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A Usurper?When Edward IV died there was no doubt that his son, Edward, would be the next king. Even after Richard was appointed as Protector, writs were issued in Edward V's name and plans were being made for his coronation. However, within three months of his brother's death, Richard was king in his nephew's place.There is speculation that Richard had been planning this for some time, but this is unlikely. He could not have known that his brother would die young, leaving a minor to succeed him. Previous to 1483 Richard's record of loyalty to his brother was exemplary. Also, Richard's actions in usurping the throne appear to have surprised almost everybody, even the most ambitious of the court. It is impossible to think that a man so ambitious and ruthless could have hidden his true personality from everyone, especially his brother, who nominated him Protector. Previous to 1483 Richard had shown no signs of dissemblance or deceit and appears to have been uninterested in court intrigues. As a seasoned soldier he was used to dealing with people in a direct and open manner. Richard took as his reason for claiming the throne Edward IV's pre-contract with Lady Eleanor Butler. This pre-contract, revealed by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Robert Stillington, who claimed to be a witness, made the children from Edward's marriage with Elizabeth Woodville illegitimate. The timing of Stillington's revelation was certainly fortuitous for Richard. However, Edward's reputation itself lends credence to the pre-contract story. Edward engaged in numerous affairs before and after his marriage; his promiscuous reputation was famous. It would certainly not have been unbelievable that Edward had entered into such an agreement to bed a pretty girl. Whether the pre-contract had taken place or not, Richard's coronation was relatively well attended, so one can assume that Richard had the support of the nobility at the beginning of his reign. A minority government is always difficult, but this one had promised to be more so, as the hated Woodvilles would have been in control of the young king. A great deal of Richard's wealth had been granted to him by his brother, and its only legal basis was through parliament. Acts of parliament under one king can be undone by another, so Richard may have had some reason to fear his young nephew, who had been brought up almost exclusively by his mother's family. The Woodvilles had shown themselves to be ruthless in the past in grabbing the inheritances and marriages they wanted. Now they would control a minor king. Richard could also have been overly influenced by the Duke of Buckingham, who himself had a claim to the throne, being descended from Edward III's fifth son. Buckingham would not have wanted to maintain the status quo that had existed under Edward IV, as he had not had any power. The removal Hastings and the sidelining of the Woodvilles would leave a power vacuum that he could fill. His dislike of the Woodvilles was known. As a ward of the Queen he had been forced to marry a Woodville, and he considered this marriage far beneath him. It is possible he was using Richard to clear a path to the throne himself. The theory that Buckingham killed the sons of Edward IV is very popular with Ricardians. Richard may have justified his actions by stating that he was ensuring the continuation of the successful policies of his brother and by removing England from the uncertainties of a minority. But his usurpation caused disruption. He is the only usurper in English history to have deposed a king who had done no damage to his country. Usurping the throne in the name of reforming government, as others had done before him, was difficult enough to justify, but to depose a young king, son of a popular monarch, who had done no wrong, was indefensible. Perhaps if Richard's reign had been longer, the means by which he claimed power would have been overlooked. He certainly showed signs of being a very able king. The motives for Richard's actions in June 1483 are still a matter of controversy. Until more evidence comes to light, no one will know why Richard usurped the throne. Was it to satisfy his own ambitions, or did he consider, after the discovery of the pre-contract, that a man experienced in warfare and administration would be better on the throne of a country just returning to prosperity, than a child of questionable legitimacy?
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