Richard III Flashcards
Who was the English Monarch between 1483 and 1485?
Richard III
Which English monarch reigned between 1485 and 1509?
Henry VII
Which English Monarch reigned between 1509 and 1549?
Henry VIII
Which English monarch reigned before Richard III?
Edward IV
What was the war of the roses?
A civil war between two rival branches of the royal family. The war was on and off between 1455 and 1485, 30 years.
Who were the two main protagonists in the war of the roses?
Henry VI
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York
How was Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York related to Henry VII his main protagonist in the war of the roses?
They were cousins
Who were the Yorkists named after?
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and cousin to King Henry VI.
What colour of rose is an emblem of the Yorkists?
White rose
What colour of rose is an emblem to the Lancastrians?
Red rose
Who were the Lancastrians named after?
After Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Lancaster who was made king Henry VI after he deposed Richard II in 1399.
Who were both Richard of York and Henry VI descended from?
Both descended from Edward III and so both had royal blood
Who was most to blame for the war of the roses?
Henry VI was blamed for being a bad king.
Why was Henry VI a bad king and therefore thought to be responsible for the war of the roses?
- If he had been a better unbiased king, then Richard of York wouldn’t have felt so cheated and therefore wouldn’t have wanted the throne so badly.
- Poor military skills
- Not interested in ruling the country
- Mental illness
- Let his wife, Margaret of Anjou push him around
- Lazy
Who was Henry VI’s son and heir?
Edward of Westminster
Before Edward of Westminster was born, who had been Henry VI’s heir to the throne?
Duke of York
Who was Henry VI wife?
Margaret of Anjou
What was Margaret of Anjou like?
Bossy! Henry VI was dominated by his bossy French wife
Why did Margaret of Anjou hate the Duke of York?
She feared that Richard, Duke of York wanted the crown for himself.
Who was Margaret of Anjou jealous of and why?
She was jealous of the powerful Duke of York who was an over mighty nobleman.
How powerful was the Duke of York and therefore how big a threat to Henry VI?
He was a senior Noble in the land and very very rich and powerful with extensive landed estates and experience of governing in Ireland and France.
He was thought by most to be able to be a good king
When Henry was incapacitated due to mental illness who took over?
Richard, Duke of York became Regent of England
What did Margaret of Anjou accuse Richard of York of when her husband, Henry VI recovered?
Treason!
Did the charges of treason against the Duke of York by Margaret Anjou stick?
No, but he had to robustly defend himself.
Did Henry’s wife like the Duke or York?
No, Margaret on Anjou hated Richard, Duke of York.
Name two things that Henry VI was much more interested in than ruling his country.
Learning
Religión
Who were enemies of Richard or York and friends with Henry VI?
Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk
What did King Henry VI give to his favoured Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk?
- Rewards from the King
2. Given money from the King which had originally been borrowed from the Duke of York.
Why was the Duke of York enemies with the Dukes of Somerset and Suffolk.
They were favourites of the king
Rivals to the Duke of York for political office
Was Henry VI guilty of favouritism?
Yes. He showed favouritism to a small circle of courtiers.
Who was Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, a man later given the title as king maker?
Neville, Earl of Warwick, was a wealthy and influential nobleman during the war of the roses.
He was influential is making Edward IV king.
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, was originally a Lancastrian supporter but fell out with people so changed his allegiance. What to?
He changed his allegiance to Richard of York
After the Duke of York was killed in battle, Warwick supported the Duke of York’s son, Edward as they continued their struggle against the Lancastrians and Henry VI. At which battle did Warwick and Edward defeat Henry VI?
Battle of Towson
Who was to blame for the start of the war of the roses?
Henry VI: weak king; favouritism; no interest in ruling the country; mentally unwell; irresponsible; money waster; borrowed Duke of York’s money; lost France, etc
Margaret of Anjou: jealous, antagonistic, accused Richard, Duke of York of treason!
Was Henry VI good at law and order?
No! He failed to maintain law and order. There was a significant uprising in Kent.
What title was Edward given after defeating Henry VI in the battle of Towton in 1461?
King Edward IV
Who was the most important nobleman and richest man in England apart from the king?
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick
Did Henry VI treat the Duke of York fairly?
No, he neglected him.
How did Henry VI waste Royal money?
- He was irresponsible in his distribution of land
2. Irresponsible in office
If the Duke of York was so great, why did he never become a King?
He was killed in the battle of Wakefield in 1460.
Who were Richard of York’s sons?
Edward ( who became King Edward IV)
Richard ( who became King Richard III)
George (who tried twice to over throw Edward from the throne and was then drowned by his brothers in a barrel of wine)
How was Henry VI state of mind?
