A Murderer?

Was Richard a tireless psychopath, murdering everyone who stood in his way to the crown, even murdering his own wife? Perhaps not. Ricardians are fond of stating that if Richard were put on trial for his murders, he would be let off for lack of evidence, but that does not mean he is innocent. There are several murders attributed to Richard, however, that seem to be far fetched. I have summarised some of the arguments below. (Incidentally, I have not included Clarence in this - it seems to me that Clarence did a pretty good job getting himself executed!)

Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales - Richard's murder of Edward of Lancaster was used to dramatic purpose by Shakespeare, to show him to be a murderous villain at only eighteen years of age, but no contemporary English accounts accuse Richard of the murder, simply stating that Lancaster was slain on the battlefield. Philippe de Commines states that he "died in the field' and the Arrivall, the official Yorkist account of the battle, states that he was killed fleeing the battle. However, the Croyland Chronicle hints that Lancaster may have been murdered after the battle. Fabyan, an alderman of London writing in 1504 stated that Lancaster was killed after the battle by the king's servants, but does not connect anyone by name. Edward IV certainly had good reasons for wanting Lancaster dead. It is not until 1534 that Polydore Virgil, Henry Tudor's official historian, first accuses Richard in this crime in his Anglica Historia.

Henry VI- Sir Thomas More states that Richard murdered the deposed Henry VI in the Tower without "commandment or knowledge of the king". This is highly unlikely. Gloucester would not have acted alone. The decision to murder Henry VI, a politically necessary step, was probably taken in council. As a member of that council, Richard must bear some of the collective responsibility, but it is highly unlikely that the king's young brother would have been sent off to do the deed. Henry VI was apparently murdered in the Tower on the night of 21 May 1471, but the date is not certain. On this date, Richard was in the Tower, but this is not significant, as most of the court were there. Edward and Richard spent only one night in London, before heading to Kent to quell an uprising. Henry was murdered in strict secrecy and it was announced to the people that, on hearing of the death of his son, he died "of pure displeasure", but it was never doubted that he had been murdered. There are several contemporary references implicating Gloucester by name in this action. The Croyland Chronicle states that "the common fame went that the Duke of Gloucester was not altogether guiltless." This may mean that Gloucester made arrangements on Edward's orders, which is believable. Richard was the Constable of the Tower, and as such, may have passed on the order from council, or even been present as a witness as the deed was carried out. But other references refer to Gloucester as the actual murderer. Commines states Gloucester "killed this good man with his own hands", and Fabyan has him stabbing Henry with a dagger. Even if the facts were not fully known to these writers, the statements are significant in that it was credible that Gloucester was indeed the murderer.

Anne Neville - Richard is accused of poisoning his wife, Anne Neville. Richard and Anne would have known each other as children, as Richard spent some of his childhood in the household of Anne's father, the Earl of Warwick. It is not known whether romance, or a share of the Neville estates, attracted Richard to Lancaster's widow as a bride, but it appears to have been a successful marriage. Richard recognised two illegitimate children, but both are from before his marriage. There is no evidence he had lovers after marrying Anne. Their joint grief over the loss of their only child, Edward, in 1484, was reported in the Croyland Chronicle and Richard apparently wept openly at her funeral. Anne was probably suffering from a then unknown disease, possibly tuberculosis. Anne's sickly health, of course, could have been a reason for Richard wanting to rid himself of her. Without a son, his line was not secure. The sooner he could remarry and have more children, the safer he would be.


Myths	Usurper?