Anthony Woodville
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Anti-Ricardians often partly justify their dislike of Richard III on account of his unattractive crown-hunger, claiming that he was always desperate to be king, spent his life plotting to this end and ruthlessly eliminating anyone who stood in his way, and cite as proof the prompt “usurpation” of his nephew Edward V in 1483. I’ve…
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What happened in 1483 was certainly a revolution of sorts, however you dress it up. It is therefore rather naive to expect that everything ought to have been done in strict accordance with common and statute law. After all, it wasn’t in 1399 or 1461, was it? If you think Richard III’s election to the…
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To conclude our series on royal graphology: 1.William Hastings First of all you can see that this is quite a flowing signature with a lot of nice curves, not many ‘angry’ sharp top angles to the letters. This shows he was generally an affable, non-violent person, at least while he was writing this. His middle…
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It is always a pleasure to visit the sumptuous J. Pierpont Morgan Museum and Library located in the Murray Hill section of New York City. Built in 1906, designed by the esteemed architectural firm of McKim, Meade and White, it is breathtakingly beautiful as well as a unique source of medieval riches, housing one of the smallest…
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It appears that the traditional assumptions surrounding the execution of William, Lord Hastings in June of 1483, generally incline towards the idea that the Lord Protector, Richard Duke of Gloucester, simply lost his temper and so, without lawful trial or consultation, ordered the immediate beheading of his previous friend, virtually on the spur of the…
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Edward IV, The Woodvilles, and Lord Hastings
Anthony Woodville, Calais, Charles Ross, Earls of Pembroke, Edward IV, Edward V, Elizabeth Woodville, Francis Lovell, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VI, Humphrey of Gloucester, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lieutenant of Calais, Lord Chamberlain, Lord Protector of the Realm, Lords Appellant, Master of the Mint, pre-contract, Richard III, WoodvillesCharles Ross in his invaluable book Edward IV explains the utility of the Woodville family to Edward IV. The fact that they were (relatively) low-born and owned (relatively) little land was actually their selling point. Essentially (unlike for example Warwick, or even the Duke of Gloucester) their power and influence could not be exercised independently…
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The Tragedy of King Richard 111 (not by William Shakespeare)
Annette Carson, Anthony Woodville, Charles Ross, Crowland, Earl of Northumberland, Edward IV, Edward of Warwick, Edward V, George Buck, George Cely, Henry of Buckingham, Hicks, John Howard Duke of Norfolk, John Morton, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Mancini, Margaret Beaufort, Pontefract Castle, Ralph Neville, Richard III, Richard of Shrewsbury, Robert Stillington, Sir Richard Grey, Thomas Bourchier, Thomas Rotherham, Vaughan, William Catesby, WoodvillesPart 6 – “The peace of England, and our safety enforced us to this…” “So mighty and many are my defects That I would rather hide me from my greatness Being a bark to brook no mighty sea Than in my greatness covet to be had And is the vapour of my glory smothered” (William…
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The Tragedy of King Richard 111 (not by William Shakespeare)
Anthony Woodville, Buckingham, Clements Markham, Commines, Crowland, Edward IV, Edward V, Elizabeth of York, Gairdner, Henry VII, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lord Protector of the Realm, pre-contract, Robert Stillington, Shakespeare, Simon Stallworth, Sir William Stonor, Stony Stratford, Thomas Grey Marquess of Dorset, Three Estates, WoodvillesPart 4 – “… the corruption of a blemished stock “ “ A beauty-waning and distressed widow, Even in the afternoon of her best days, Made prize and purchase of his wanton eye Seduced the pitch and height of his degree To base declension and loathed bigamy. “ (William Shakespeare)…
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Part 3 – Woe to that land that’s governed by a child! “ I can add colours to the chameleon, Change shapes with Proteus for advantages, And set the murderous Machiavel to school. Can I do this, and cannot get a crown? Tut, were it further off, I’ll pluck it down.” (william Shakespeare) “…
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(some personal reflections on events in England between April and the autumn 1483) Part 1: ‘Now is the winter of our discontent…’ “ …O, full of danger is the Duke of Gloucester, And the Queen’s sons and brothers haught and proud; And were they to be ruled, and not to rule. This sickly land might…
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