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Richard III

Brother, Protector, King

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Richard III

By: Chris Skidmore
Narrated by: Roger Davis
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The last Plantagenet king remains one of England's most famous and controversial monarchs. There are few parallels in English history that can match the drama of Richard III's reign, witnessed in its full bloody intensity.

A dedicated brother and loyal stalwart to the Yorkist dynasty for most of his early life, Richard's personality was forged in the tribulation of exile and the brutality of combat. An ambitious nobleman and successful general with a loyal following, Richard was a man who could claim to have achieved every ambition in life, except one.

Within months of his brother Edward IV's early death, Richard stunned the nation when he seized the throne for himself and disinherited his nephews. Having put to death his rivals, Richard's two-year reign would become one of the most tumultuous in English history, ending in treachery and with his death on the battlefield at Bosworth.

Chris Skidmore's biography strips back the legends that surround Richard's life and reign, and by returning to original manuscript evidence, he rediscovers the man as contemporaries saw him. Rather than vindicate or condemn, Skidmore's compelling study presents every facet of Richard's personality as it deserves to be seen: as one of the most important figures in medieval history, whose actions and behaviour underline the true nature of power in an age of great drama, upheaval and instability.

Read by Roger Davis

(p) 2017 Orion Publishing Group©2016 Chris Skidmore Europe Great Britain Medieval Politics & Activism Royalty Middle Ages England Tudor
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Critic Reviews

Exhaustively researched, scrupulously even-handed and a genuinely fresh approach to one of the most ploughed-over and controversial reigns in English history. Skidmore neatly sidesteps the by-now sterile controversy about Richard's character and draws instead on the unusually full documentation of the reign to offer a detailed and persuasive narrative of what Richard actually did - and, at least as importantly, what he was thought to have done (David Starkey)
A fresh, gripping and vivid portrait of a Richard III who is not just chilling, ruthless and terrifying but also a practical politician in a brutal age - a man of his time (Simon Sebag Montefiore)
A bold and fresh new biography of one of the most enduringly fascinating monarchs in all of British history, steeped in the latest research and majestically narrated (Dan Jones)
A deeply absorbing account - intelligent, forensic and thought-provoking - of one of the most dramatic, disturbed and disturbing moments in English history (Helen Castor)
Thrillingly paced, meticulously researched, refreshingly free of psychological speculations, Skidmore's supremely insightful biography is a joy to read (John Guy)
A portrait that chills you to the bone ... Skidmore describes Richard's death in horrifying detail ... It marks the bloody climax to a biography in which the unfolding horror comes from the slow burn of detail drawn from manuscript sources and recent scholarship judiciously presented, and in a story well told (Leanda de Lisle)
Richard III, of all the English monarchs, deserves a fair hearing and Chris Skidmore's meticulous account does justice to this vilified king. With forensic detail, Skidmore looks at sources as well as rumours to build a picture of the last Plantagenet monarch. What shines out from this modern biography is the author's attempt to be fair to the last English king to ride in battle, who took murderous decisions in life; but died a hero (Philippa Gregory)
Scholarly and genuinely objective ... Skidmore is adept at placing in proper perspective the dilemmas that faced Richard ... Highly readable (Andrew Roberts)
Skidmore's new biography of Richard is a full and measured account of his subject ... [He] tells the story with style and the empathy of a well-trained historian ... Skidmore has given us an eminently readable account of Richard's life and reign, firmly anchored in fifteenth-century politics and culture (David Grummitt)
It is all but impossible to write either something fresh, or something fair, about Richard III, yet Chris Skidmore has pulled off both feats. Wide-ranging research brings out a Richard who is neither the crookbacked villain nor the victim, but a man for all political seasons, whose fall illumines his violent, complex age (Sarah Gristwood, author of Game of Queens)
All stars
Most relevant
A very informative and interesting listen. It doesn’t appear that Richard planned to take the young Edward’s crown at the outset. However the secretive actions of the Woodvilles put in motion a chain of actions which ended in tragedy for the young princes, their uncle, Edward V1’s closest friend and Richard himself.
I was astonished at how many grants Richard made to the nobility within his short reign. It appeared as if Richard 111 was trying to buy loyalty… but this was to no avail. The reign of Richard 111 was doomed from the start.

WRONGFUL BETRAYAL OR JUSTLY DESERVED

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This is the best and most impartial retelling of the war of the roses and life of Richard 3rd I have encountered. I thought it might be dull but it was engrossing and easy to follow.
It is well read with a slightly different voicing for quotations from the many historical sources.

stunning

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Well read, researched and presented, this very dry narrative gives you all the facts, absolutely all the facts. A welcome emphasis on Richard’s northern affinity, focus on Scotland, and challenges holding together his regime. However little to no attempt is made to describe and assess the personality of the man. The narration is excellent but the content dry to desiccation making this an informative but far from entertaining listen.

All the details, none of the drama

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