Richard III: A Ruler and His Reputation
Though he only reigned for two years, Richard III has always been one of England’s most notorious monarchs. Villainized by Shakespeare as a tyrannical hunchback and thought by the Richard III Society to be gravely misunderstood, he remains a polarizing figure. David Horspool, history editor for the Times Literary Supplement, sifts through myth and propaganda to create a historical portrait of the king.
Horspool offers a fair biography of the last Plantagenet king and closely examines the world in which he lived. While never apologizing for Richard, the author concludes he did most likely kill his nephews, the Princes in the Tower; Horspool shows that Richard was not unlike others fighting for power during this turbulent and violent time.
With the 2012 discovery of his body buried under a parking lot in Leicester, there has been renewed interest in the life and rule of Richard III. Horspool’s research is thorough and will surely be of interest to academics, but is probably too in-depth for the casual reader.
