Shakespeare's Richard III was 'determined to prove a villain', but what was the true nature of England's final Plantagenet King?
With the victory of Henry Tudor, the usurping dynasty made an effort to besmirch the last Plantagenet's reputation, and some historians claim that Richard's "black legend" is nothing more than political propaganda. Yet such an interpretation, as Desmond Seward shows in this powerfully argued book, suggests a refusal to face the facts of history.
Even in the king's lifetime there were rumours about his involvement in the murders of Henry VI and of his nephews, the "Princes in the Tower," while his reign was considered by many to be a nightmare, not least for the king himself. The real Richard III was both a chilling and compelling monarch, a peculiarly grim young English precursor of Machiavelli's Prince.
Sweeping aside sentimental fantasy, this is a colourful, authoritative biography that offers a definitive picture of both the age and the man.
Praise for Desmond Seward: 'A well written and colourful account of an intriguing period in English history' - New York Times
'Perhaps the best, and certainly the most readable, of recent biographies' - John Julius Norwich
'A valuable addition to the file, a biography of strong feeling and firmly held conviction arrived at after long thought... It is most readable' - Financial Times
Desmond Seward is a British popular historian, best known for The Hundred Years War, never out of print since 1978, The Monks of War, The Wars of the Roses and Richard III - all republished by the Folio Society. His latest is The Demon's Brood, a history of the Plantagenet kings in one short volume.
