530 Years King Richard III
26 June 1483
Today 530 years back in time, the then Duke of Gloucester, Richard Plantagenet, was petitioned to take the crown of England.
The beginning of his short reign and his tragic last two years in life.
He will soon lose either his son, his wife, his nephews (unclear as the circumstances may be) and some of his closest friends and supporters, before ultimately losing his own life near Bosworth.
Source: Fearn, Discovering Heraldry, Buckinghampshire, 2000, p.68
At Middleham Castle, a replica of King Richard III’s banner was raised today, to commemorate this significant day, starting his reign.
- ITV.com: Flying the flag for Richard III (26.06.2013) – The banner is raised in commemoration of the beginning of King Richard III’s reign 530 years from today, not his coronation, which took place in Westminster Abbey on the 6th of July 1483.
♛ King Richard III ♛
- Hinckley Times: Richard III returns to Bosworth Battlefield, by Ben Eccleston (20.06.2013)
- BBC History Magazine: Truth, lies and historical fiction, by Charlotte Hodgman (21.06.2013) – Interview by Charlotte Hodgman with author Philippa Gregory about her historical fiction and the new TV release “The White Queen” / “The Cousins’ War”.
Should King Richard III change his sex to get his story told? - David Marlow (Blog): I parked on Richard III’s grave…! By David Marlow (24.06.2013) – The article fortunately is not as revolting as the headline suggests, but rather centers on the economic impact King Richard III may or may not have nowadays.
- Ashbourne News Telegraph: Finding a king, by Natalie Wakefield (25.06.2013) – Announcement of an illustrated talk held by Professor Lin Foxhall at Ashbourne Town Hall on Monday, 1 July 2013 at 7:30 p.m. (Tickets £6 for adults and £2 for children)
- ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III statue moving to a site close to cathedral, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (25.06.2013) – The Leicester statue of King Richard III, donated by the Richard III Society, will be moved from Castle Gardens to the area around Leicester Cathedral. The whole area around the cathedral will get a total remake into Cathedral Gardens, to welcome visitors and enable seating for up to 800 visitors, while the statue will have to remain outside the gardens.
- BBC News Leicester: Richard III statue to move closer to Leicester body find site (25.06.2013) – The name of the permanent exhibition at the planned Richard III Museum in Leicester is revealed as well: Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery. Leicester certainly has a sense for alliterations, severing Leicester’s link to a lost and lately re-discovered king.
- Information on Loughborough: A year of discoveries showcased at the University of Leicester, by University of Leicester (25.06.2013) – Leicester University was so proud of its part in the search for King Richard III that the researchers feature prominently in the university’s Undergraduate Open Day on 26th June 2013.
- ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Preparations for second city dig, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (26.06.2013) – Continuing archaeological research around the area where King Richard III was found.
Don’t forget about the upcoming Opening Day with events about King Richard III at the University of Leicester the coming weekend!
To Celebrate King Richard III
♛ King Richard III ♛
- BBC News Leicester: Richard III visitor centre plans unveiled in Leicester (13.06.2013)
- ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Plans for Richard III Centre revealed, by Leicester Mercury (13.06.2013)
- The Northern Echo: Exploring the truth behind Richard III, by Mark Foster (13.06.2013) – York celebrates King Richard III for 12 months.
- The York Press: York’s year-long celebration of King Richard III (13.06.2013)
- Yorkshire Post: Richard’s city bids to put flesh on bones of his legend, by Paul Jeeves (13.06.2013)
- York: Richard III: Rumour and Reality (13.06.2013) – 12 Month of discovering King Richard III’s history and his connection to the city of York.
- ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: Leicester visitor centre designs unveiled, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (14.06.2013) – To honour King Richard III in the new permanent exhibition in Leicester.
[…] we have to treat the remains with dignity and respect.
Putting them on display might not be the best way to honour that.
(Sir Peter Soulsby, Mayor of Leicester) - ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard’s story in TV spotlight, by Tom Mack and Adrian Troughton, Leicester Mercury (15.06.2013) – Not Richard III, but his wife Anne Neville in the focus as one of the three leading women in the female Wars of the Roses.
