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, .' COVER STORY - IC What made England's most controversial king tick? Was he vain, voluble, a spendthrift? And did he love his wife? Chris Sldcbnore, whds been investigating Richard's secret life for a forthcoming book, reveals all > History Magazine 51 Richard liked He was generous the finer (when the mood took him) The Crowland Chronicle-writ stones'' to be used in the chamber things in life ten in Lincolnshire's Crowland of the Guildhall. These were Abheyfrom the 7th to 15th displayed at a council meeting centuries - describes how a weeklater, where it was also D tails that survive from Richard's court suggest that the Richard intended to "pass over declared how Richard" for the ki:ig was no po-faced ascetic but a spendthrift who enjoyed the pomp of Christmas" in 1483. very great favour he bears towards this city, intended to life's luxuries. Yet this terse assessment contra Richard had his own troupe of players and minstrels, dicts surviving contemporary bestow and make the borough of while he ordered that one of Edward Y's own servants be records, which tell us that the Southwark part of the liberty of retained, for "his expert ability and cunning in the science king spent £764 17s 6d (the the City, and also to give £10,000 of music," ordering that he "take and seize for us and in our equivalent of over £380,000 (£Sm) towards the building of name all such singing men and children". today) for "certain plate ... for our walls and ditches around the Richard also seems to have appreciated good fashion year's gifts against Christmas last said borough". sense. Jn 1484 he sent the Trish Earl ofDe smond a parcel past and for other jewels," while Intriguingly, this huge including gowns of velvet and doth of gold "to show unto he gave £100 (£50,000) to ''our financial gift never materialised you ... our intent and pleasure for to have you to use the wdbclovcd servants the grooms -and the aldermen of London manner of our English habit and clothing". and pages of our chamber. .. for a failed to raise the matter again. The king's extravagance excited comment from the most reward against the Feast of Did the evening's festivities unlikelv of sources. Thomas Langton - who served as Christmas". inspire Richard to make this bishop ~(St David's, Salisbury and Winchester - praised At a Whitehall banquet lo magnanimous gesture - only to the king in a letter written shortly after his accession to the mark the epiphany celebrations conveniently forget about it in the throne in the summer of 1483, describing how "he contents of 6 January 1484, Richard gave cold light of day? the people where he goes best that ever did prince... on my the mayor and aldermen of troth I liked never the conditions of any prince so well as London a gold cup "garnished his: God hath sent him to us for the weal of us all". with pearls and other precious However, in the final line, the bishop added a note ofcaution: "Sensual pleasure holds sway to an increasing extent, but I do not consider that this detracts from what I have said." Be regarded hbnseU He loved as a ntan of York The dispute over where Richard's and its authorities "our special his wife remains should be interred has power and authority to ask, made it all the way Lo the high gather and levy all and any sum (at least, that's court this year. But can contem of money for the time" in order to porary sources shed any light on "sustain and bear the charge of where the king hiimdfwished to the finding of a hundred priests what he claimed) be buried? now being of our foundation," Perhaps they can. Though the the priests still remained unpaid king is known to have supported for their services. several religious institutions - Richard now demanded that Unlike his brother Edward JV, famed for his debauchery induding St George's Chapel at they be paid from the Duchy of and mistresses, Richard seems to have been a devout Windsor, and his own founda Lancaster. "We not willing our family man. He was fond of his only legitimate son, tions at Middleham in Yorkshire said priests to be unpaid of their Edward, whom he described as "our dearest first born son and Queen's College, Cambridge wages, seeing by their prayers we Edward, whose outstanding qualities, with which he is - he does seem to have placed trust to be made the more singularly endowed for his age, give great and, by the particular emphasis on his acceptable to God and his saints." favour of God, undoubted hope offuture uprightness". relationship with York, and its 'l'he connection between Edward's premature death in April 1484 proved famous Minster. Richard's establishment of the devastating to both Richard and his wife, Anne. The news In one document, Richard foundation at York and the clearly came unexpectedly, for, according to the Crowland described the ~great zeal and salvation of his own soul could Chronicle, "on hearing news of this, at Nottingham, where tender affection that we bear in hardly be any clearer. Could this they were then residing, you might have seen his father our heart unto our faithful and indicate that Richard's real and mother in a state almost bordering on madness, by true subjects the mayor, sheriffs intention in creating this new reason oftheir sudden grief". and citizens ofthe city ofYork". religious institution was to follow Several months later, in September 1484, when wrap Shortly after his coronation, he the growing trend for 15th-cen ping up payments for the prince's disbanded household, travelled northwards to the city, tury aristocrats across Europe to Richard continued to describe Edward as "our dearest son holding a spectacular ceremony establish their own chantry the prince". When Anne herself died on 16 March 1485, in the Minster, to which he foundations and ultimately rumours swirled that Richard had planned to poison his donated a "great cross standing mausoleums? Richard, Duke of wife. Yet the records show a very different side to the king on six bases ... with images of the York, had done just that at who, just days before her death, refers lo her as "our most crucifixion and the two thieves, Fotheringay, Northamptonshire, dear wife the queen". together with other images near and Edward IV was to follow suit The king professed in his proclamations his distaste of the foot and many precious at Windsor. "horrible adultery and bawds, provoking the high stones, rubies and sapphires". After Richard's death, the indignation and displeasure of God," instead prcferri ng Richard's greatest display of archbishop there remembered "the way of truth and virtue," and even declared to his affection to the city came on fondly how "our most Christian bishops that "our principal intent and fervent desire is to 23 September 1484, when he prince, King Richard Ill... sec virtue and cleanness ofliving to be advanced, in unveiled plans for a chantry founded and ordained a most creased and multiplied, and vices and all other things foundation at York Minster, celebrated college of a hundred repugnant to virtue... to be repressed and annulled". which would house a hundred chaplains, primarily at his own Yet this did not prevent Richard himself from fathering priests to support the Minster, expense". The foundation was at least two illegitimate children. One was John of and practise the "worship of God, not to last long, however. By 1493, Gloucester, whom Richard evidently thought highly of, our Lady, Saint George and Saint "timber from the house con appointing him captain of Calais, on account of his Ninian". The massive project structed by King Richard III «liveliness of mind, activity ofbody and inclination to all involve;;d the construction of six from the establishing of chantry good customs". The other was Katherine Plantagenet, who altars for the king's chaplains, priests" had been broken up Richard married off to William, Earl ofHuntingdon, together with a separate building and sold. making a generous financial provision to the couple. to house them. Several months after his original grant, however, Richard was forced to write a letter to the authorities of the Duchy of .. Lancaster. Unpublished and When Anne died, rumours swirled that unremarked upon by historians Richard had planned to poison her. who have written on Richard's plans for a foundation at York, Yet just days before her death he refers the letter states that in spite of giving to the dean ofthe Minster to her as ·our most dear wife the queen· > BBC History Magazine 53 Cover story He was convinced Hewasa of his right to rule formidable Upon the birth ofEdward IV's eldest son, .Edward, in 1470, Richard had sworn publicly that the young baby, • "first begotten son of our rnvereign lord," was "to be , 1ery and undoubted heir to our said lord as to the crowns and warrior realms ofEngland and France and lordship oflreland... In case hereafter it happen you by God's disposition to The records reveal that Richard that whenever a difficult overlive our sovereign lord; I shall then take and accept had begun his military training and dangerous policy had to you for the very true and rightwise king of England." at an early age. In March 1465, he undertaken, it would be Richard was, of course, to break this solemn vow in his brother Edward IV spent over entrusted lo his discretion spectacular style- but how did he justify going back on £20 (£10,000) for "sheaves of and generalship".