Author's Inspiration — Richard III — Loyalty Binds Me by Matthew Lewis #RichardIII #Plantagenet #History @MattLewisAuthor

Richard III — Loyalty Binds Me

By Matthew Lewis

Everyone knows about Richard III. Or at least, they think they do. For many, Shakespeare’s portrayal represents the facts of Richard’s story, maybe with a little embellishment, but it is generally about right. If anyone is any doubt, then Sir Thomas More and Polydore Vergil amongst others are on hand to put them straight. There are plenty of biographies of Richard III, so the question I had to ask was whether there was room for another on the crowded bookshelves of readers.

My hope is that this book will help to provide a more rounded assessment of Richard than many others do. If anyone doesn’t already know or hasn’t already guessed, I’m a Ricardian. There. I said it.

Oh, you’re still reading. Excellent! Sorry.

There are a lot of books that focus on a particular element of Richard III’s life, mainly around 1483, the fate of his nephews, the Princes in the Tower, or the Battle of Bosworth. Far less books try to place Richard’s entire life in the context of the time in which he lived. This book is the longest I’ve ever written (hopefully readers won’t feel it too much!). It’s 200,000 words and about half of it concentrates on the years before 1483. I don’t think we can really hope to understand the Richard who dealt with the crises of that year without knowing the man who arrived in London that spring.

King Edward V and the Duke of York in the Tower of London by Paul Delaroche — Wikipedia.

So much of what happened between April and July 1483 remains enveloped in too much foggy, murky uncertainty to be resolved with any degree of certainty. I have tried to present Richard as he grew and developed interests, some of which were undoubtedly obsessions, because several of them are at play in 1483. Was Richard entirely genuine during those months? Was he a scheming monster bent on murdering his way to the throne? Might he have been duped by the story of his nephews’ illegitimacy? Or did he simply lurch from one disaster to another in a downward spiral of reactionary panic?

This biography is undoubtedly positive, and unashamedly so, though the intention is not to provide a whitewashed Richard to counter the dark legend of more traditional history. Some of Richard’s plans, ideas and passions lay at the heart of his downfall, but perhaps not for the reason many people think. The last attempt to revise Richard’s historical reputation in a full biography was made by Paul Murray Kendall in 1955. Almost every other account of his life has clung stubbornly to the traditional image of a power-mad homicidal maniac who, most conclude, murdered his nephews and stole the throne based on lies and treachery. I think there is room for a fresh look at Richard’s life without all of the centuries of accumulated grime and muck that clings to it.

Here’s an example, which is not really directly about Richard, but which is typical of the accepted versions of his story. On 13 June 1483, at an infamous meeting of part of the Council, we are told that Richard has Lord Hastings arrested and summarily beheaded. Thomas Stanley is arrested, some accounts claiming he was injured or nearly killed in the scuffle. Thomas Rotherham, Archbishop of York and John Morton, Bishop of Ely are also seized and imprisoned. There is an interesting anomaly within this story in almost all of its later versions. If we go back to the strictly contemporary writers of 1483, it is easy to pick out.

Dominic Mancini, a source which is vital but given far too much credence, noted that Hastings was in fact killed in the Council chamber in the uproar of an accusation of treason against him. He tells us that Rotherham and Morton were arrested and several others were at the Tower at the time. A record of the events of that day kept by an anonymous London citizen note that Hastings was arrested and beheaded, Rotherham and Ely were arrested, and that Edward IV’s former secretary Oliver King was also taken. The Crowland Chronicler, writing his account up in 1486 but a witness to many of the vents, said that Hastings was executed, and Rotherham and Morton arrested.

None of these accounts place Thomas, Lord Stanley at the meeting in the Tower on 13 June 1483. In fact, he would walk in a place of honour at Richard III’s coronation on 6 July. I strongly suspect that as this moment became viewed as the point at which Richard decided to eliminate those who he feared would openly support Edward V, Stanley wanted in on the action. He may have told later writers that he was there, even that he was wounded trying to protect the rights of Edward V. Stanley family ballads would soon portray Thomas as an uncle and protector to Elizabeth of York, the sister of the Princes in the Tower and queen to Henry VII. He positioned himself as a defender of the House of York, at least as represented by Edward IV and his children.

I suspect Stanley’s presence on 13 June 1483 is a later addition, probably of his own devising. Those writing about it at or very close to the time unanimously do not place him there. I think he embellished the event to show that he took one for the team and tried all that he could to save Edward V. He was lucky to escape with his head, but he was one of just four men arrested for being perceived as too close to Edward V. In fact, he doesn’t appear to have been arrested, or event to have been present. If he was, his position at the coronation a few weeks later would seem odd.

Ultimately, whether there is space on readers’ bookshelves for another Richard III book remains to be seen, as does the willingness of those with a deeply entrenched view to Richard to entertain any alteration to it. For me, it was a book I really wanted to write and I story I believe deserves to be told.

Richard III — Loyalty Binds Me

King Richard III remains one of the most controversial figures in British history. Matthew Lewis’s new biography aims to become a definitive account by exploring what is known of his childhood and the impacts it had on his personality and view of the world. He would be cast into insecurity and exile only to become a royal prince before his tenth birthday.

As Richard spends his teenage years under the watchful gaze of his older brother, Edward IV, he is eventually placed in the household of their cousin, the Earl of Warwick, remembered as the Kingmaker; but as the relationship between a king and his most influential magnate breaks down, Richard is compelled to make a choice when the House of York fractures. After another period in exile, Richard returns to become the most powerful nobleman in England. The work he involves himself in during the years that follow demonstrates a drive and commitment but also a dangerous naïveté.

When crisis hits in 1483, it is to Richard that his older brother turns on his death bed. The events of 1483 remain contentious and hotly debated, but by understanding the Richard who began that year, it will become clearer what drove some of his actions and decisions. Returning to primary sources and considering the evidence available, this new life undoes the myths and presents a real man living in tumultuous times.

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Matthew Lewis

Matthew Lewis was born and grew up in the West Midlands. Having obtained a law degree, he currently lives in the beautiful Shropshire countryside with his wife and children. History and writing have always been a passion of Matthew's, with particular interest in the Wars of the Roses period. His first novel, Loyalty, was born of the joining of those passions.

Matthew loves to hear from readers, you can find him on: Blog • Facebook • Twitter.