The New Murrey and Blue blog

It has been argued before, especially by the late John Ashdown-Hill, that Richard’s sleepless nights and so-called ghastly appearance before Bosworth were caused by the sweating sickness. It has also been more generally understood that it was Henry VII and his army of foreign invaders who brought and spread the disease, which was new to England.

This article is more concerned with the sweating sickness in sixteenth-century England, but does mention John Ashdown-Hill’s argument. Now, on the assumption that he’s correct, and Richard III had already contracted the disease before Tudor arrived on the scene, I’m curious as to what the sequence of events might actually have been.

It’s a fact that the sweating sickness spread from Europe to England in the late 15^th century. I don’t think there’s any argument about that. Nor does there seem to have been any argument that before Tudor’s advent, the disease certainly wasn’t widespread this side of the Channel—or maybe even much known about.

So how might Richard have fallen victim?

My brain being what it is, I found myself wondering about the many secret agents who would have been flitting to and fro on behalf of both sides. These men (I doubt there were any women) would have been ferreting around close to the headquarters of both sides, and then going home to report to their separate masters on what they found. This would surely involve Richard’s agents coming face-to-face with him? How often? Was it a daily happening, with a number of agents involved? Moreover, might it have been one of these men who brought the sweating sickness to the King of England?

Once this idea had taken root, I found myself thinking more and more that it was only too possible. An agent who picked up the disease in Brittany or France had brought it right to Richard himself.

Then came Tudor, his mercenaries and English traitors, many of them already infected, and the sweating sickness was well on its way…and no doubt very pleased to be so successfully perpetuating itself.

Wrong? Maybe, but it’s a thought.