Poor. He was mentally ill and had a breakdown during his reign.
Who was Edward IV greatest advisor?
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
How did Henry VI do in the 100 years war with France?
Terribly! He lost all of France leaving only Calais in English hands.
Why did The Earl of Warwick and King Edward IV fall out?
As Edward IV became more and more settled in his role as king he started to ignore the advice of Warwick and make his own decisions. This annoyed Warwick.
Who did the Earl of Warwick arrange for Edward IV to marry and why?
The Earl of Warwick arranged for Edward IV to marry a French princess to secure peace with France.
Did Edward IV marry the French princess?
No!
Why did Edward IV not want to marry the French princess?
He secretly fell in love with and married a very poor noble woman
What was the name of Edward IV’s wife?
Elizabeth Woodville
How did Edward IV make peace with France instead of marrying the French Princess?
He made a secret peace treaty with France’s enemy Burgundy, so that France would be less likely to rage war on Britain.
Whose idea was the treaty with Burgandy instead to marrying the French princess to secure peace with France?
Elizabeth Woodville’s father
Why do you think Elizabeth Woodville’s father suggested a treaty with Burgandy rather than Edward IV marrying the french princess?
He probably suggested this so that his daughter Elizabeth Woodville could marry Edward IV and become queen.
The Earl of Warwick was jealous and outraged when he found out what Edward IV had done behind his back. What did Warwick do in retaliation?
Warwick rebelled again Edward IV.
Who did Warwick try to replace Edward IV with after they had quarrelled about the unsuitable marriage and the treaty with Burgandy?
Warwick tried to replace Edward IV with his younger brother George.
Was this attempt George’s only attempt to overthrow his brother and make himself king?
No he made a second attempt.
What happened to George after his second attempt to overthrow Edward IV?
George was drowned in a barrel of wine
Who drowned George in a barrel of wine?
Edward the IV together with Richard.
Edward, George and Richard were brothers.
Richard later became King Richard III.
After the failed attempts to make George king, what happened to Warwick?
Warwick fled to France
Did Warwick cause Edward IV and more trouble when he fled to France?
Yes, lots.
- Joined forces with Margaret of Anjou and her son Edward of Westminster.
- Raised an army and invaded England
- Forced Edward IV to flee to Burgundy
When Edward IV fleed to Burgundy who was restored as king?
Henry VI
When Edward IV was exiled to Burgundy did he give up his ambitions to regain the throne?
No way! He borrowed an army from his friend the Duke of Burgundy and he invaded England and fought Warwick’s forces.
What happened to Warwick when Edward IV invaded England to fight to regain his throne?
Warwick was killed
What was the name of the battle where Warwick was killed?
Battle of Barnet in 1471
Edward still had to defeat Margaret and Edward of Westminster who were allies of of Warwick. Where did he do this and when?
Same year 1471 at the battle of Tewkesbury
What happened to Edward of Westminster at the battle of Tewkesbury?
He was killed
What happened to Margaret at the battle of Tewkesbury?
Margaret was placed in the Tower of London and then exiled to France.
What happened to Henry VI when Edward IV regained power after the battle of Tewkesbury?
He was murdered in the Tower of London leaving Edward IV and the Yorkists victorious.
Why was Warwick later given the title of king maker?
He basically helped Edward IV become King.
Think about all the stages from previous questions
Why was Warwick a dangerous ally?
He turned on people and had arguments with them
- He was once a loyal supporter of Henry VI, but had a fall out and changed his allegiance to the Yorkists.
- He manipulated events so Edward IV was king. Then he fell out with him and tried to make George king.
- He invaded England with Margaret and Edward of Westminster and overthrew Edward I V after falling out with him.
- Helped Henry VI back on the throne after he fell out with Edward IV even though he had previously fallen out with the Lancastrians.
Why did Warwick fall out with Edward IV?
- Edward no longer needed him as an advisor and had started making decisions himself.
- They had different strategies for the military.
- Edward IV married the woman he loved rather than the organised wedding with the French princess.
- Warwick was jealous and angry.
What kind of man do you think Warwick was and why?
- Very controlling: choose the kings and manipulated the system; organised the wedding of Edward IV to a lady he did not love.
- Angry and jealous: he argued with Edward IV about the military strategies and got angry when he stopped taking his advice.
- Vengeful: if he fell out with anyone, he took revenge and trying to have them dethroned.
- Very rich and powerful: he was able to manipulate who was king and was handsomely paid.
What eventually happened to Warwick?