- Fly High! (Blog): The War of the Roses in a Major BBC Drama Series: The White Queen, by Maria Grazia (15.06.2013) – About the new TV-series “The White Queen” and the importance of depicting a ‘new’ King Richard III.
- University of Leicester: Chance for Year 12 pupils to work with archaeologists who discovered Richard III (17.06.2013) – More information on the website of the University of Leicester.
- ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: Internships offered on new archaeology dig, by atroughton (17.06.13)
- PukaarNews: Leicester Schoolchildren Learn about Richard III, by pukaarnews (YouTube) (18.06.2013) – Video about the introduction of Leicester school children to King Richard III’s history. With this video, we just can learn a bit alongside with them…
- BBC News: New Richard III replica skull goes on display (18.06.2013) – A new, much more detailed replica of King Richard III’s skull was created by the University of Loughborough on a 3D printer, to enable future research after King Richard III’s re-interment.
- BBC Radio 3: York Festival of Ideas – Wars of the Roses – Free Thinking Festival, Free Thinking in the Summer (18.06.2013) – A discussion about the Wars of the Roses and King Richard III in York. Rana Mitter is chairing the debate from the York Festival of Ideas on the legacy of the War of the Roses with Helen Castor (Historian / Author), Dr. Sandy Grant (University of Lancaster) and Prof. Mark Ormrod (University of Leicester), held Sunday, 16th June 2013.
Well worth to listen in. The audio recording is still available on the BBC website here. - ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: Updated skull replica to go on show, by PA_Warzynski (19.06.2013)
York Event Calendar:
Pre-Announcement:
To celebrate King Richard III, who started his reign as King of England 530 years ago, and actor Richard Armitage, whom we want to help into his reign in the role as King of England, the KRA website is again planning a
“King Richard Armitage Week 2013”
from the 21st to 28th of August, 2013.Contributions and Support are very welcome.
Is King Richard III Human?
♛ King Richard III ♛
Surely, from the headline you will think me mad.
Where do I want to go with that question?
Of course he is human, you will say. Why do I even ask that.
His skeleton should sufficiently prove that.
Now, Shakespeare did a great deal, to show King Richard III as not entirely human, but the devil himself.
A monarch per se might also be seen as not entirely human. Normal laws and rules do not apply to him. Kings and queens may not be touched by normal ‘humans’, and lots of other regulations are and were invented to divide them from the ‘normal’ population and their subjects.
Human made regulations to set a king apart.
To make him the sole legitimate ruler over the fate of others.
[Admittedly, in King Richard III’s time we have not yet reached the absolute monarchic status of a king, but still, some setting apart was already in place in his time.
Though his fight to hold (some of) the nobility of England in check to define his royal position did not end well.]
So now, what human right does a king have?
What is a human right to define the procedure for a king’s burial?
You see that I have my problems with King Richard III’s burial being against ‘human rights’ in general,
and especially with the idea of being against the European Convention on Human Rights (1950 + later additions with 5 protocols).
Even if he killed his nephews, a parking lot is no place for a king.
(NBC reporter in video to:
- NBC News – Cosmic Log: For some, King Richard III’s resting place raises a human rights issue, by Alan Boyle, NBC News 26.03.2013)
That even historians think it somewhat proven that King Richard III did kill his nephews, the article about the discussion held by the University of Leicester on 6th June 2013 about “Richard III: Benevolent King or Murderous Tyrant?” shows.
- LeicesterExchanges.com: Live event catch up: Richard III: Benevolent King or Murderous Tyrant? (07.06.2013) – To some things history just can’t provide an easy answer, while this is a discussion which tries to. So do not be too upset by some of the extreme and biased statements.
The University of Leicester made the discussion available online in an audio file on SoundCloud:
But human or not, even the necessity or the right legal procedure for a re-burial of King Richard III is under discussion.
See the following article by George Duncan:
- Mondaq.com: The Bones Of Richard III, by George Duncan, Charles Russell LLP [05.06.2013) – Was the car park consecrated ground and if, how long. Might it still be considered sufficiently consecrated ground at the time when King Richard III was found?
Perhaps we approach the whole question about King Richard III’s guilt about having killed his nephews and his ‘subsequent right’ for a decent or pompous burial all the wrong way. Might it have been his queen, Anne Neville, who did the deed? She would have had means, time, reason and access and was conveniently in London at the time the boys were last seen.
