The Search for Richard III: England’s Lost King

Portrait of King Richard III. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or less.

Please join us at North York Central Library on Thursday, November 12 from 7:00-8:00 pm to hear a representative from the Richard III Society discuss the life of one of England's most controversial monarchs. Learn about the fascinating events that led to the discovery and identification of his remains in a car park in Leicester, England.

Richard III was king of England for a short period from 1483 until his death in 1485 at Bosworth Field. He was the last English monarch to die in battle and his death brought about an end to the Wars of the Roses and to the Plantagenet Dynasty.

Described by Shakespeare as “that poisonous hunchback’d toad, ” Richard has often been portrayed as a physically deformed, evil tyrant who had his two nephews murdered to remove their claims to the throne.

The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower, 1483 by Sir John Everett Millais, 1878, part of the Royal Holloway picture collection. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or less.

After his death, Richard’s body was publicly displayed and buried in a Franciscan Abbey. However, with the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, his final resting place became uncertain for centuries and resulted in much speculation and rumours.

The publication of the popular mystery novel, The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey in 1951 greatly helped to revitalize interest in Richard and by portraying him in a sympathetic light, helped to redeem his reputation.

It was really one woman, a screenwriter named Philippa Langley, that spearheaded the efforts to locate Richard's remains. After years of researching, raising money and convincing others to get on board, the archaeological dig finally began in 2012.

Find out more about this exciting discovery, how Richard's remains were identified and how the findings influence what we know about Richard III. Please call 416-395-5660 to register for this program.

Comments

6 thoughts on “The Search for Richard III: England’s Lost King”

Ann

September 30, 2015 at 10:56 am

Great blog, Carrie! That was an enjoyable read and the program looks to be a good too!

Kelli

September 30, 2015 at 6:24 pm

Sounds like an interesting program! I really enjoyed The King’s Grave by Philippa Langley and Michael K. Jones.
For those who prefer novels, another excellent novel about King Richard III is Sharon Kay Penman’s Sunne in Splendor. Here is the link: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2402017&R=2402017
It’s also available in ‘e’: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3101567&R=3101567

Heather

October 13, 2015 at 1:10 pm

Have been really enjoying The Bones of a King. Hadn’t know of this one before.

Carrie

October 15, 2015 at 4:58 pm

Thanks for the comments everyone! It’s great that you took the time to read my blog.

Christine

October 23, 2015 at 12:09 pm

Hi Carrie, great blog. Just one minor complaint – the king who dissolved the monasteries was Henry VIII, not Henry VII as stated in your blog. It was probably a typo, but for those readers who aren’t familiar with English history and would like to learn more, we should point them to the correct king and his exploits 🙂

Carrie

October 24, 2015 at 3:10 pm

Thanks Christine! Correction noted.