On June 22, the Bishop of Bath and Wells preached a sermon outside St. Richard was informed that his brother’s union to Elizabeth Woodville had been invalid because of an earlier marriage. Not surprisingly, there are several versions of what happened next. On Richard’s arrival in London, the young princes were ensconced in the royal residence of the Tower of London-where it would have been quite customary for a king to safely await his coronation. The country and its capital were rife with the machinations of jockeying for political power, including the large and influential family of the queen, Elizabeth Woodville. He had been named Lord Protector of his two young nephews, including Edward IV’s 12-year-old son who was to succeed him as Edward V. Then, in April 1483 his brother the king died, and the Duke of Gloucester headed south. Both in York and across the north, Richard was highly respected as a lord and administrator. In 1480, war with Scotland occupied him for several years. His holdings stretched as far west as Penrith Castle in Cumbria and included castles at Skipton and Richmond, and Sheriff Hutton Castle a few miles northeast of York-the administrative and ecclesiastical capital of the North. Richard was often on the move, of course. Though Richard did suffer from idiopathic scoliosis, he was by all accounts a skillful and fearless combatant, who played significant roles in Edward IV’s victories in the battles at Barnet and Tewkesbury while he was still a teenager. By the time he was 17, the young knight, now Duke of Gloucester had his own command at his brother’s side. Allegiances shifted constantly, treachery was commonplace and armed conflict always in the wings. They were rough years - a time to be looking over your shoulder.

The life and death of king richard iii