Read more about these interesting speculations by Amy Licence here:
- New Statesman: Passive Pawn or Lady Macbeth: Who was Richard III’s queen? Dead by the age of 28, Anne Neville didn’t leave much of a paper trail. Who was this woman who stood so close to the king, yet seems so distant today? By Amy Licence (11.06.2013) – Ms. Licence just published her research about Queen Anne Neville in her new book “Anne Neville: Richard III’s Tragic Queen
” (Amazon.com Affiliate Link for you to read more about the book. – Eventual earnings go to Mr. Armitage’s recommended charities.)
- BBC News Leicester: Richard III head reconstruction set for national tour (10.06.2013) – The reconstruction of King Richard III’s head will be exhibited at London in the British Museum from January till March 2014!
- ThisIsGloucestershire.co.uk: King Richard III’s modelled head to visit Gloucester, by Emcfarnon (10.06.2013) – Announcing the tour dates of the reconstruction of King Richard III’s head:
The national tour dates are as follows:
Bosworth Battlefield: June 11 – July 16, 2013
Yorkshire Museum: July 19 – October 13, 2013
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery: October 19 – January 5, 2014
The British Museum: January 11 – March 16, 2014
Gloucester – venue TBC: March 2014
King Richard’s Autumn ?
♛ King Richard III ♛
- BBC Two: Henry VII: Winter King (30.05.2013) – Still available to watch online on BBC’s iPlayer or for all outside the U.K. on YouTube here.
- Royal Central: The Winter King – a review BBC Thursday 9pm, by Karen Kilrow (31.05.2013) – A review about the documentary film by Thomas Penn, also author of a book with the same name.
- ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III dig team to give series of talks on discovery, by Leicester Mercury (31.05.2013) – More details about the schedule of the already announced lectures of the research team of the University of Leicester hosted by the Dean of Leicester, the Very Revd David Monteith, in Leicester Cathedral, each held at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., cost is £5 (£3 concessions):
Tuesday, 04 June 2013
Richard Buckley – Why and where we dug
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Dr Turi King and Professor Kevin Schürer – DNA and Relatives
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Dr Mary Ann Lund and Dr Sarah Knight – What Do The Medieval Documents Say?
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Dr Jo Appleby – Them Bones, Them Bones - The Telegraph: Will the Plantagenets now topple the Tudors? by Glenda Cooper (31.05.2013) – A plea for the Plantagenets. Why their family drama even can beat the Tudors. – King Richard III’s film by Mr. Armitage becomes more and more a necessity.
- Helen Rae (Blog): History Matters: Counterfactual Conjectures on the Marriage of Edward IV (31.05.2013) – Interesting perspective on why King Richard III’s negative image could be undeserved.
- ThisIsGloucestershire.co.uk: King Richard tour is great opportunity, by The Citizen (01.06.2013) – King Richard III now also will visit Gloucester on his tour through England. The reconstruction of King Richard III’s face now is planned to visit Gloucester next year, before the bust will find its final place in the specially created Richard III Museum in Leicester.
- University of Leicester: University of Leicester opens its doors for annual Summer Reunion (04.06.2013) – The reunion held at the 29th of June 2013 will celebrate the discovery of King Richard III and will be open for the public!
More details about the schedule and the link to book. - ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Leicester responds to Richard III claims, by Dan Martin, Leicester Mercury (05.06.2013) – No definitive ending of the new ‘War of the Roses’, but a step on the way to legally define, what the best way to ‘rescue’ King Richard III is.
- University of Leicester: Richard III discovery inspires host of artwork and illustrations (05.06.2013) – Not entirely new, comic art by Emma Vieceli, but with a more complete presentation on the UoL website.
Press Release: Richard III becomes muse for comic book artists following car park discovery (05.06.2013) - Live Science: Richard III Craze Inspires Comic Art, by Megan Gannon (05.06.2013) – More about King Richard III in comics.
- University of Leicester: Live event – Richard III: Benevolent King or Murderous Tyrant? Tomorrow, on Thursday, 6th June 2013 at the University of Leicester. Tickets can be booked here.
Reminder:
