The Adventures of a King
♛ Kingly Richard ♛
After I wetted your appetite for our King in “The Hobbit” in my last post, I at least need to show you more about this wonderful training program for our hotly awaited King Richard III. Richard Armitage really impersonates a mighty and fierceful warrior and worthy leader of the dwarves, not unlike another King with rich military prowess, we await hotly to be depicted in a film:
- George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight: Video-Interview – Richard Armitage mentioning King Richard III again as inspiration for his role as Thorin Oakenshield. Especially the self awareness of having a potential of being corrupted, seems to have found its way from Shakespeare’s depiction into the interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s king of the dwarves Thorin Oakenshield. (Topic starting at about [6:30] and Richard III is mentioned at about [7:00] in the video interview.)
- Tribute Entertainment Media Group, Canada: Richard Armitage (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) Interview | Movie Interview – Video interview with Richard Armitage, by Bonnie Laufer Krebs (published 13.12.12)
♛ King Richard & Music ♛
That Richard Armitage is musical is at no doubt, playing the cello and the flute and being in musical theatre for a time, though with the song “Mysty Mountain” he sang for “The Hobbit”, he repeatedly stated that the goal was to sound not like a musician, but an untrained warrior singing the song with nearly religious meaning for his dwarve-race.
Richard Armitage in the video-interview with Access Hollywood, Canada:
For me, as I thought most of my childhood I would become a musician, the connection between Richard Armitage, King Richard III and music is a very special one. So the next news really got my undivided attention and I want to present this new aspect of King Richard III research to you:
Concert to tell the story of King Richard III:
Time: Friday, January 11th, 2013, at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Leicester, Fraser Noble Hall
Who: Ensemble TritonE
Newly formed trio led by
Janet Forbes, a graduate of the Royal Conservatory, The Hague
Mary-Jannet Lieth, Royal College of Music, London
Elspeth Robertson, Royal College of Music, London
Ticket-Price:
£5 for general public
£3 for Society for Historical Archaeology delegates
Tickets available at:
University of Leicester Shop
Program Plans:
Works from the Glogauer Liedbuch (15th Century German manuscript collection of songs)
Franco-Flemish repertoire from the Low Countries
Jane Forbes has been researching King Richard III’s life and travels, which help her select the kind of music he would have grown up with in England as well as during his time abroad. The concert will have singing and dance music, as well as more serious pieces, to show the spectrum of the contemporary music of King Richard III.
Jane Forbes said about the discovery in Leicester:
When I first heard about the discovery it was really exciting. The music will provide an amazing context to the life of someone like Richard III. We are trying to pick music from places he visited and pieces written about things he was doing.
Now I am really sorry to live nowhere near Leicester, the heart of the research and now the place of this concert with music, which will bring King Richard III’s life back. It would be a dream to be able to hear the concert in January 2013.
Music is one of the main reasons for me, why I so much hope, a film as planned by Richard Armitage can be made about King Richard III.
As “The Hobbit” by Sir Peter Jackson so vividly shows right now, a film well made speaks to so many senses and inspires the imagination.
I hope for a revival, a shown interpretation of King Richard III’s life and times, where the music is such an essential part to bring the time to life again.
♛ Leicester News ♛
Just when I was about to close this article, news breaks that the results about King Richard III might already be definitive, but are not revealed yet, befor the TV screening of the Channel4 documentary.
As these are still rumours, I want to refrain from pronouncing, the results are in, but want to remind, that former researchers not so long ago would have had to base their results on the already revealed circumstancial evidence alone and would not have had the technical equipment we nowadays have, to find out more.
- Daily Mail Online: Human remains found in Leicester car park DO belong to Richard III… but scientists are holding back findings until Channel Four documentary is aired, claims insider – by Anthony Bond (15.12.2012)
- The Telegraph: Carpark skeleton will be confirmed as Richard III – by Nick Collins, Science Correspondent (15.12.2012)
Full Press Conference Video about Search for King Richard III (12.09.2012)
For all who had not been able to attend or watch the press conference live on BBC last Wednesday, 12th of September 2012, the University of Leicester published a full recording of the sensational news about finding humans remains with clear signs of possibly being King Richard III:
Now that King Richard III might be found – the mtDNA still needs to confirm the success of the search – a controversial topic dominates the discussions about King Richard III.
Leicester, York or Westminster
Those are the places brought into the discussion where the best last resting place for King Richard III might be.
