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Showing posts with label Richard III. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard III. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Two Sides to Every Story: The Battle of Bosworth Field, August 22, 1485


Today I have the opportunity to welcome Tony Riches, author of Owen and the more recently released, Jasper - books 1 and 2 of a trilogy on the Tudors , to The Maiden's Court with an awesome contribution to the Two Sides to Every Story series.  Today we are treated to the events of the Battle of Bosworth Field from the perspectives of both Jasper Tudor (fighting on the side of Henry Tudor) and King Richard III.  I hope you will enjoy it - I certainly did!

The Battle of Bosworth Field, August 22, 1485

Adapted from Jasper Book Two of The Tudor Trilogy:

Jasper Tudor leaned back in his saddle and muttered encouragement to steady his horse. He closed his eyes for a moment and said a prayer, not for himself but for his young nephew Henry. He felt strangely calm for someone facing death. All his worries slipped away with the certainty that, one way or another, he would meet his destiny at last.

He opened his eyes again. He had never seen so many men so still, so silent, as on that morning, on a broad field south of the market town of Bosworth, in Leicestershire, bordered by the River Tweed. Sir John de Vere, chosen as commander, had persuaded Henry to form his army in a wide line, archers to the front. Jasper glanced across at Henry, who decided to remain on foot with his guards.

Henry was old enough to be his own man, make his own decisions. Jasper fastened the thick leather strap under his helmet and pulled it tight, then pulled on the black leather gloves he’d chosen instead of steel gauntlets, in deference to the heat.

Across the field the deadly ranks of King Richard’s army shimmered with a dreamlike quality in the sunshine. Jasper shielded his eyes with his hand and made out Richard’s standard bearer, with the long pennant of the white boar. Richard could not be far away. He glanced across at Henry’s standard, the red dragon of Cadwallader, carried by William Brandon, surrounded by loyal mounted knights.

With a shout, Sir John de Vere committed them to battle. The air filled with arrows, spurring the enemy into action, as they returned an equally devastating volley and closed the ground between them with alarming speed. The clash of steel and cries of wounded and dying men brought deeply buried memories back for Jasper and he drew his sword. The blade flashed in the sun as he held it high, the signal for the next wave of men to attack.

From his position at the rear of the battlefield Jasper could see they were outnumbered by more than two to one. The ground under him vibrated then his ears rang with the booming thunder of Richard’s guns. With a jolt he realised they had been holding their fire until Sir John de Vere’s vanguard was at close range.

Cannonballs cut swathes through the ranks of Henry’s mercenaries. Men cried out and one gave a blood-curdling scream but the ranks closed and continued to press forward as if nothing had happened. The sun, which had been behind their enemy, moved overhead and the savage, hand-to-hand fighting ebbed and flowed like a tide as fighting men gained ground then lost it as others pressed forward.


Illustration of Richard III (2 October 1452 - 22 August 1485) at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485, from a Chronicle of England by James Doyle, printed by Edmund Evans, 19th century.
Image Credit: 
 

Continued From the perspective of King Richard III:

Richard fought savagely through the knights around the rebel Henry Tudor’s standard, slashing with his sword at the standard bearer. The flowing banner with its proud red dragon fell to the ground as the man died without letting go of it to defend himself.

Fighting for his life, his throne and all he cared for, Richard shouted in fury as he charged onward into the rebel men-at-arms, unhorsing one knight and thrusting at another. He spurred his horse to higher ground and looked back to see he’d been cut off from his men. He cursed their failure to follow him and knew he must turn back, but then he saw his enemy, the man who had dared to challenge his crown.

In a flash of insight Richard understood. The banner had been a ruse, as Henry Tudor watched the fighting from a safe distance. Surrounded by foot soldiers wearing the blue and gold fleur-de-lis surcoats of France, it was unmistakably his challenger, Henry Tudor, looking surprisingly young and thin, his face pale.

Richard heard an order shouted in a confident voice over the noise of battle, and turned in time to recognise the tall, bearded figure of Henry’s uncle, Jasper Tudor.

‘Pikemen, take position!’

The Frenchmen moved with swift precision, forming a circle around Henry, their long sharpened pikes linked in an impenetrable forest. As Richard closed the ground between them he saw Henry draw his sword, his lips moving as if in silent prayer.

Then with pounding hooves, and a fierce battle cry, mounted knights carrying the banner of the black raven surrounded Richard. The thought of surrender flashed through his mind, then he cursed and raised his sword defiantly, charging the man nearest to him. On a shouted command from their commander the Welshmen attacked. Richard felt the blow as a sword clanged against his fine armour and lunged back as a halberd struck him deep in the temple. He felt the merciful release of unconsciousness as he fell from his horse.


Henry Tudor went on from his victory at Bosworth Field to found the Tudor dynasty – a story to be told in Henry – Book Three of The Tudor Trilogy, to be published in early 2017.


Tony Riches is a full time historical fiction author based in Pembrokeshire, Wales UK. For more information about Tony’s books please visit him at the following social media sites: The Writing Desk (personal blog), Website, Facebook, and Twitter.


Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia 
 











Book Blurb:

Following the best-selling historical fiction novel Owen – Book One of The Tudor Trilogy, this is the story, based on actual events, of Owen’s son Jasper Tudor, who changes the history of England forever.
England 1461: The young King Edward of York has taken the country by force from King Henry VI of Lancaster. Sir Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, flees the massacre of his Welsh army at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross and plans a rebellion to return his half-brother King Henry to the throne.
When King Henry is imprisoned by Edward in the Tower of London and murdered, Jasper escapes to Brittany with his young nephew, Henry Tudor. Then after the sudden death of King Edward and the mysterious disappearance of his sons, a new king, Edward’s brother Richard III takes the English Throne. With nothing but his wits and charm, Jasper sees his chance to make young Henry Tudor king with a daring and reckless invasion of England.
Set in the often brutal world of fifteenth century England, Wales, Scotland, France, Burgundy and Brittany, during the Wars of the Roses, this fast-paced story is one of courage and adventure, love and belief in the destiny of the Tudors.
 



Copyright © 2016 by The Maiden’s Court

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Caught on Tape: Richard III

caught on tape

When trying to decide on the historical figure to feature in this segment of Caught on Tape I couldn’t help but be drawn in by all of the talk about the discovery of the remains of King Richard III of England. With the discovery that he did indeed of a spinal deformity it brings to mind the Shakespeare portrayal, which is probably the most widespread depiction. Accordingly, the majority of films take on the Shakespeare angle. I tried to cover a wide range of Richard dramas from the very early 1900’s through the 1990’s to see if Richard is portrayed differently throughout time.

Richard III (1912)

Shakespeare's tragedy of the hump-backed Duke of Gloucester, who rises to the throne of England by chicanery, treachery, and brilliance, only to find that his own methods have prepared the groundwork for his downfall.

Did you know that this is considered the oldest surviving American feature-length film? It was believed to be lost until the mid-1990s when a movie projectionist turned in a copy to the American Film Institute and they were able to preserve the film. This film is based on the Shakespeare play and stars Frederick Ward as Richard III. The clip I have for you below is from the scene where Richard woos Anne – and a scene that actually portrays Richard rather favorably. It is a silent film so the gesticulations are overacted and you can’t be quite sure what they are discussing, but Richard obviously wins her over in the end of the scene. From the reviews I have read – this film is not for those who are not big movie buffs – it was breaking ground for its time but apparently rather unwatchable today.

Tower of London (1939)

In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England. As each murder is accomplished he takes particular delight in removing small figurines, each resembling one of the successors, from a throne-room dollhouse, until he alone remains. After the death of Edward he becomes Richard III, King of England, and need only defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain power.

Tower of London features Basil Rathbone as Richard III and Boris Karloff as his accomplice Mord. Vincent Price has a role as Richard’s brother, George. The film is best described as a quasi-historical horror film (as I would expect from the involvement of Karloff). The film was later remade in 1962 with Vincent Price in the lead role and with a stronger emphasis on the horror aspect. Tower of London is not based on Shakespeare. None of the video clips I could find of this movie had a great focus on Richard; however this one features the death of George and is actually rather interesting.

Richard III (1955)

Laurence Olivier stars as England's storied ruling monarch in one of Shakespeare's greatest historical drama. In a Machiavellian masterstroke, Richard III plays relatives against each other and ascends to the throne amid the War of the Roses. But things start to go bad when he murders two young princes he'd imprisoned in the infamous Tower of London. Cedric Hardwicke, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson co-star.

Laurence Olivier made three Shakespearian historical films, and this one was considered at the time of its release the lesser of the three, it has however stood the test of time and is now considered the film that has most popularized Shakespeare. Olivier’s performance as Richard was nominated for an Academy Award however he did not win it. His performance is ranked 19th in Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Performances. I don’t know that I would agree with that after watching the death scene clip I have below – now I haven’t seen the whole film, but the death scene was kind of cheesy. And the setting of the Battle looks nothing like what I would imagine it would have looked like.  As one Youtube commenter said, “It looks more like the Battle of Botswana than the Battle of Bosworth Field”.

Richard III (1995)

Ian McKellen stars in the title role in this visually inventive adaptation of Shakespeare's classic drama, which is set in 1930s England after a civil war has torn the country apart and left the people under fascist rule. Richard plots against his brother, Edward (John Wood), in his quest to usurp the throne, and will stop at nothing in pursuit of his goal. The film received Oscar nominations for art direction and costume design.

First I want to point out that this movie has quite the cast: Ian McKellen as Richard, Annette Bening as Elizabeth Woodville, Robert Downey Jr as Lord Rivers, Nigel Hawthorne as George, Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Anne, and Maggie Smith as the Duchess of York. This is an adaptation of the Shakespeare play but brings it into a more modern time period, the 1930s (it is similar to how the 2009 adaptation of Hamlet was modernized starring Patrick Stewart). The film has received very positive reviews for its uniqueness and adaptation of the classic although I’m having a hard time connecting to it because it is so far gone from the history. The scene I included below is the death scene – compare it with the above Olivier death scene.

