Usurpers to throne
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I sometimes have huge sympathy for Henry II’s heartfelt desire to be rid of his turbulent priest, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_no_one_rid_me_of_this_turbulent_priest%3F. Meddling churchmen were rife back in medieval times. Kings were both supported and beset by them, and Richard III was beset by at least two of the tiresome traitorous ticks, John Morton (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Morton_(cardinal)) and Richard Foxe…
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Well I’m not quite sure what to expect of this book, see https://tinyurl.com/5uajhun5. Yes, it focuses on the background rivalries that led to Bosworth, but is it fair to Richard III? As it’s written from the Welsh point of view, I have to hesitate. Even though Richard’s ancestry was more highborn Welsh than Henry Tudor,…
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Perkin Warbeck remains an enigma. Without any ultimate proof of his true identity, I can’t take one side or the other, because I’m really not sure. But I do lean toward believing he really was Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the “Princes in the Tower”. This article—https://tinyurl.com/y8c95suy—is all about him, but in a few…
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The following contains my comments on this review (https://www.pressreader.com/uk/yorkshire-post-yp-magazine/20260124/282218017200594) of the book “The Eagle and the Hart” by Helen Castor. The reviewer (Greg Wright of YP Magazine) remarks that the “dazzling [book] has the pace of a thriller”. Well, it’s certain a work of fiction. Here is a small extract of the review, to set…
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Later this year the Bayeux Tapestry will be coming to London on loan from France for the first time in almost a millennium. It is believed to have been fashioned by English embroiderers (it’s not really a Tapestry, but an Embroidery) possibly in Canterbury. It was probably commissioned by Archbishop Odo, the brother of William…
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“….At Bosworth in 1485, Richard III’s fall from his horse marked the collapse of his kingship….” Hmm, that’s debatable. According to the Tudorised so-called “history ” that’s dominated relentlessly ever since 1485 , Richard’s downfall began from the moment he stole his elder nephew’s throne, murdered both nephews, executed Hastings and others without trial, etc.…
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I have written recently about Jo Harkin’s new book, The Pretender, (https://murreyandblue.co.uk/2025/05/05/the-pretender-takes-the-same-old-attitude-to-richard-iii/) which tells the story of Lambert Simnel, who claimed to be Edward, Earl of Warwick, for whom the Yorkists fought (and lost) the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487. You can read about the earl here https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/plantagenet_25.html. And about Lambert Simnel here https://richardiii.net/faqs/richard-and-his-world/aftermath/lambert-simnel-and-the-king-from-dublin/…
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This link https://tinyurl.com/zjr9h9jx will take you to yet another rather peculiar list, this time of so-called awful in-laws from the distant and near past. Needless to say, Richard III features (doesn’t he always?). Mind you, the article includes the 16th Earl of Warwick, but in fact it concerns Richard III’s dealings with Elizabeth Woodville, the…
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This link—https://tinyurl.com/ycxfcmnu—is to a video about the archaeology and research that has been going on for a long time at the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field. This work has uncovered “….a multitude of incredibly well-preserved objects that provide new insight into where the Battle of Bosworth took place, what sort of weapons were…
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Historic Royal Palaces has solved one mystery about the bones in the urn in Westminster Abbey. How they’ve done it is not divulged, but they KNOW the bones are those of two boys, aged about 12 and 10. “….In 1674, two skeletons were unearthed at the Tower. The bones were re-examined in 1933 and proved…
The New Murrey and Blue blog 