A Brief Look at English History

Edward III (ruled 1327-1277)

I am King Edward III. I have many children. When I die, my four eldest sons fight over the crown. They are Edward the Black Prince, Lionel of Antwerp (also known as the Duke of Clarence), John of Gaunt (the Duke of Lancaster), and Edmund of Langley (the Duke of York).

Edward the Black Prince

I am Edward. I am the oldest. I get the crown! But wait, I die of the plague! Oh no! My son (Richard II), who is ten years old, is now king. Because he is only ten, his uncle, John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster), will rule the country.

John of Gaunt

I wanted that crown. At least I have control of the country until my nephew grows up. I have a lot of children because I had three wives. My third wife was actually my mistress, but then we got married and our children were legitimized, although none can inherit the throne. They still become powerful. The children I had by my first two wives can take the throne. Yay for my family!

Richard II (ruled 1377-1399)

My uncle is helping me rule, but I’m getting older, and I don’t like his decisions. I will rebel against him. The downside is that the most powerful men in the country don’t like my decisions. When John of Gaunt dies, I confiscate all his land.

Henry IV (ruled 1399-1413)My father was John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster), who helped Richard II rule. Someone said I made a treasonous comment. Richard and I were supposed to duel to resolve the issue, but Richard threw me out of the country instead. Must be nice to be king. Even though Richard is my cousin and we played together as children, I rebel against him, take the throne, and throw him into prison, where he will mysteriously die, probably of starvation. After he dies, I put his body on display so everyone sees he is dead. I will be a better king than Richard. The people don’t always think I should be king, but that’s just too bad.

Henry V (ruled 1413-1422)Before I become king, I spend all of my time in taverns with a group of friends my father doesn’t like. According to Shakespeare, I’m deliberately doing this so I look even better when I step up to the throne and start acting like a king instead of a party boy. I decide to take back France because that land belongs to England. We have a final battle at Agincourt. We are unbelievably outnumbered (five to one), tired, and far from home; the French are well rested and in heavy armor. But, wait! It’s been raining, and the French are getting weighed down in the mud because of their armor. We lose 29 men; they lose 10,000. We win!! I marry the daughter of the French king, and we live happily ever after…which means a year and a half. I die before I am crowned king of France.

Henry VI (ruled 1422-1461 and 1470-1471)

I become king of England at the age of nine months. I lost France because of Joan of Arc. I also suffer from insanity. I marry Margaret of Anjou, who wears the pants in our relationship. The Yorkist side of the family, led by Richard Duke of York, is fighting with my army. They win. I am injured and taken prisoner, and Richard takes over the throne when I have a mental breakdown that lasts for a year.

Richard Duke of York

I am Protector of England! I get to rule the country while Henry VI is off his rocker!

Henry VI

But wait! I have recovered! Give me back the throne! We fight again, and Richard Duke of York and his oldest son are killed.

Edward IV (ruled 1461-1470 and 1471-1483)

My father, Richard Duke of York, and my brother were killed, but we won the battle. I took the throne and took Henry VI prisoner. England is mine!!

Edward IV vs. Henry VIHenry: No! It’s mine! We fight again, and I win!

Edward: You’re wrong! I defeated your forces again and killed your son, Edward. He had a cool name, but he had to go.

Henry: I’m imprisoned again. Darn it! Then, I die. Some people say I die of a broken heart when I hear about the defeat of my army and my son’s death, but really, I was probably murdered on the orders of that snot-nosed Edward IV.

Edward IV

I am king! I stay on the throne until I die suddenly. When I am king, I secretly marry a woman who isn’t of my social class, but she’s really pretty. Elizabeth of Woodville and her brothers become part of my inner circle. The people hate her and her brothers, but they’ll just have to get over it. When I die, I have two sons. The older one should inherit the throne.

