King Henry V was born Sep 1387 at Monmouth, England and died 21 Aug 1422 at Bois de Vincennes, France. He ruled from 1413 to 1422 and was known for his success of the Battle of Agincourt and regaining territories that his ancestors lost
King Henry VI was born 1421 and died 21 May 1471 at London, England. during his reign, he lost all of the English lands in France and lost the Hundred Years War. He ruled from 1422 - 1461 and 1470 - 1471. He fought Richard in the Hundred Years war and was murdered in a tower after being captured by Edward IV.
King Edward IV was born 11 Feb 1442 at Rouen, France and died 9 Apr 1483 at London, England. Edward ruled from 1461 - 1470 and 1471 - 1483. He became king and fought against the Lancastrians. He had Henry VI executed and had two sons, Edward V and Richard who would later die in a tower.
King Edward V was born 1470 and died in 1483 after ruling for only that year. He was not married. He was only 12 years old when he became King but his uncle, Richard III, put him in a tower with his brother and they were both murdered.
Richard III was born Oct 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England and died 22 Aug 1485 at Bosworth, Leicestershire, England, He ruled from 1483 - 1485. He had fought for Edward but after he died took control of his children and put them in a tower to die. He died fighting King Henry VII.
King Henry VII was born 28 Jan 1457 at Pembroke Castle, Wales and died 21 Apr 1509 at Richmond Palace, England. He ruled from 1485 - 1509. He was the first King of the Tudor line and fro mthe House of Lancaster. He fought off the Yorkists and when he became king married Elizabeth of York to strengthen his ties to the throne.
Part II: Richard III:Fact and Fiction
Shakespeare portrayed King Richard III the way he did because of the time period. He was under the influence of Queen Elizabeth I who was the granddaughter of Henvry VII and many other people had reason to look at Richard as a cold blooded murderer and as a hunch back. It was of public opinion that Richard III was a bad man. Sir Thomas More and Shakespeare were of the House of Lancaster while describing Richard III. Since Richard was of the House of York and they hated eachother it was only reasonable to denote Richard as a horrible man doing terrible things to his people. However, even today people think of Richard has a hunched back man who did terrible things even though he may not have been.
Traditionalist: Something that is traditionalist takes on the value of Tradition. Back in Europe there were many traditions that peopled followed as there are still today. The historians and authors take this into account when writing their works. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditionalism
Revisionist: Is used to describe the format of a document. In relation to historical documents, a Revisionist is a person who creates historical documents based soley on fact and not tradition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/revisionist
Lancastrian: Is the term used to define the house of Lancaster. When something is Lancastrian it is taking the views of the House of Lancaster and what it stood for. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/lancastrian
Ricardian: Is the term used to define Richard III and the House of York. Richard was a king from the York line and so Ricardian is referring to the House of York. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ricardian
Polydore Vergil
He writes of Richard III in the Lancastrian point of view. He portrays Richard to be wicked and mean. "And so was thinnocent chyld pullyd owt of his mothers armes. Richard having by this meane obtaynyd almost his hartes desire, convaighed his nephewys from the bysshop of Londons howse unto the Towr" shows of how despicable Richard was to take from the arms of its mother just a young boy and throw him into a Tower to be killed. It is said that Richard also knew of what he was doing but decided to do it anyway, "This doone, Richerd, whose mynde partly was enflamyd with desire of usurping the kyngdom, partly was trubblyd by guyltynes of intent to commyt so haynous wickednes". The Lancastrians hated Richard and the Yorks so they decided to portray him in anyways necessary to make him look bad to everyone who saw him. Not only did he lock his nephew up in a tower but he devised and carried out a plan to kill Lord Hastings, "when he showld geave a signe they showld suddaynly rushe owt, and, compassing about them who should syt with him, to lay handes specyally uppon William lord Hastinges, and kill him forthwith". Vergil does an excellent job in describing Richard and how terrible of a man he was. This is due to the fact that it is written in a Lancastrian point of view.
Horace Walpole
The very beginning sentence "With regard to the person of Richard, it appears to have been as much misrepresented as his actions" shows that this is written in a Ricardian point of view. The author immediately starts to defend Richard and his actions. Not only does he defend Richard but also writes compliments about him, "The old countess of Desmond, who had danced with Richard, declared he was the handsomest man in the room except his brother Edward, and was very well made." The Lancastrians wrote of how he was deformed, but Horace Walpole writes of how he is handsome and attractive. Walpole goes further to back up his information about Richard not being hunched back by explaining how a lancastrian painter painted a picture in which he was not deformed.
Part III: The Battle of Bosworth Field
Richard III Point of View
I am a noble man
And of royal blood I have found
I have created a plan
To gain the crown [4]
I captured my nephew
Who now reside in a tower
They will soon die in a few
And I will have the power [1]
I am at last the king of England
None shall stand in my way
The one and only who rules the lands
And ruler to all those who have to pay
The houses of York and Lancaster fight
But only one shall be victorious
Following the darkness of the night
We shall see who will be glorious
I will kill Henry of Tudor
But it shall not be
For I am the loser
And I can only blame no one but me [2]
On the field of battle I was slain
By none other than Henry of Richmond
With my fall it was the end of my reign
And now Henry VII now rules England [3]
I now lay defeated
Having partook in the deadly battle
It is revenge for how I mistreated
My fellow vassels [3]
I am glad they had the decency
To have me buried in Leicester
Even though they may have done it gleefully
It was still a noble gesture [3]
Many good knights
Had lost their life
In that notable fight
Which caused much strife [2]
Even though I was much hated
I left my mark on the world
With my legacy I have stated
And the truth has been unfurled
sources:
[1] Region, By. "Parishes - East Wickham | British History Online." British History Online. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. .
[2] "Richard III Society- Ballad of Bosworth, Text." Richard III Society - American Branch. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. .
[3] Region, By. "The City of Norwich, Chapter 22 - Of the City in Richard III's Time | British History Online." British History Online. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. .
[4] "Richard III." Richard III Society - American Branch. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. .
Henry Tudor
I am Henry Tudor of the Lancastrian house
I was once in exile but now I arise
To fight for my right to be the king and douse
All those who dare appose my prize [1]
I will stand stead fast in the face of danger
And never back down from a fight
And those who fight for me as a stranger
Will know the bounds of my delight [3]
I much prefer peace than war
But I will not back down
And you shall hear my victorious roar
When I have my crown [3]
That which is the crown of England
I shall obtain
Once I have exercised my plan
And crush my enemies whom I will have slain
On one fateful day
I meet my adversary Richard III
On the battlefield filled with hay
And on the fight did spur [2]
The clash of swords rung through the air
And Richard the third did fall
And so Henry did swear
That he would be king above all [2]
His forces gave up such a shout
Once they saw that they were victorious
They had no doubt
That they had would become meritorious [2]
He married the fair Elizabeth to be his wife
And to unite the warring house
Which caused the end of the strife
And now had a powerful spouse [1]
sources:
"Primary Sources: The Obituary of King Henry VII, 1509." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
"Henry VII." TudorHistory.org. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
"A Description of Henry VII." TudorHistory.org. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
Nice job on the poems. Could have made more clear which side traditionalist and revisionist refer to.
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