Richard III: A Royal Enigma (English Monarchs-Treasures from the National Archives) [Paperback]

Sean Cunningham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

Richard III: villain or hero? He was only on the throne for just over two years, yet Richard is probably the most controversial monarch in British history: to some a hunchbacked schemer, usurper and murderer of the 'princes in the Tower', to others a very capable and much maligned ruler. Now you can judge for yourself. Surviving documents from his reign, including letters in Richard's own hand and extracts from official papers, are reproduced here from the 500-year-old originals. Each key document is beautifully reproduced in a double-page spread which also includes an extended contextualising caption and a modern transcription where necessary. The original sources are woven together by a brief narrative history of the reign, fully illustrated in colour with portraits, photographs and other material from the archives. Featured documents include: * Letter from Richard to his mother, 1484 * Richard's official justification for taking the throne, 1484 proclamation against Henry Tudor, 1485 * Richard's letter to the Lord Chancellor requesting the Great Seal 1483 Contents: ·Preface ·Richard and the Wars of the Roses ·The Prince in the North ·Prince, Protector and King ·Reign and Rebellion ·Bosworth and Richard’s Legacy under Henry VII ·The Real Richard III: Man or Myth?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sean Cunningham is Medieval and Early Modern Records Manager at the Public Record Office and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is currently writing a major new biography of Henry VII and is also the author of various articles and contributions to other books and journals including the New Dictionary of National Biography and The Ricardian.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: National Archives & Records Administration (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903365457
• ISBN-13: 978-1903365458
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing new, January 13, 2009

By 

Mark Doblekar (Cleveland,OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Richard III: A Royal Enigma (English Monarchs-Treasures from the National Archives) (Paperback)

Richard III A royal enigma by Sean Cunningham was a disappointment. This is just a straight telling of history with no in depth details. Coming from someone who has access to national archives one might expect more use of the period documents. The documents used are those used by other historians. There is nothing new or intriguing in this book. There is no examination of any theories about Richard III. There is nothing to explain the bias of the Tudor historians such as Polydore Vergil.

It amazes me that any serious historian would use a playwright, such as Shakespeare, to explain or illustrate any historic point. Shakespeare was twisting historic facts to make an interesting story to entertain his Tudor patrons; but Cunningham references Shakespeare more heavily that one would want in a book of history.

To illustrate Cunningham's straight re-telling of accepted history I use the examination of the bones found in the Tower in 1674. He only mentions bones were found and they were examined in 1933. Then he claims DNA would probably show they were related to Edward IV. Anyone who has read reports about the bones would fine this statement hard to accept. The 1933 report shows that there is a mixture of animal bones in the Urn as well as human bones. Cunningham is correct about the DNA testing though; it would establish their relationship not only to Edward IV but to each other as there is no way to say if the two sets of bones are even related to each other.

In the end, there is nothing new in this book. It can only serve as an introduction to currently accepted historic thought about Richard III. For an examination of the controversial issues surrounding Richard III one will have to look at other books.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richard III in Daily Life, August 29, 2008

By 

Phyllis G. Chadwick "book maven" (cliffside park, nj) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Richard III: A Royal Enigma (English Monarchs-Treasures from the National Archives) (Paperback)

Wonderful depiction of Richard III and his times, daily life. Could have been even more detailed, but I want my kids to read it. Illustrations great.