The New Murrey and Blue blog

Well, if there’s a list of historical figures on-line, you can be virtually certain that Richard III will crop up somewhere….usually as the bad guy. Well, thanks to Henry VII, Thomas More, John Morton, Shakespeare and just about any dumb historian since then. If ever there was a flock of sheep, historians of Richard III have bleated and trotted along in a dutiful line.

But there have been notable exceptions, of course, and their stout voices have been heard increasingly. For instance, John Ashdown-Hill, Matt Lewis, Paul Murry Kendal, Philippa Langley and so on.

The list in question today concerns 10+ (um, why not just say 13?) figures who haven’t been quite what history has labelled them:

William Wallace: The Braveheart Legend and Historical Reality
Pocahontas: Disney’s Heroine vs. The True Powhatan Princess
Alexander the Great: Cinematic Conqueror vs. Historical Strategist
Elizabeth I: The Glamorized Queen and Her Real Legacy
Genghis Khan: The Ruthless Leader vs. The Unifying Force
Wyatt Earp: The Western Myth vs. The True Lawman
Catherine the Great: The Over-Sensationalized Empress of Russia
General Custer: Hollywood’s Hero or Historical Blunderer?
Caligula: The Infamous Emperor vs. The Real Roman Ruler
Marco Polo: The Dashing Explorer vs. The Historical Traveler
King Richard III: Shakespeare’s Villain vs. The Complex Monarch
Queen Victoria: The Dour Monarch vs. The Real Woman Behind the Crown
Cleopatra: The Hollywood Diva vs. The Real Queen of Egypt

Well, what a strange assortment they are. I won’t go into the accounts for each one, you can do that here https://tinyurl.com/33kztnbj, but I will say that Richard III gets a fair(ish) hearing. 

I cannot help imagining the above folk seated around a dinner table together. Oh, but thirteen is a no-no for any host/hostess….so come on, my friends, who would YOU invited as Guest 14?

PS: The image accompanying the list of names is the one above – Olivier’s version of the Bard lampoon that masquerades as actual history. But I now understand that Olivier was actually something of a Ricardian. However, masterful as Larry’s performance is, I’m afraid that he is eclipsed by the wonderful Peter Sellers!
See here https://youtu.be/zLEMncv140s .

by viscountessw