2487 - King Richard III: Total Villain or Tudor Victim
Course Description
Instructor: Peter Campos
Starts: Friday, September 10, 4 weeks
Time: 11:15-12:45PM
No other monarch in history has been the subject of more controversy and passion than England’s King Richard III. Vilified by his successor Henry VII and the entire Tudor clan, Richard was painted as nothing short of an ambitious, deformed, and debauched sociopath who was a midevial serial killer. For over 500 years this image of Richard was unquestionably promulgated by historians relying on Tudor-favoring sources such as Thomas Moore and Shakespeare; their description of this monstrous king was the stuff of children’s nightmares for centuries. But did Richard III deserve this characterization? Since the early 20th Century a new vision of Richard has been put forward, one of a beloved and beneficial king, loyal to his family and people, and wronged by Tudor propaganda. We will chronicle the historical facts, consider the Tudor and “Ricardian” arguments, and try to arrive at a more balanced conclusion about King Richard III.