Eventually killed during a battle with Edward IV when Edward was trying to regain his throne after Warwick helped overturn him.
Who was Edward of Westminster and what happened to him?
Son of Margaret of Anjou in France. He joined with his mother and Warwick to invade England and overthrow Edward IV. He succeeded although was killed in a later battle with Edward IV.
In 1471 who was the current winner of the war of the roses?
Edward IV and the Yorkists were victorious.
How did King Edward IV die?
From appendicitis
Who was Edward IV’s heir when he died?
His eldest son, Edward V.
When Richard III took the young would be King, Edward, to the royal apartments in the Tower of London, did this cause suspicion?
No, it didn’t. The Tower of London was the usual place for would be kings to go and wait for their time of coronation.
Arrangements were made for Edward V’s coronation, but it did not go ahead. why not?
Before the young king could be crowned, the marriage of his parents was considered bigamous and therefore invalid making the children officially illegitimate and barring them from inheriting the throne.
In which area did the arguments between King Edward IV and Warwick focus?
The arguments centered on foreign policy.
Who started the rumour that the young prince’s parents had a bigamous marriage making him ineligible for the throne?
A clergyman, probably persuaded to do so by the bad Richard III
Who benefited from Edward V being barred from inheriting the throne?
The big bad Richard III.
What happened to the young Prince and his younger brother?
They were taken to the Tower of London and never seen again.
What accusation was made against Richard III relating to his 2 young nephews?
Accusations circled that Richard III had given orders to have the boys murdered.
What was the name of Henry’s 2 nephews that he is accused of killing?
Edward (eldest)
Richard
Where and how were the nephews bones found?
Workmen at the Tower of London dug up a wooden box containing two small skeletons. The bones were found in the box under the staircase. It is widely thought that the bones belong to the nephews, although this has never been proven.
Why was Richard III named Lord Protector of the realm for his 12-year old Nephew, Edward V?
Richard’s brother Edward IV died while his son Edward V was only 12 years old and so needed an advisor.
Where are the nephews bones now?
Buried in Westminster Abbey where they should remain in peace.
Why is there no point in doing DNA tests on the bones of two boys found in the tower to see if they are the nephews?
Carbón dating is not accurate enough to know whether it was during the reign of Richard or Henry that the boys were killed and so little would be gained.
Richard only reigned for 2 years.
Also other tombs would need to be opened to get DNA to test the bones against.
How did Richard III die?
He was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485
Did Warwick’s plan to replace Edward IV with his younger brother George succeed?
No
Who was the very last King of the house of York?
Richard III
What evidence is there that Richard did not kill his nephews?
He did not publicise their deaths or show their bodies to claim they died from a natural cause. He therefore did not benefit from their death as no one knew.
Lots of marks are given for presenting both sides of an argument instead of one. Go get them Soph!
If Richard did kill the nephews to get a better claim to the throne who else should be have killed to protect this right?
He should have killed the princes’ sisters, or the children of his other brother. These children also had a good claim to the throne.
But girls didn’t usually get to rule and his brothers children had a legal enforcement to stop them inheriting land or the throne through their father.
So not nearly such a threat as the nephews.
Who else might have killed the nephews?
Duke of Buckingham.
If the Duke did kill them, the nephews were under the protection of the King, so he probably allowed it . Also the Duke was Richard’s friend.
Who was the last of the Plantagenet dynasty?
Richard III
Where was the last decisive battle of the war of the roses?
At Bosworth field
Who was Richard III?
Treacherous brother of Edward IV
Uncle to his nephew, Edward V
The King of England from 1483 until his death 1485.
Who would want to be a King in those days? He only reigned for 2 years before he was killed!
Who were the enemies at the battle of Bosworth Field?
Henry Tudor who was a Lancastrian and Richard III who was a Yorkist.
Who was Richard III’s predecessor?
Edward IV as Richard stole the opportunity from Edward the V by killing him in the tower
Who was Richard III’s successor?
Henry Tudor who became Henry VII
Who declared Richard the rightful King?
An assembly of lords and commoners endorsed the suggestion of a clergyman the Edward IV’s marriage was bigamous and they proclaimed Richard as the rightful King.
Why do you think the Duke of Buckingham led a rebellion against his former friend, Richard III.
The Duke of Buckingham was the keeper of the Tower of London and so probably knew that the nephews (Edward V and his brother) had been killed.
In 1485, there was a second successful rebellion against Richard in only his second year of his reign. Who led the rebellion?
Henry Tudor
There was a major rebellion against Richard in the year he was crowned. Who led the rebellion?
