Saturday, 9 February 2013

Please sign:

E-petition

Richard III to be re-interred at York Minster

Responsible department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport
For the mortal remains of England's last Plantagenet King, and the last King to die in battle, recently discovered under a Council car-park in Leicester, to be re-interred with due dignity and respect in York Minster. He was the last King of the House of York and it is recorded that he was popular in and fond of the North and York in particular where he was regarded with much love and affection. It will also place him geographically closer to the remains of his son, Edward the Prince of Wales, whose remains lie in Sheriff Hutton church.

For the UK
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38772

Worldwide
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/961/861/672/return-king-richard-iii-to-yorkshire/#sign


There is plenty of evidence to suggest that King Richard wished to be buried in York and particularly in the Minster. However, the question of respecting his wishes doesn’t even seem to have been considered when the decision was made that he would be interred at Leicester Cathedral.

Richard, who was the last Plantagenet king, and the last English monarch to die in battle, had strong connections with the City of York and the County of Yorkshire. He spent much of his youth at Middleham Castle and for 12 years he ruled the North of England on behalf of his elder brother, King Edward IV, earning a widespread reputation for fair-mindedness and justice. After becoming king, he visited York several times and was showered with gifts each time. His son, Edward, was crowned Prince of Wales whilst in York.

Although entitled to be buried at Westminster Abbey alongside other kings and queens of England, Richard III announced his intention to be buried at York, and in 1483 set in motion plans for a new chantry chapel at York Minster. Indeed, so strongly was Richard linked to York that the City authorities greeted the news of his death at the Battle of Bosworth with these words: “King Richard, late mercifully reigning over us, was, through great treason, piteously slain and murdered, to the great heaviness of this city.”

  

Monday, 4 February 2013

The King is dead. Long live the King!


I’m pretty sure that by now everybody will have heard the news that the human remains found in the Leicester car park DO belong to King Richard III, the last Plantagenet King.  I’ve been following this ‘adventure’ from the start with trepidation and I’m so terribly pleased that all the hard work has paid up and all the hopes have been fulfilled. I’ve called it ‘adventure’ because it seemed to me  like that at the beginning, too good to be true. But during the press conference this morning when all the scientific experts explained their modus operandi  and then their findings, I realized how many efforts had been into this project. I won’t go into details, if you interested you can get more precise information from the University of Leicester website http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2013/february/university-of-leicester-announces-discovery-of-king-richard-iii or watch the documentary on Channel  4 tonight.

I have been passionate about the Wars of the Roses for most of my life. I think it all started with an Italian TV adaptation in black and white of The Black Arrow by Louis Stevenson that I watched when I was really very little. I remember vividly the last episode of the series. It was the first time I heard Richard, the Duke of Gloucester (later to become King Richard III) mentioned. It was a brief glimpse of this Italian actor playing the King depicted with the ‘usual’ Shakespearian hunchback (we will get a revenge on you, William, the first spin doctor of history!) but it was enough to fuel my imagination.
 
 
And then I grew up learning English history, studying English literature (and yes especially the wonderful words of the Tudor propagandist William Shakespeare) until I ended up living in Yorkshire, the heart and soul of Richard, where he is still much beloved. I started reading about Plantagenets and Tudors again and visiting the locations of their history. My fascination became love and my love became passion. And with some suggestions my dear friend MG (who recommended me some beautiful books, among them The Daughter of Time and The Sunne In Spendour),  I read more ‘alternative’ stories about Richard III that opened my mind and made me think differently about this much denigrated King.  This is my story, but if you love history, don’t just listen to me, start reading again as much as you can and you will find out the truth. All in all "Truth is The Daughter of Time" (Sir Francis Bacon)…RIP Richard.