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What if the king you know through Shakespeare deserves a different hearing?
In Richard III: His Life & Character, Clements R. Markham challenges the familiar portrait of a murderous schemer. He follows Richard from his early life amid the struggle between York and Lancaster to the crisis after Edward IV's death. With the young Edward V under the Woodvilles' influence, the crown becomes the centre of a dangerous conflict.
This is biography with a case to argue, not a survey that gives every side equal room. Markham weighs witnesses, questions who benefits from an accusation, and favours records from Richard's own time over later Tudor accounts. At stake is the reputation of a king he presents as a loyal brother, capable governor and lawful ruler.
What you’ll discover
- A reputation on trial Examine Markham's argument that Richard's enemies shape the dark portrait handed down to readers.
- A crown in question Follow the crisis after Edward IV's death, with a boy heir and rival family interests.
- The princes in the Tower Explore the question that casts the deepest shadow over Richard's name: his nephews' fate.
- The work of ruling Look beyond the accusations to surviving documents that show Richard occupied with government.
- History under scrutiny Consider how witnesses, motives and the victors' accounts can shape a ruler's lasting reputation.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy a historical argument, anyone curious about the Wars of the Roses, and those who want to test Shakespeare's Richard against the record.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The story was written by his enemies
- A loyal brother in a dangerous age
- The crisis of 1483 and the crown
- What happened to the princes in the Tower
- A ruler with a record worth reading
- How the case has fared since
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Riccardo III: vita e carattere
by Sir Clements R. Markham · 1906
Markham weighs the records against Shakespeare's portrait, with Richard III's name at stake.
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In short
What if the most famous villain in English history was framed by the men who beat him? In 1906 Sir Clements Markham, a geographer and head of the Royal Geographical Society, asked whether that picture is fair.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The story was written by his enemies
Markham opens with a problem of evidence. Richard reigned only from 1483 to 1485 and died in battle at Bosworth. The Tudors who then ruled England had every reason to paint him as a monster. Markham argues that nearly all the hostile detail comes from writers who lived under Henry VII or Henry VIII.
He points to John Morton, a churchman who had been Richard's prisoner and later served Henry VII. Morton's views are said to stand behind Thomas More's famous history of Richard. Markham treats that work as literature built on gossip, written long after the events. Polydore Vergil, who wrote at the Tudor court, comes under the same suspicion.
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What is Richard III: His Life and Character about?
It is a biography of Richard III that tries to clear his name. Markham argues that the king was a loyal brother and a good ruler, and that the tales of his crimes came from Tudor writers.
Did Richard III really murder the princes in the Tower?
Nobody knows for certain. Markham argues Richard was innocent and that the charge rests on late, hostile sources. Many historians still think Richard was responsible or knew of it, so the question remains open.
When was the book written and who was Clements Markham?
It was published in 1906. Markham was a geographer and explorer who led the Royal Geographical Society, and he wrote history as a keen amateur with a strong interest in the late fifteenth century.
The author
Clements R. Markham
1830–1916 · British geographer and explorer
Sir Clements Robert Markham (1830–1916) was a British geographer and writer. He was born in Stillingfleet, Yorkshire, and died in London. He wrote histories, biographies, and accounts of travel and exploration. His Richard III: His Life & Character appeared in 1906. He led the Royal Geographical Society from 1893 to 1905.
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