it is the events prior to this that determine whether Richard was left with no other choice.…
Henry II Is best known for murdering Thomas Becket, who was a close friend of him. He was the king of England from 1154–1189 and was a ruthless ruler. In 1152 Henry II marries Eleanor of Aquitaine and together they have eight children. Their marriage was not perfect, Eleanor had rumors that she had feelings for Prince Raymond of Antioch and even Henry’s own father, Geoffrey of Anjou. At the end the marriage worked out. Henry did not have a good relationship with the rest of his family, neither with other powerful people.…
After Edward IV died in 1483, a dispute began between to major factions – the Woodvilles and Richard of Gloucester. The Woodvilles were the family of Elizabeth Woodville, Edward’s wife, with whom he shared many children. Edward V, the heir to the throne, was the son of Elizabeth Woodville, and so this put them in a good position. However, Richard of Gloucester was Edward’s brother and had shown himself to be a very useful and successful man to Edward during his reign. They both had their various strengths and weaknesses, and they both wanted the same thing. Control of England.…
Richard feared that once Edward was crowned, the Woodville’s would dominate power. Richard (Duke of Gloucester) decided to seize his nephew Edward V. He also arrested Elizabeth's brother, Anthony, Earl of Rivers, and Sir Richard Grey, her son by her first marriage who were both were executed in June 1483, whiping the Woodville family of their power as quickly as he possibly could. Slowly the Woodville family was loosing their newfound power more and more, which had started to raise suspicions. Elizabeth decided enough was enough and took sanctuary with Richard, Duke of York (Edward IV's youngest son) in Westminster Abbey, but he was soon extracted by Richard Duke of Gloucester and joined his brother to remain hidden in the Tower. With the boys now hidden away and Richard Duke of Gloucester claiming that he was the legitimate heir to the throne, he was made Richard III the new King of England on 6th July 1483. He finally had his way and the power he believed that he rightfully deserved. Although, the two princes in the Tower were never seen publicly again. Two skeletons discovered in the Tower in 1674, and examined in 1933, are thought to have possibly been those of Edward V and Richard, but it is not certain. However, the most probable explanation of their disappearance is that Richard III ordered them to be…
Richard III is a remarkable, if not irregular, rendition of the renowned historical figure, Richard III. In it, Shakespeare poses Richard as a villain with no remorse towards others—without any fear. This is evident when Richard awakes and holds an internal dialogue in which he berates his conscience for giving him bad dreams. "What do I fear? Myself? There's none else by" (5.5.136). He continues in this vein, first blaming and then defending himself for a short while. Ratcliffe enters and gets…
Richard III grew up with many siblings which included three older brothers. He was the runt of the family, so his chances of gaining power were very low. Into his adult life, each of this brothers were dying one by one until the death of his oldest brother, King Edward IV. Richard loved his brother Edward and looked up to him as a hero…
In The Deposition of Richard II, it is obvious that the English king was disliked by all. A list of his grievances was drawn up, citing all of his poor choices as king and the reasons why he should be dethroned. The number one cause of the hatred of him was “his evil rule, that is, he has given the goods and possession…
Once Richard took the throne he was known as Richard III. He was the great-great-grandson of Edward III and the uncle of the previous king Edward V. It was rumoured that he caused the death of the princes in the tower. Although it was never proven he had a motive to do it because he wanted the throne for himself. To help himself get there he also started a rumour that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville’s marriage was illegitimate because Edward had already been set to marry someone before Elizabeth. People believed what they heard which meant they believed that Edward V was also illegitimate to have the throne, and so shortly after Richard was made king. During his reign the Buckingham Rebellion took place. Henry Stafford, The Duke of Buckingham, was once a loyal supporter of Richard but switched sides to bring Richard down. This caused Richard to build a huge army, but it wasn’t particularly strong. The rebellion failed leaving Richard still on the throne; however it left a…
Shakespeare also gives great insight on Richard’s mind via diction. In Richard’s opening lines he specifically says, “Our dreadful marches to delightful measures” (1,1,8). Instead of fighting the Lancasters Richard (and his family) are in a time of harmony. He intentionally changes the negative word to a positive. Lines like these are all throughout the opening soliloquy. Richard allows the audience to see that he is at peace, that he is relaxed. By his big soliloquy in Act 5, Richard’s attitude is down. He’s worried about all the deeds he’s done. He directly states, “Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am:” (5,3,211). Not only does he leave the negative word of “murderer” in the sentence, but he…
There is no doubt that Richard and Joffrey shared similar personalities: they are both flagitious. In the play Richard III, Richard not only spreads rumors of his own brothers, but also kills them in order to gain more power and obtain the crown. Similarly, Joffrey slaughters every potential threat to his throne, from powerful nobles to innocent civilians. Despite the fact that they are both cruel, their ways of interpreting cruelty are profoundly different. Richard was a subtle, sneaky, deceitful person. In the play, he didn’t simply just stand out and kill people. On the contrary, he manipulated his followers to perform the murders. Consequently, other royalties would never expose his secrets. Joffrey, on the other hand, is a well-known tyrant. He kills people without evidence that they have betrayed the throne. Joffrey and Richard differ in their attitude towards others: while Richard III is shrewd and hides his motives, Joffrey let his emotions overrule his strategic developments. Joffrey’s impulsiveness is a critical factor to his final, though Richard III was able to successfully avoid death thus far in his…
Throughout history there have been various rumors that King Richard III murdered his two nephews known as the princes of the tower. When Detective Alan Grant received a portrait of Richard Plantagenet, his desire to solve the mystery was peaked. As Grant investigates the allegations against Plantagenet, an abundance of information was recovered. Alan Grant’s ability to make wise selections, view a variety of perspectives, and thoroughly analyze the information allowed him to solve the mystery.…
The Tudor dynasty experienced differing uncertainties throughout their reigns on the throne of England. From politics and war overseas, to succession difficulties. Each Monarch throughout early modern England faced conflicting challenges and hardships, nevertheless Henry VIII stands out among them all. Henry’s turbulent years on the throne presents an evolution throughout English society, culture, religion and politics, to name a few. Henry was not expected to become King, being only the third child of Henry VII, himself also an unexpected King, winning his throne on the battle field against Richard III in 1485. His early youth was not that of the first in line to the throne, due to the unexpected death of this elder brother Arthur, Henry…