Westminster
+ King Richard III’s wife is buried there, though her exact resting place is unknown (Plate was put into the chapel in modern times for commemoration and is not her exact burial location.)
– church is strongly dominated by the Tudor dynasty on the English throne and heirs to King Henry VII Tudor, the victors over King Richard III at Bosworth.
York
+ King Richard III planned a chapel there, which is thought to have been intended for his own and his families burials.
– historic structure of the Cathedral, as the planned chapel was not built, might necessitate, that King Richard III needs to be squeezed in.
Leicester
+ King Richard III rested in this parish for over 500 years already.
– as all the other churches, it is not the religion King Richard III belonged to, as it is a reformed church changed by Tudor King Henry VIII in the 16th century.
These are only a few of the arguments in this controversial discussion about a controversial king.
I wish for the best resting place for King Richard III, wherever that may be.
♕ Leicester News ♕
- Damn it, let’s give Richard III one last, glorious summer – by Dan Hodges (The Telegraph, 14.09.2012) – Very witty article about why King Richard III already is an overwhelmingly important find.
- Richard III dig: King’s remains ‘will stay in Leicester’ – This is Leicester (14.09.2012)
The mentioned articles are only a small selection of what is going on right now, but try to give you a consistent idea of the happenings.
Please feel free to link in further articles or posts about King Richard III in the comments.
Thank you!
King Richard and Thorin Oakenshield
CDoart already did an analysis and a comparison between King Richard III and Thorin Oakenshield, King of the dwarves in “The Hobbit”, in connection to our poll 1 here on the KingRichardArmitage website.
A comparison between fantasy and history is not so farfetched, when we hear the latest comment by Mr. Armitage about his preparations for “The Hobbit” with King Richard III in his interview with HitFix at the ComicCon in San Diego:
HitFix – Question by Katie Hasty (?)
Oakenshield was kind of this classical lord-figure of the books [“The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien]. How do you update this character for modern audiences?
You see, I’d never really thought of updating. I actually did the opposite. I thought of it as more kind of Greek tragedy. I looked at Shakespeare, you know, a lot of my preparation, I was looking at “Henry V” and bits of “Richard III” just to find roots in British literature that were kind of deeper. But I think […] making it feel contemporary that are the big themes of the story: Loyalty and honour and trust and camaraderie. I think those themes are contemporary.
The interview by Katie Hasty from HotFix at Comic-Con in San Diego, July 24th, 2012, is available on YouTube. The quote starts at about [1:07]:
King Richard III & The Why behind Shakespeare
Last week we announced a new article in the BBC History Magazine about King “Richard III. Why Shakespeare made him a Devil”.
Maria Grazia already had a chance to get to the article and posted a detailed review on her blog Fly High. She also links to an interesting background interview with the author of the article, Dr. Paulina Kewes, teaching at the Jesus College in Oxford, which is published as podcast by BBC History Magazine as further background to the magazine article.
CDoart on her blog continues doing fan-artwork by creating a new ‘King Richard Armitage’.
Image excerpts and continuations of the article here:
King Richard Armitage - by CDoart
Film Petition King Richard Armitage - by CDoart
Matthew Ryan and the Illustration of King Richard III’s time
I don’t promise too much, when I announce our next interview guest as the man who really makes history visible.
How is that possible, you will likely ask, but with extensive research and lifelong exercise and even archery training as background, Mr. Matthew Ryan as well has the experience as the talent to bring the time of King Richard back in full colour.
Here now our interview with Historical Illustrator
Matthew Ryan
Thank you for joining us today and sharing your wonderful artwork with us.
Matthew Ryan in front of St Albans canvas
What especially interests us is, how did you come to do historical illustrations?
Archer by Matthew Ryan
I have always drawn and painted for as long as I can remember and as a boy most of my pictures were of knights and battles (though not very historically accurate back then). I loved the work of John Howe and Alan Lee [KRA-Comment: Those two artists will especially interest all Tolkien- and “The Hobbit” fans.] and was also very inspired as a child by the Illustrations of Knights by Julek Heller.
After leaving School I studied for a H.N.D. in Visual Communications and also did a Degree in Illustration. I then worked for eleven years as a traditional signwriter/advertiser and although I enjoyed my work it was not what I wanted to be doing.
All this time however I was reading history books and visiting places of historic interest. History has always been a passion of mine especially the medieval period.