Richard III (ruled 1483-1485)I am the fourth son. My oldest brother was killed fighting Henry VI. Edward, the next, is on the throne. Before he dies, I am going to find a way to get rid of Clarence, the next brother. Clarence is killed, and I am named Protector of England, but I want to be king. I just have to get rid of my nephews, and then the throne will be mine. I also marry Anne Neville, who was engaged to Henry VI’s son, Edward.

Princes in the TowerEdward V (king in 1483) and his brother

Hi Uncle Richard! You say we should go to the Tower of London until the older of us, Edward V, is crowned? Ok. Whoops. We’re never heard from again. Some say we were murdered in our sleep, but what really happened is a mystery.

Henry Tudor, became Henry VII (ruled 1485-1509)

Richard: Now, I am king! There is no one to challenge me because I’ve killed off a lot of people.

Henry: But wait! I challenge you! My grandfather was the second husband of the French woman who married Henry V.

I am going to marry Elizabeth, Edward IV’s daughter and your niece, before you can and challenge you at the Battle of Bosworth. I win! I find your crown on the battlefield, and I put it on. I will now be Henry VII, and my family, the Tudors, will rule for years. Shakespeare will write during my granddaughter’s reign, and he’d better make my side of the family look good in his plays!

Shakespeare’s History Plays

• Edward III

• Richard II

• 1 Henry IV• 2 Henry IV

• Henry V

• 1 Henry VI• 2 Henry VI• 3 Henry VI

• Richard III

• Henry VIII

• King John

More about Richard III…

• Richard’s skeleton was found beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, in 2012. It was confirmed as Richard’s remains through a DNA test with a cabinetmaker in Canada, a direct descendant of Richard’s sister Anne.

• The location used to be the site of Greyfriar’s friary.

• Scientists found evidence of ten wounds, including two “severe blows to the head.” They also found evidence that some of the wounds were inflicted after Richard died.

• After he died at the Battle of Bosworth Field, historical records show that Richard’s body was displayed, naked, in Leicester.

Richard’s Remains

Richard’s Skeleton

• The debate about Richard’s personality continues. With the discovery of his body, members of the Richard III Society are again engaged in defending him. “Richard III supporters such as Philippa Langley, a screenwriter and member of the Richard III Society, were driven to find the lost king’s remains by a desire to reopen the debate over his place in history. Experts say that most of what is known today about the medieval king is largely ‘propaganda’ of the Tudor monarchs who followed him.

• “’I think the discovery brought the real Richard into sharp focus,’ Langley said. ‘People are realizing that a lot of what they thought they knew about Richard III was pretty much propaganda and myth building.’

• “‘This has been an extraordinary journey of discovery,’ Langley said. ‘We came with a dream and today that dream has been realized. This is an historic moment that will rewrite the history books.’”

From the chairman of the Richard III Society:

• “Even more significantly, the finding and reinterment of Richard III’s remains will, we hope, open up the debate about the king and his reputation. It would make such a difference if people would start to look into the history of this much maligned monarch without the old prejudices. Perhaps, then, they will see past the myth and innuendo that has blackened his name and find the truth. No one is going to suggest that he was a saint—I have said on many occasions that we are not the Richard III Adoration Society—but even a cursory reading of the known facts will show that the Tudor representation of Richard III, especially that in Shakespeare’s well known play, just doesn’t stand up.”

• According to an NBC News article about Richard’s personality: • “Richard III lovers will likely be pleased with the new

psychological analysis, which ignored Shakespeare's century-later portrayal in favor of historical documents from the king's life. The researchers found no evidence that Richard III was narcissistic, devious, callous, reckless or lacking in empathy, the traits that define a psychopath.

• “However, Richard III's insecure childhood (which took place during the War of the Roses, the civil war that would eventually kill him) may have made him intolerant of uncertainty, Lansdale said. The ‘intolerant of uncertainty’ syndrome is associated with piety, a strong sense of right and wrong and loyalty, he said. But people who are intolerant of uncertainty can also harbor control freak tendencies and overreact when they feel their loyalty has been betrayed.”

Richard III