Ricky III

When did the war of the roses occur?

1455-1487

How long did the war of the roses last?

33 yrs

How did the war of the roses end?

Henry VII married a white rose (he was a red rose)

Families involved in the wars of the roses

1. red roses - house of Lancaster
2. white roses - house of York
both descended from the Plantagenet family

How did Richard the III get the throne?

His brother King Edward IV died and his sons were deemed too young to inherit the throne

What happened to Edwards sons?

Richard locked them in the tower of London and it was rumored that they were executed, the only evidence to support this is the skeletons of 2 young boys found 200 years later under a staircase in the tower.

How did the Shakespeare play impact his image?

- depicts him as a villain
- lines indicate he was deformed (evil mind reflected in a twisted body)

What do portraits tell us about his appearance?

- primary sources show no sign of deformity
- later portraits account for the villainous appearance
- x-rays show that deformities were a later addition ot the portraits

What do written evidence say about his appearance?

- mentions unevenness of shoulders
- born extremely late and deformed
- right shoulder higher than left

What condition did Richard have?

Scoliosis, hunch-back/kyphosis

How did Richard III die?

Henry Tudor (red rose who later became VII) raised an army against him and he was killed in a battle called "The battle of Bosworth field" in 1485

What condition was his grave in?

- too short, his head was forced upward and forwards at an awkward angle
- grave is uneven and rounded
- no coffin
- shallow

When and where was he found?

2012, in a car park in Leicester

How was he identified?

- radio carbon dating in teeth; teeth in relatively good condition and showed a diet of meat, protein, and fish
- oxygen isotopes show he drank a ton of wine
- curvature of spine and DNA identification
- pelvis shows he was a male