Warwick Archer by Matthew Ryan
I have also shot Longbows for most of my life and for the past few years Warbows, I took much inspiration from reading books by people such as Hugh Soar
, Robert Hardy
All these influences took me to where I am today and I put my two greatest passions together, art and history and now work as an historical Illustrator. I now find the pictures that I am producing are a lot more productive because I am illustrating something that I am passionate about.
What methods of painting / drawing do you like best or prefer to use?
I love working with most materials but my favourite is oil paint, as this really lets me put a lot of depth and detail into my work. I also like working in just pencil and enjoy the simple nature of that medium.
St Albans canvas (draft) - by Matthew Ryan
What are your favourite topics for your paintings?
Duke of Somerset (by Matthew Ryan)
I am inspired by painting big and fantastic events from the past featuring kings and people of note but I also love to portray the common person in quieter pictures and try to give an insight into the day to day life of people of that time. Emotion is something I love to get into my pictures so I try to show that in my work and I think it helps to bring the pictures to life.
St Albans - wounded soldier (by Matthew Ryan)
What is your favourite historic timeframe and why is that so?
Because of my love of archery it has to be the Hundred Years War but visually I enjoy the style of armour and clothing from the times of The Wars of the Roses and am fascinated by the drama of this period.
Edmund Beaufort and Lancastrian troops by Matthew Ryan
Here on KingRichardArmitage, with all the historical interest showing up around Mr. Armitage’s mentioning of King Richard III, we are naturally curious, where you get your sources and material for your artwork. How do you research details about a certain time to depict in your illustrations?
Ballock knives (by Matthew Ryan)
I research in many different ways depending on what I am painting. I try to base much of what I do on contemporary illustrations although this in its self can be fraught with many problems. For details of armour I find viewing carvings on tombs and going to museums very useful and I also visit various re-enactments. Often research and reading takes more of my time than the painting, but the more information and answers I have on a subject the easier the painting is to produce. Speaking to historians is of course a great help and my thanks go out to those who have already given me help and direction.
Yorkist Field Piece by Matthew Ryan
Mr. Ryan, you gave us wonderful examples of your work to post together with your interview here on KingRichardArmitage. Where can we find further information about you and your creations?
I do not yet have my own website but people are welcome to view my work on my Facebook page at…
matthewryanhistoricalillustrator @facebook.com
and I can be contacted at…
matthewryanhistoricalillustrator@LIVE.CO.UK
You let us know, that your next main project will be about King Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth. Why Bosworth and what interests you in King Richard III and his time?
King Richard's man at the Battle of Bosworth (by Matthew Ryan)
Many things fascinate me about the Battle of Bosworth and King Richard, it is something I hope to base much of my future work on. I find it very inspiring that a King will put himself in mortal danger by leading from the front and fighting amongst his enemies.
I enjoy illustrating historic themes that history may have misinterpreted or unjustly portrayed in the past and Richard III certainly in my opinion fits this bracket.
Your paintings are no mere depictions of a time, but tell a whole and colourful story about fate and life on their own. So let me ask, what is your intention with your artwork about King Richard III and by giving colour to a time long past?
I wish to produce a painting that honours the memory of our last Plantagenet King, the last King to die on the field of battle and a King that has no tomb as a final resting place. I hope when complete the picture does him some justice and may serve as an inspiration for others to find out more about him.
An inspiration your artwork indeed is and it is a joy to discover your creations, which so well revive the past. I hope you will keep us updated on your project about King Richard III and the Battle of Bosworth. We love to hear and see more about your wonderful and well researched painting projects.
Thank you very much for the interview and taking the time to talk with us, Mr. Ryan.
The link to Mr. Ryan’s picture galery on Facebook:
To get in contact with Mr. Ryan:
matthewryanhistoricalillustrator@LIVE.CO.UK
Further News about King Richard III:
Maria Grazia (Fly High!)- Interview & Giveaway with Cecilia Latella about Richard III
Maria Grazia posted an interview with artist Cecilia Latella about her comic book “The Boar“, depicting the life and fate of King Richard III. Cecilia Latella speaks about her way to King Richard III and has some very interesting reading tips for new and advanced King Richard fans.
Leave a comment at her blog post till March 5th, 2012 to enter the giveaway contest for either a free Italian (print book) or an English (e-book) version of the comic book “The Boar” by Cecilia Latella.
The Towton Battlefield Society Supports King Richard III
We added a new Supporter page to our website, a page dedicated to the Towton Battlefield Society.
For years or even centuries, the importance of this battle lay forgotten. A group of dedicated people came together in the year 1993 to revive the memory and preserve the area, where the fate of England was decided on Palm Sunday in the year 1461.
