Richard III was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His reign was one of the shortest in English history, lasting only two years from 1483 to 1485, yet it has been one of the most scrutinized due to the controversial nature of his rise to power and his subsequent depiction in history and literature.
Richard III was born on October 2, 1452, in Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England. He was the youngest son of Richard, Duke of York, and Cecily Neville. His family was deeply involved in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars for control of the throne of England between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the House of York and the House of Lancaster.
Richard III's reign was marked by:
Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, by forces loyal to Henry Tudor. His death marked the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the beginning of the Tudor Dynasty. His body was buried without ceremony, and it was not until 2012 that his remains were found under a car park in Leicester, identified through archaeological and genetic research, and reinterred in Leicester Cathedral in 2015.
Richard III's reputation has been largely shaped by William Shakespeare's play, "Richard III", which portrays him as a scheming, ruthless villain. However, modern historians have debated this portrayal, suggesting that Shakespeare's depiction was influenced by Tudor propaganda designed to vilify Richard and justify the new dynasty.