Richard III

Not many people would claim to be saints, or alternatively, consider themselves entirely without redeeming qualities. Some are unquestionably worse than others, but few have been held in greater infamy than Richard Plantagenet, afterwards Duke of Gloucester and, later still, King Richard III. Richard’s character has been besmirched as often as it has been defended, and the arguments between his detractors and supporters still rage after several centuries. Was he a ruthless hunchback who butchered his way to the throne, a paragon of virtue who became a victim of Tudor propaganda, or (as seems more likely) something in between? Some would argue that a true biography is impossible because the letters and other personal documents required for this purpose are simply not available; but David Baldwin has overcome this through an in-depth study of Richard’s dealings with his contemporaries and of information gleaned from the recent discovery of his skeleton. Tracking Richard’s journey from birth to death, this new edition is brought right up to date with an exploration of the latest scientific discoveries and an account of the king’s reburial in Leicester Cathedral. The fundamental question David Baldwin has answered is ‘what was Richard III really like’.