A holy day saw the blodiest battle, England ever suffered. Estimations are that about 27,000 men died in this battle between the Lancastrian and Yorkist fractions.
To commemorate this fiercely fought battle, the Towton Battlefield Society has an event on Palm Sunday each year and kindly sent us the announcement and description of this event.
Britain’s Biggest Battle Bears Testimony to Those Who Will Never Forget
This Palm Sunday, 1st April marks the commemoration of Britain’s bloodiest encounter, the Battle of Towton, fought on 29th March, 1461 during the Wars of The Roses.
The event will be recognised by Towton Battlefield Society who have, since 1993, tirelessly worked for the battlefield’s protection and acknowledgement as a place of national significance. The battle, which was preceded by two major skirmishes at Ferrybridge and Dintingdale, raged all day in blizzard conditions until the Lancastrians were routed, many drowning in Cock Beck. Towton was a climactic battle between the houses of York and Lancaster; chivalry was dead and the order went out for no quarter to be given. The Lancastrian king, Henry VI was not skilled in battle and spent the time at York Minster, devoting his prayers to a victory, leaving the proud and haughty Duke of Somerset to lead his army. The commander of the Yorkist faction and self-proclaimed King of England, the nineteen year old Edward IV, was a natural leader though, and inspired his men on a tortuous forced march from London to meet their implacable foes. Outnumbered and exhausted the Yorkists were hard-pressed and on the brink of collapse when reinforcements were led onto the field by the Duke of Norfolk and victory was now within Edward’s grasp. You will be able to see the route the fleeing Lancastrians took on Palm Sunday as guided walks are planned every 15 minutes from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
TBS are a registered charity, aided entirely by volunteer help. Their objectives are to preserve the integrity of the battlefield, educate the public and promote research into the battle and related medieval history. In the early days very few members of the public knew about the dramatic events at Towton but now, scarcely a week goes by without an article being published in the Press or the battle getting a mention on TV programmes.
TBS Chairman Mark Taylor said, “We have a real extravaganza in store this year. This is recognised by many medieval re-enactors as the place to be and we have an action-packed agenda including archery, sword-fighting and falconry. Our Patron, the actor Robert Hardy, will also be putting in an appearance and we are being supported by Welcome to Yorkshire, who realise what a boost our attraction is to tourism in the area. Nonetheless, conscious of the current pinch on the public’s purse strings, we are pitching the entry fee at only £2.00 per person so that families can have a great but inexpensive day out.”
Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We are delighted to be involved with this event, which attracted more than 3,000 visitors last year. We’re looking forward to it being a great success once more.”
So, at £2.00 entrance fee, free car parking and a full day’s agenda with something to please everyone in the family, this event is not one to be missed. Turn up at Towton Hall on Palm Sunday, 1st April, for a warm Yorkshire welcome.
Maria Grazia of Fly High and King Richard III
The reason why you are our guest today, Maria Grazia, is that your main blog, FLY HIGH!
features pages dedicated to Richard III and to Richard Armitage. You’ve been writing about RA’s career and work for a while now and you’ve started an interesting series focused on Richard III and his history – with posts written by you and by experts – recently (Link list follows below the interview!). You seem to be keen on both Richard III and Richard Armitage, hence, you are the ideal guest for this site. Welcome!
Richard Armitage by Matt Holyoak for Project Magazine 7/2011
King Richard III (Source: Wikimedia.org) Image flipped horizontal!
Thanks for inviting me. You are right I have got a real interest in both the men. I really hope Richard Armitage will achieve his dream of shooting/producing a TV series about Richard III and that it could contribute to the spreading of a new, more positive image of the wrongly despised King of England.
What was it that brought you to want to know more about King Richard III, who in literature mostly got a description of being an ugly, hunchbacked and crippled King?
I owe my enthusiasm for the Ricardian cause and my extraordinary quest in search for the real Richard III to a novel: Sharon Kay Penman’s The Sunne in Splendour. It was such a revelation for someone like me who had always and only read Shakespeare’s tragic portrait of him as the ultimate villain. An incredibly powerful characterization but so distant from the reality, I bet.
After that novel, I’ve read other interesting ones based on a completely positive image of Richard III: Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time and Anne O’Brien’s The Virgin Queen.
The ugly monster who killed his nephews to get to the throne was substituted by the very humane figure of a complex, loyal, dutiful man.
Was the fascination more because of the image you had because of Shakespeare or were other factors more important?
