Synopses & Reviews
A fully revised and expanded edition includes the discoveries of the Leicester dig, Richard III's burial location, and the DNA results of the skeleton found A uniquely detailed exploration of Richard's last 150 days details these events from the standpoint of Richard himself and his contemporaries. By deliberately avoiding the hindsight knowledge that he will lose the Battle of Bosworth Field, this book presents a new Richard—no passive victim, awaiting defeat and death, but a king actively pursuing his own policies and agenda. It also reexamines the aftermath of Bosworth—the treatment of Richard's body, his burial, and the construction of his tomb. Based on newly discovered evidence and wider insights, it explores the motives underlying these events. And there is the fascinating story of why and how Richard III's DNA was rediscovered, alive and well, and living in Canada. Now, with the discovery of a skeleton at Greyfriars Priory in Leicester, England, John Ashdown-Hill details how his book inspired the dig and completes this fascinating story. Using the knowledge of Richard IIIs living relative, he is also able to analyze the DNA results of the skeleton and, perhaps finally, put the absorbing mystery of the lost king to rest.
Review
"With its new details and perspectives about Richards last days and its use of original sources, this book will be an essential read for Ricardians and all interested in studying the Wars of the Roses, here accessible to them without being marred by hundreds of years of interpretations, rumors, and biases." —Library Journal
Review
"Although this is a specialized work, the sun never sets on interest in British royalty, the Shakespearean Richard III in particular." —Booklist
Synopsis
A fully revised and expanded edition includes the discoveries of the Leicester dig, Richard III's burial location, and the DNA results of the skeleton found A uniquely detailed exploration of Richard's last 150 days details these events from the standpoint of Richard himself and his contemporaries. By deliberately avoiding the hindsight knowledge that he will lose the Battle of Bosworth Field, this book presents a new Richard--no passive victim, awaiting defeat and death, but a king actively pursuing his own policies and agenda. It also reexamines the aftermath of Bosworth--the treatment of Richard's body, his burial, and the construction of his tomb. Based on newly discovered evidence and wider insights, it explores the motives underlying these events. And there is the fascinating story of why and how Richard III's DNA was rediscovered, alive and well, and living in Canada. Now, with the discovery of a skeleton at Greyfriars Priory in Leicester, England, John Ashdown-Hill details how his book inspired the dig and completes this fascinating story. Using the knowledge of Richard III's living relative, he is also able to analyze the DNA results of the skeleton and, perhaps finally, put the absorbing mystery of the lost king to rest.
About the Author
John Ashdown-Hill is a historian and a member of the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Genealogists, the Richard III Society, and the Centre Européen dEtudes Bourguignonnes. He is the author of Eleanor the Secret Queen and Richard IIIs 'Beloved Cousyn.'