As King of England, Richard III was not well-loved.
Scoliosis gave the young king a curved spine, which the superstitious and uninformed of the day took as a sign of evil.
Shakespeare referred to Richard III as a hunchback — “a lump of foul deformity” — and connected the physical aberration as also a moral defect.
The young king’s bones were recently discovered buried beneath a parking lot in Leicester, England. A large hole in his skull is thought to be the result of a spear. The makeup of the bones show a diet replete with protein, something available to only the wealthy and powerful. Richard III died fighting in the Battle of Bosworth, the last English monarch to die in such a manner.
His victor — and successor — King Henry VII, vilified Richard’s III legacy with lies and accusations.
Though he ruled for only a short time, 1483-1485, by all accounts Richard was not all bad, if not good. He worked to make the trial system more fair by instituting the right to bail and the presumption of innocence. He also relaxed restraints on books and printing presses.
Perhaps he was just a victim of the times. The War of the Roses and all that.
Now that he’s been found, Richard’s bones will not be buried in Westminster Abbey along with England’s other royalty.
Instead, he’ll have a quiet memorial service on the grounds of the church in Leicester, nearby where he was found.
Perhaps not fitting for a king, but at least we can move on.
— Susan Lynn
“So wise so young, they say, do never live long” — Shakespeare
