Loyal to the
Truth
King Richard III
No monarch in history has been so maligned and slandered as
Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England. Although he was king for only
a short time, Richard continued the benevolent rule of his elder brother, Edward
IV, and, indeed, proved himself one of England’s most enlightened and
far-sighted rulers, with progressive ideas on government and religion.
But, following his defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22,
1485, the victorious Tudors began a process of re-writing history to destroy
Richard’s reputation – a process that reached its zenith with the Shakespeare
play “The Tragedy of Richard III”, first performed in the 1590s.
There is a Tudor myth that defames Richard III, but it is propaganda to satisfy
the human need to vilify perceived enemies, a trait that has been with us for as
long as words existed.
The victor always defines the struggle and the person of the loser, and it is
the victor’s version that survives and is incorporated into later works by
authors who have little ability to know the truth.
King Richard III is one of England's most controversial
historical figures often associated with his quest to seize the throne of
England. The prime sources of defamation of Richard are superstitious fiction,
although this was not understood by some for centuries. The vilification may be
absurd, such as two years in the womb, magically withered arms, and the murder
of innocent babies, but it is repeated ad nauseam. It may take the form of
ghosts passionately listing the wrongs of an evil king, regardless of their own
dwelling in hell. Or it can take on a more sinister nature, such as what
happened to Edward V, a query that moderns cannot positively answer.
By blaming Richard for everything, Tudor escaped blame for anything for two
hundred years, until people were at last free to pose questions. Although it is
obvious that Tudor had overwhelming motivation to spread malicious gossip and to
smear a dead man, some cannot let go of even the most outrageous slurs.
Why do supposedly erudite historians continue to print the absurd? Why assume a
partisan and dishonest lawyer, or a superb dramatist, knew history or even cared
about writing it? Should moderns insist that Hollywood be a controlling source
for history books, or that the gossip magazines must reflect truth?
By now, when novitiates scan the database, there is nothing to separate fact
from fiction, and flamboyant fiction sells better than cold history. It is far
easier to write nonsense than to spend a lifetime trying to discover new and
true sources. But time partially has exonerated Richard, for once he was dead,
each Tudor went right on murdering Yorkists to insure their own succession.
To hide the truth, the Tudor mythology grew relentlessly, the work of several
men who shamelessly enlarged and enhanced it. It was always defamation,
sometimes presented as drama, sometimes as serious history, but always
propaganda.
It is our aspiration to strip away the propaganda and present Richard III as he
once was - not a villain, not a saint, but a man of his times.
Our Mission
With its corporate office in the United States, the
Foundation has branches in the United Kingdom and Australia. The Foundation
seeks to challenge the popular view of King Richard III by demonstrating through
rigorous scholarship that the facts of Richard’s life and reign are in stark
contrast to the Shakespearian caricature.
The Foundation further seeks to advance research into all aspects of English
history during the period in which Richard lived, and the conflict known to
history as the “Wars of the Roses”.
The Foundation’s honorary patrons include British actor Robert Hardy, CBE, FSA,
and the distinguished historian, Prof. Anne Curry, F.R.Hist.S.
"I am a Ricardian, if that means that I wholly reject Tudor propaganda
against him, and firmly believe he was true to his motto "Loyaulte me Lie", and
that he, apart from being a first rate fighting man, shouldered all the
responsibilities that fell on him both as Gloucester, and as King. His death was
a tragedy, a sacrifice to end the civil wars," stated Honorary Patron Robert
Hardy.
The Foundation sponsors a variety of academic events,
publications, scholarships and grants into the "Ricardian" period. The patrons
of the Foundation communicate with like-minded people who share an interest in
the Wars of the Roses, and in particular King Richard III.
We are a body of volunteers who give unselfishly of our time making best use of
their specific and individual talents. The Foundation sponsors a variety of
academic events and publications, and provides grants for research into the
“Ricardian” period.
The Richard III Foundation Scholarship for Medieval Studies is awarded annually,
with a focus on supporting doctoral students. Our distinguished panel includes
Professors Ralph A. Griffths, Joel Rosenthal and Anthony Goodman, David Baldwin
and Sean Cunningham. Our past recipients include David Santiuste, author of
"Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses", Lucy Rhymer and Professor Jackson
Armstrong, now both teaching at major universities; Jennifer Ledfors, now a
researcher at Royal Holloway, University of London; and Carolyn Donohue, who is
now teaching at the University of York.
The John Davey Research Grant for Medieval Studies was established to assist
local historians and independent scholars with their research costs. Our panel
is headed by Susan A. Mahoney and includes Dr. Mhairi Macleod, author G. Peter
Algar, historian and CEO/President, Joe Ann Ricca and Jim Goodwin. The grant is
available to aid the study of a topic that is relevant to the late Fifteenth
Century especially the Yorkist period of 1450-1485, and especially on the reign
of King Richard III.
The Richard III Foundation has been conducting annual conferences in the UK
since 2002. The annual conferences features speeches and presentations by some
of the foremost authorities on late-medieval English history.
The Foundation supports and sponsors a wide range of other educational projects,
as well as local heritage and battlefield preservation societies. We are proud
of our affiliation with the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, the Battlefield Trust,
English Heritage, the Northampton Battlefield, Beaufort Companie, the Towton
Battlefield Society, the Tewkesbury Battlefield Society and others.
Contact Information
Membership of the Foundation is open to anyone with an interest in Richard III
and the Wars of the Roses. For more details, we may be contacted as follows:
In the UK and other European countries contact: Ms. Dorothy
Davies, UK Executive Assistant, Half Moon House, 32 Church Lane, Ryde, Isle of
Wight, P033 2NB, England or contact her via email at dorothy2583@gmail.com.
In the US, contact us at "The Richard III Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 524,
Irvington, Virginia 22480-0524 or email us at Richard3Foundation@yahoo.com.
For all media inquiries
In the UK and European countries contact: Mr. Andy Smith, Public Relations
Director (UK), The Richard III Foundation, 24 Floral Court, Ashtead, Surrey KT21
2JL or via phone at 07737 271676
In the US and Canada contact: Mrs. Molly Aleavey, 17596 E. Prentice Circle,
Centennial, Colorado 80015, USA
Postal address
P.O. Box 524, Irvington, Virginia 22480-0524
Electronic mail
General Information: Richard3Foundation@yahoo.com
Media Information: wordsmithreviews@yahoo.co.uk
or via phone at 07737 271676 (UK, Europe and Australia),
mmhall6195@gmail.com (United States and Canada)
Scholarship and Research: R3FoundationScholarship@yahoo.com
Webmaster: Richard3Foundaton@yahoo.com