''Richard III'' is a biography of
said King of England by American historian
Paul Murray Kendall
Paul Murray Kendall (March 1, 1911 – November 21, 1973) was an American academic and historian, who taught for over 30 years at Ohio University and then, after his retirement, at the University of Kansas.
Biography
Kendall was born in Philad ...
. The book, published in 1955, has remained the standard popular work on the controversial monarch.
Contents
The book is divided into two major parts, with a prologue, an epilogue and two appendices.
*The prologue describes the situation before Richard's birth, leading up to the
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
.
*The first major part deals with Richard's early life as son of
Richard, Duke of York
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantag ...
and brother to
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
. It covers Richard's youth and his life as
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...
(13 chapters) as well as his role as "Lord of the North" (6 chapters).
*The second part covers Richard's life after the death of Edward IV in 1483, first as
Lord Protector
Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...
(8 chapters), then as King (12 chapters).
*The epilogue describes the situation after Richard's death at
Bosworth, especially what happens to his associates under
Henry VII.
*Appendix I deals with the question of the
Princes in the Tower
The Princes in the Tower refers to the mystery of the fate of the deposed King Edward V of England and his younger brother Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, heirs to the throne of King Edward IV of England. The brothers were the only ...
, weighing the evidence about their fate. He criticizes traditionalists for ignoring the "disabilities inherent in the 'evidence'" and revisionists for having "put forward a melange of wishful thinking and speculation". Examining the evidence and commenting on several indications of Richard's innocence, he concludes:
"The most powerful indictment of Richard is the plain and massive fact that the princes disappeared from view after he assumed the throne, and were never reported to have been seen alive. This fact ... weighs heavily against the indications of his innocence.
... only positive evidence that someone murdered the princes will tell against this indictment."
Considering alternative culprits, Kendall discounts claims that Richard's successor
Henry VII could have killed the princes after 1485, but makes a case for Richard's temporary ally, the
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham, referring to the market town of Buckingham, England, is an extinct title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There were creations of double dukedoms of Bucki ...
, who could have killed the princes with or without Richard's knowledge and consent.
*Appendix II deals with Richard's posthumous reputation.
Critical reception
The work was critically very well received and was a runner-up for the
National Book Award
The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...
in 1956, also picked one of the best books of the year by the American Library Association.
In the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'',
A. L. Rowse
Alfred Leslie Rowse (4 December 1903 – 3 October 1997) was a British historian and writer, best known for his work on Elizabethan England and books relating to Cornwall.
Born in Cornwall and raised in modest circumstances, he was encourag ...
called it "The best biography of Richard III that has been written.", whereas ''Saturday Review''s Geoffrey Bruun opined: "A definitive biography of Richard III. It is a noteworthy performance." The ''
Times Literary Supplement
''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp.
History
The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' wrote: "Brilliantly successful... combines sound scholarship with literary distinction... his descriptions... are always stimulating and sometimes beautiful."
Historical writers
Desmond Seward
Desmond Eric Christopher Seward (22 May 1935 – 3 April 2022) was an Anglo-Irish popular historian and the author of many books, including biographies of Henry IV of France, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marie Antoinette, Empress Eugénie and Napol ...
and
Alison Weir
Alison Weir ( Matthews) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written numerous wor ...
, both hostile to Richard, disagree; Seward refers to Kendall as Richard III's "romantic apologist", superseded by
Charles Ross's 1981 biography. Ross himself both praised and criticised Kendall's work, stating: "Although the author admits that at times he goes beyond the facts and 'reconstructs'..., and in spite of an empurpled prose style which tends to enhance his partisanship, the book is soundly based on a wide range of primary sources, for which it shows a proper respect."
[Charles Ross, ''Richard III'', London (1981), p. li, note 95.]
Release details
*Kendall, Paul Murray, ''Richard III'', 1955, London, Allen & Unwin, 514 p., bibliography, maps, genealogy table, (pbk)
*Kendall, Paul Murray, ''Richard The Third'', 1956, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 602 pp., bibliography, genealogy, 16 monochrome illustrations, 5 maps, paperback
*Kendall, Paul Murray, ''Richard The Third'', 1956, New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 602 pages, special printing 1996 Book of the Month Club edition, bibliography, genealogy table, maps, illustrations. (hardback).
*Kendall, Paul Murray, ''Richard III'', 2002, W.W. Norton & Co Ltd, 608 pages, paperback
References
{{Richard III
1955 non-fiction books
Biographies of English royalty
Cultural depictions of Richard III of England