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582 Mediaevistik 33 . 2020 2020 a good sense of the misery during that sie- lisher, Kümmerle, whose distribution ge and the abject poverty of the citizens network is not necessarily as global during that time. as one would like to see it. I can only James Ogier has made a great effort to hope that this will not prevent this work 00 republish this buch von der statt Triest ba- from getting a wider distribution. Even sed on the edition prepared by Hans Gille though Beheim does not necessarily re- 00 and Ingeborg Spriewald in 1971 (song no. present the highest quality in late me- 453) on the even pages and to provide an dieval German literature, he certainly 1 English translation on the uneven pages. deserves to be acknowledged and read This is by itself a very worthy enterprise more widely. Historians will also be page 582 and deserves to be greatly appreciated by pleased to have this historical poem all those working on late medieval (Ger- available again both in its original and man) literature, whether we want to grant in ­English. 2020 Beheim a significant role or not within Albrecht Classen the literary annals or not. There is only one major monograph in English dedi- cated to him, by William C. McDonald, “Whose Bread I Eat”, 1981), which had Mike Ingram, Richard III and the Batt- also been published by Kümmerle. With le of Bosworth. Warwick: Helion & this translation, another American Ger- Company, 2019, xxvi, 27-293 pp., b/w manist has offered a major contribution to and colored ill. Beheim research. The famous battle of Bosworth Field on The translation reads well and is not too , 1485 ended a long simmering free and not too literal. Ogier manages suc- conflict and decided the course of history cessfully to strike a good balance, although of . Richard III of the House of it was necessary at times to change the ori- York was defeated by Henry Tudor, Earl ginal syntax to make better sense in Eng- of Richmond, who thus established the lish. Both personal and geographic names Tudor dynasty and ended the brutal and represent at times some difficulties, and devastating War of the Roses. Henry was Ogier handled the challenge by using the supported by the meddling King Louis XI modern Italian or Slovenian names for the of France, so this final battle also decided place names, and by drawing from the de- on the destiny of the French kingdom in tective work by Gille and Spiewok. Numer­ the late . All this is here exa- ous spot checks confirm that the English mined afresh and in light of much on-the- translation renders the original German ground research by the medieval historian, correctly and also stylistically adequately. freelance lecturer, and battlefield guide In the introduction, Ogier offers an ex- Mike Ingram, who had addressed the same tensive history of Trieste, and concludes topic already once before in 2012. This this part with a bibliography, which is a new book itself is written mostly for the bit too thin and leaves out some of the re- general reader, though the author has con- search published in the last decades. Plea- siderable ambitions as well to bring to the santly, he created an index of all names, fore the latest research based on the availa- placed at the end of this book. ble chronicles and especially the discovery It is a little ironic that this English or reconfirmation of the actual battlefield translation appeared with a German pub­ and the remains of Richard III in 2012. Mediaevistik 33 . 2020 583

Much of this is already beautifully pendixes outlining the history of how the and impressively summarized and out- battlefield and then the corpse of Richard lined by an anonymous author (perhaps III was found in 2012 prove to be truly Ingram himself?) of the pertinent article valuable. This is all a very useful sum- on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/ mary of the historical events, the docu- wiki/Battle_of_Bosworth_Field). See ments, the archaeological excavations, also the recent studies by John and the material history. Ingram goes Ashdown-Hill (Last Days of Richard III so far as to add even a third appendix in and the fate of his DNA: The Book that which he outlines the order of the battle. Inspired the Dig, 2010), Glenn Foard and The volume concludes with comments Anne Curry (Bosworth 1485, 2013), and on the color plates, the bibliography, and an Michael Jones, Bosworth, 1485 (2002; index, which is divided into a section for 2015), and as to Richard III, see now Mat- people, places, contemporary sources, and thew Lewis (Richard III, 2019). general terms. Unfortunately, many names Ingram focuses primarily on Richard and terms that appear in this book are not III and traces his development from his listed in the index, such as Konrad von youth to the last moment. He makes gre- Würzburg or palfrey. It is really very unfor- atest efforts to contextualize the historical tunate that there are no foot- or endnotes. events, so he provides us with much de- This means, the author aims primarily at tailed information, such as on the curren- the general reader and relies on their trust cy used at that time, the genealogies, and in his presentation. Throughout his book, a timeline, before he turns his attention to Ingram offers valuable and sharp photos the in historical terms. of historical objects (weapons, armor) and The second chapter focuses on weapons modern enactments of historical figures. and warfare during the late fifteenth cen- However, the method pursued here is not tury, including horses, armor, early gun trustworthy, or at least not completely reli- power, communication, logistics, and the able. Even though Ingram lists the primary treatment of battlefield wounds. Unfortu- and secondary sources in the bibliography, nately, very little of that entered into the he never bothers to engage with them criti- index at the end of the book. cally, and argues as the complete authority Beginning with chapter three, the atten- figure. I would not doubt his claims over- tion turns to Richard as of Glouces- all, but he does not write for scholars. This ter, then to Henry Tudor (chapter four). The book represents a welcome summary, but next chapter highlights the role of France it does not seem to go beyond what recent during this internecine conflict in Eng- studies in print and online have already de- land, and subsequently Ingram presents livered. Even the article on Richard III in Richard as king, who faced increasingly Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ rebellions, as chapter seven outlines. Richard_III_of_England#Discovery_of_ The central part consists, of course, remains) seems to be better informed and of a close discussion of the battle prepa- better illustrated, particularly as to the ration and of the battle itself. Thereupon rediscovery of his remains. Granted, In- we learn about the reign of King Henry gram’s monograph is considerably more VII and his efforts to secure his rule in than a coffee-table book, but it falls short of face of severe opposition after the battle. the scholarly standards. For current research, the two short ap- Albrecht Classen