If I were to choose to watch any of the above in their entirety, I would probably choose the 1955 and 1995 versions to compare and to see a classic vs. a modern interpretation.  These are the only 2 of the films you can get through Netflix.  So have you seen any of the above films? What did you think of them? Any that you want to see but haven’t? Did I miss any good ones?

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Friday, February 8, 2013

Interview with Anne Easter Smith Regarding Richard III

I had the chance to interview author Anne Easter Smith about the discovery of the bones of Richard III, King of England.  She is a member of the Richard III Society and knows a lot about the man and has a lot of great insight on the subject to offer.  Anne is touring with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in support of her upcoming book, Royal Mistress, and reflecting on the discovery of the bones of Richard III.

Royal Mistress

What was the first thing you thought upon hearing that they may have found the body of King Richard III of England under a parking lot?

Yippee! comes to mind ;-) It has always bothered me that Richard’s bones have never been found. It means none of we Ricardians have had anywhere to go and pay our respects except for a stone memorial in a field at Bosworth (and even that is now thought not to be the spot where he died).

Why has it taken such a long period of time for researchers to discover the resting place of Richard III? 

Once the Tudors were firmly on the throne and their historians did a good job of blackening Richard’s name, people probably didn’t care where his remains were. Henry VII actually loosed his tightly laced purse strings and forked out for a modest stone memorial placed in the Greyfriars monastery somewhere several years after Richard’s death, but with the dissolution of the monasteries in Henry VIII’s time, the monastery was ransacked and desecrated. Rumor had it that the plunderers found Richard’s body and threw it in the Soar River. End of story. But then another story said that Richard’s “sarcophagus” was then dragged outside and used as a horse trough. There was no way Richard had anything as fancy as a sarcophagus--who would have paid for it? And so I think the way they found his body -- by itself in the nave near the altar --would have been the most reverent burial the monks could have given the former king. It was not until Philippa Langley, chair of the Scottish branch of the Richard III Society, began her passionate research to uncover the mystery of his resting place a few years ago did interest (and funding) come into play.

Reconstructed Richard
Reconstructed face of Richard III based on skull discovery

Has there been any discussion of what will happen with the body if it was determined to be Richard?  What do you think would be the best option?

Much discussion has ensued, I can assure you. Most Ricardians would like to see him buried in York Minster, which is said to have been Richard’s wish. There was even a debate in the House of Commons when York, Leicester and Westminster Abbey were considered. I believe the City of Leicester won out, having owned the remains for more than 500 years. And there is already a large memorial plaque in the nave of that cathedral for him. Richard never liked the south, and I doubt he would have been happy to be in London!

What is it about the Plantagenets that put you in their corner, so to speak, in your novels?

I became obsessed--yes, you could say that!--with Richard from my early 20s when I read Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. She put doubt in my mind that Richard really was the monster our history books (and Shakespeare) depicted. I began to read everything I could about him. However, before that I had adored Anya Seton’s Katherine and had learned a lot about the 14th century Plantagenets (although John of Gaunt, whose mistress Katherine was a Lancastrian). I am a staunch Yorkist now!

King_Richard_III

Your novel, A Rose for the Crown, is a revisionist version of the reign of Richard III.  What does this mean and why choose to write your novel this way?

When I joined the Richard III Society back in the early ‘90s, I took their mission statement seriously, which was to “...promote in every possible way research into the life and times of Richard III, and to secure a reassessment of the material relating to this period, and of the role in English history of this monarch.” I had done so much research on him by that time, I had decided he was not the man I had been traditionally taught he was, so I wanted to try my hand at writing Richard’s real story. It turned out to be more Kate Haute’s story (a woman I imagined might have been the mother of his bastard children), but Richard’s personality and life was told through her very loving and biased eyes (mine perhaps??).

You have written several novels where Richard is a character – has your way of thinking/writing about him changed at all over time?

I think you will be surprised by Richard in Royal Mistress! Because I am telling the story of Edward IV’s final and favorite mistress, Jane Shore, who was--it could be admitted-- not treated kindly by Richard, I had to look at him through her eyes, and the eyes of her very good friend and subsequent patron, William Hastings, who was executed by Richard. I chose to write this book in omniscient narration, which means I can jump around into different people’s head. This was new for me but, I have to say, very freeing. It meant that I could speak from Richard’s heart as well as Jane’s and Will’s, and I hope I have shown the terrible dilemma a man of his piety and sense of duty had in making the decisions he did from April to July 1483 following his beloved brother Edward’s death. I do not show Richard as pure white as perhaps he was in A Rose for the Crown, but in many (but not 50!) shades of grey.

What can you tell us about your upcoming release, Royal Mistress (to be released in May)?

I have already had a few family and close friends read the book and they have told me they think it is my best! I know many readers will never like any of my books as well as Rose, but I really believe my writing has improved and my themes and characterizations have deepened since then. I hope you will enjoy it!

Anne Easter Smith

You can follow along with the rest of the Royal Mistress tour at the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours site or on Twitter using the following hashtag: #RoyalMistressBlogTour

Royal Mistress Tour Banner FINAL

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court