richard III, 1483-1485

Question 1

May 1483

Answer 1

• Prince Edward and Earl Rivers (Elizabeth’s brother) were in Ludlow, while Richard was in the north. They all headed to London and met at Stoney Stratford (near Gloucester)
• Richard had Earl Rivers and Sir Richard Grey (Elizabeth’s son from her 1st marriage) arrested and sent to prison at Pontefract Castle (charged with misusing power)
• Elizabeth Woodville took sanctuary in Westminster Abbey with her son Richard and her daughters

Question 2

4 May 1483

Answer 2

Richard declared himself Protector, faced no opposition for this

Question 3

June 1483

Answer 3

• Richard requested soldiers from the north
• 9 June, Royal Council met and discussed the coronation, regarded it as imminent

Question 4

13 June 1483

Answer 4

• Lord Hastings arrested, tried and executed (no one knows why)
• he was close to Edward IV and therefore would’ve been loyal to York and supported Edward V, not Richard
• Elizabeth Woodville let Prince Richard join Edward V in the Tower

Question 5

25 June 1483

Answer 5

• pronation was meant to be on this day but it was postponed to November
• Anthony Woodville, Sir Richard Grey, Thomas Vaughan all executed at Pontefract Castle

Question 6

26 June 1483

Answer 6

Richard proclaimed himself King

Question 7

6 July 1483

Answer 7

Richard crowned as King (became Richard III)

Question 8

Another reason why Richard may have wanted to seize the throne

Answer 8

• Warwick/Montagu were attainted after Warwick’s death, Bedford (Montagu’s son) was not allowed to inherit but he died with no heirs meaning the attainder expired
• the land in the north (which was currently under Richard) would go to the Latimer line, maybe Richard seized the throne to prevent this (as he would lose everything)

Question 9

Disappearance of the princes

Answer 9

• 16 June 1483, both Princes were in the Tower
• late July, Richard was on royal progress with Anne nd learnt of a plot to free the princes
• the princes disappeared after this

Question 10

When was Buckingham’s rebellion?

Answer 10

October 1483

Question 11

Causes of Buckingham’s rebellion

Answer 11

• Buckingham became the most powerful noble after Richard became king
• perhaps he was trying to save his reputation after the disappearance of the princes
• possibly also dissatisfied with the rewards Richard had given him
• Kent gentry resented the Northern affinity, Buckingham took this opportunity to rebel and involve Henry Tudor

Question 12

Events of Buckingham’s rebellion

Answer 12

• October 1483: series of rebellions in the south of England after a marriage alliance between Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York was discussed
• 2 Nov: Buckingham executed
• 3 Nov: Henry Tudor proclaimed king by rebels, sailed from Brittany but unable to land safely due to weather so returned to Brittany
• Kent uprising dealt with by Lord Howard, Richard III ruthlessly dealt with other rebels

Question 13

Consequences of Buckingham’s rebellion

Answer 13

• showed that many of Edward IV’s supporters didn’t support Richard III
• advertised Henry Tudor as a rival claimant, 400 Yorkist exiles backed Henry Tudor
• Richard became more dependent on a small group (bulk of this support came from Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Sir William Catesby and Lovell). Other supporters were lukewarm/bribed/resentful

Question 14

Battle of Bosworth

Answer 14

• 22 August 1485
• Richard III had around 12,000 troops, but Thomas, Lord Stanley had 4,000 of these troops
• Richard’s ‘heroism’ on the battlefield by directly charging at Henry led to his death
• Henry’s troops were made up of rebels from England, support from Wales due to his family connections and some provided from the King of France (who was antagonised by Richard’s naval attacks), but the Stanley’s defection from Richard was decisive