I’ve never been so interested in Shakespeare‘s Richard III, actually. His historical plays are the ones I know and appreciate the least. I prefer tragedies like Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello or comedies like The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado about Nothing, Twelfth Night or As you like it. Smart dramatist and wonderfully gifted writer as Shakespeare was, he fully achieved his aim with the Tudor propaganda: fiction replaced history and it has gone on like that for centuries. Richard Plantagenet has been Shakespeare’s hunchbacked and crippled king for so many and for so long. But now I’m fascinated by the contrast between the documents discovered later on – with the resulting new hypothesis – and Shakespeare’s account of those facts.
Can you share a very special fan-event / moment determining your interest in King Richard with us?
Well, as you may guess, everything started when I heard Richard Armitage talk about his Richard III project. I had been following his career for a while after watching him as John Thornton in North and South, when I happened to watch an interview for the promotion of Robin Hood season 2, in which he talked about a different image of Richard III in a script he was working on. I was struck by lightning: “Richard III was not wicked?!? What is this all about”?
So I started researching and I discovered The Ricardian Society and their cause.[Annotation: More information and contact details of the Richard III Society in this article and page on KRA.]
I’ve listened and read more of Richard Armitage about Richard III (the interview in the Venetia audiobook, an interview for Strike Back on the radio and , especially the interview at Vulpex Libris) until I decided to buy and read The Sunne in Splendour and … I got in love with Sharon Kay Penman’s Dickon. Now, I can’t actually see Richard Armitage (an adult man) as young Dickon, but I would love to see him as Richard III in the last years of his life.
What is a special aspect / character trait of King Richard III which fascinates you?
His being loyal to his brother, King Edward IV, to his duties as Duke of Gloucester and Lord of the North, to his family. Then, the picture I have in my mind is biased by the romantic Dickon Ms Penman portrayed, of course, but I can only imagine him as a very sensitive and thoughtful husband and father. Just have a look at his concerned look in his portrait: that can’t be the look of a wicked person.
Did you see some of the places where King Richard lived, stayed, was?
Oh indeed I did! And it was memorable. I went to Yorkshire in July and the best moment of the Ricardian tour was our visit to Middleham Castle. It was so thrilling, even moving. I was touched and sad during that visit. The place was bleak and windy. I so wanted to have glimpses of the happy moments Richard had lived there, but it was not easy. Then I was at Sheriff Hutton and at Bosworth. I wrote about that experience on Fly High and you can see also some of my pictures in “On the Footsteps of Richard III”.
What about you and … Richard Armitage?
Richard Armitage is my favourite actor and my “one weakness“. Everything started in August 2008 when I decided to buy a DVD online titled NORTH AND SOUTH (BBC 2004). I wanted to use it in my lessons about Mrs Gaskell and her novels. It was the end of my old serious prof-style life and the beginning of a half – serious addiction to everything this man happens to do. And he has surprised me in many ways so far: he was young Monet (one of my favourite painters!), wicked Lovelace in Richardson’s Clarissa, a handsome workaholic doctor in The Golden Hour, evil Gisborne in Robin Hood, tender John Standring in Sparkhouse, dashing treacherous John Mulligan in Moving On, lovely Harry J. Kennedy in The Vicar of Dibley, but last and definitely not least, he miraculously landed on my favourite BBC series, SPOOKS as Lucas North. I know this list is not complete but these are just the first roles which came to my mind in no particular order. I’m glad he’s going to be under global spotlight as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit and would eagerly like him as King Richard III.
Do your family / friends / colleagues share your admiration for King Richard III?
I’ve got few friends who share my interest in Richard III but no colleague or member of my family, unfortunately. However, thanks to my blog I’ve had the chance to meet other admirers from all over the world!
Maria Grazia lives in Italy, not far from Rome. She teaches English as a foreign language to teenage students and English literature and she loves her job. She became a blogger to help her students and support them with useful materials in 2008 and blogging has become her main hobby. Fly High is her main site about books, art, period drama, movies, classic literature, historical fiction and Richard Armitage. She’s also got a Jane Austen-dedicated page, My Jane Austen Book Club, where she “meets” Janeites to discuss everything Austen. She’s married and has two teenage sons.
Maria Grazia and her articles about King Richard III on FLY HIGH:
Maria Grazia online:
- Twitter – SmaryG
- Facebook –Fly High
- Facebook – My Jane Austen Book Club
- Maria Grazia on paperblog