Staunch allies of the nephew’s father (Edward IV) together with the Duke of Buckingham who used to be a former friend of Richard III.
Did the 1483 rebellion led by the Duke of Buckingham work?
No
Who accompanied Henry Tudor when he arrived in England to start his rebellion?
A small troop of French soldiers as he had come from France where he had been living in exile with his uncle.
Who was the very last King to ever die in battle?
Richard III
What happened to Richard’s body after the battle where he was killed?
After the battle, Richard’s naked body was taken to Leicester strewn over a horse and buried without ceremony.
Why was Richard’s body lost for more than 5 centuries?
The original tomb stone was removed during the English revolution and thrown into the river and so no one knew where the grave was.
Why was Richard III’s body found?
In 2012, an archaeological excavation was commissioned by the Richard III society on a city council car park.
Who was the nephews sister and who did she marry?
Elizabeth of York
She married Henry VII
How old were the 2 nephews when their father Edward IV died?
Edward 12
Richard 9
Why would Elizabeth of York want to marry Henry VII?
- Put an end to the war of the roses
- She probably wanted to be queen
- No hard evidence that Henry VII had killed her brothers
Why did the Richard III society suspect that his body was under the council car park?
The body was thought to be there because the car park site used to be occupied by Greyfriars Priory Church where Richard III was originally thought to be buried.
How did investigators know the body they dug up was Richard III?
- Used radiocarbon dating to get the age
- Compared his bone structure with paintings of his appearance
- Comparison of the body DNA with descendent of Richard’s sister.
Before Richard III was made King what title had his brother King Edward IV given him?
Duke of Gloucester
Why is it odd that Elizabeth of York married Henry VII?
- They were on opposing sides as Henry was a Lancastrian and Elizabeth was a Yorkist - war of the roses.
- Henry VII is one of the people who is a suspect for killing the nephews, her two brothers!
Remember lot’s of marks for giving more than one side of the story.
Put these kings in order with the most recent last: Henry VI, Henry VII, Edward III.
Edward III
Henry VI
Henry VII
Put these kings in order with the most recent last: Richard III, Henry VIII, Edward IV
Edward IV
Richard III
Henry VIII
Put these Kings in order with the most recent last: Edward IV, Edward III, Henry VI, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Richard III.
Edward III Henry VI Edward IV Richard III Henry VII Henry VII
Name 5 obstacles that Henry VII needed to overcome in order to be a good King. (5 marks)
- Overcome conspiracies and enemies
- Establish legitimacy (right to rule)
- Improve finances
- Improve law and order to control the nobles
- Improve foreign policy to prevent expensive wars.
Next to each of these kings write down whether they were Yorkist or Lancastrians.
Edward III Henry VI Edward IV Richard III Henry VII Henry VII
Edward III(York) Henry VI (Lancastrian) Edward IV (Yorkist) Richard III (Yorkist) Henry VII (Lancastrian) Henry VII (Lancastrian)
Comment on Richard’s back which was one of the ways in which they identified his body?
Crocked back
How many years after he died did Richard III receive a burial fit for a king?
500 years
Why do you think Edward IV ordered Henry VI’s murder in the tower?
To remove Lancastrian opposition completely.
Why did Edward IV not order Henry VI murder immediately?
No point in murdering a captive king when his heir, Edward of Winchester, was free. However once Edward of Westminster was dead, killing Henry VI removed all Lancastrian opposition.
Why did being illegitimate bar you from the throne?
It was regarded as sinful and not fit for public life.
Where was the young Edward V (age 12) when the news of his father’s death reached him?
The young Edward V was in Ludlow castle with his uncle, Earl Rivers.
What was Edward V doing in Ludlow castle?
Being taught how to become a future king
The young Edward V was travelling back to London with protectors when they met with Richard of Gloucester?
uncle, Earl Rivers
What happened to theuncle who was escorting the young Edward V?
he was taken to a castle and beheaded!
Why do you think Richard of Gloucester had the uncle and half brother of the young Edward V beheaded?
To remove Edward V’s protectors.
It has been suggested that Richard III poisoned his wife. Why do you think he would do that?
He wanted to marry his younger niece, Elizabeth of York.
Elizabeth of York actually eventually married Henry VII after Henry’s bodyguards killed Richard III.
Name two of the young Edward’s greatest protectors?
- Earl Rivers who was appointed governor of the young Prince by his father, King Edward IV. Earl Rivers was the uncle as he was the queens brother.
- Lord Hastings - a great supporter of Edward IV and then felt protective towards Edward V.
What did Richard do to Lord Hastings and Earl Rivers, two of the young Edward’s greater protectors?
Killed them
