Richard's last Summer

King Richard III


XVII



Richard had spent a lot of time alone, mostly around the wooded areas around Windsor, hunting. It was not a past time that he normally had done a few years before, he became King. The great outdoors had more of an appeal to him, it was somewhere, where he could think and contemplate on his life and what he should. The love of books had no answers anymore as he was realising with great sadness, how everyone was just motivated by greed and obsession with power. He had his trusted Knights and Esquires, John Kendall, his trusted secretary, William Catesby and his other trusted advisers. Lord Stanley’s presence was becoming more resentful towards his company and seemed to brood on the fact that his presence was needed on his estates. He did seem to be very interested in the negations between Richard and King Alfonso of Portugal, the talk of the marriage between his daughter Joanne and Richard was of great importance. Thomas Stanley wanted Henry Tudor to know more about this proposal of marriage as the princess was descended from John of Gaunt and from his second marriage. Dropping hints such as protecting his land from invasion, his son, Lord Strange had been taking care of Lord Stanley affairs, while he was in the company of Richard’s court. Thomas had been increasingly worried about the way his son was running the affairs of his estates and had spent a lot of time venting on about it.
Richard had left Chancellor Russell in charge of government in London and Viscount Lovell was stationed at Southampton to oversee the refitting of a fleet that would keep an eye on any invading fleet of Tudors along the Southern Countries. Richard’s most trusted Lord, the Duke of Norfolk was with his son the Earl of Surrey and they had men ready to protect London from invasion in Essex. The immediate defence of London was left in the capable hands of Sir Robert Brackenbury, who was the Constable of the Tower.
‘From Windsor, Richard moved to Kenilworth, where he lingered for at least two weeks. It was probably the middle of June when he took up his watch upon the great rock, which towered above the town of Nottingham. He had come home to his castle of his care’. Soon after Richard had got to Nottingham Thomas Stanley had finally convinced Richard and his advisors to go to his Estates in the Northwest to raise a army for Richard and offered his son Lord Strange to be of service to Richard at court. True to Thomas Stanley’s word, Lord Strange had promptly had arrived in Nottingham, as a hostage.
Thomas Stanley had raised an army before during the Scottish Campaign and played a key role in the capture of Berwick upon Tweed. It was a risk that Richard had to take and he felt having his son under Richard’s care was his guarantee that Thomas Stanley would be loyal and raises an army against Henry Tudor. Richard had sent out men to make sure that Thomas Stanley was well monitored, as to his loyalty to his wife.
Thomas Stanley had lived in a time of civil strife; his life had been full of betrayals, broken promises such as other lords and gentry of this age. He and his brother William were very clever men that always sided on where they could prosper best. Thomas Stanley was known as “a man of considerable acumen, and probably the most successful power-broker of his age”. In 1459 Stanley had inherited his father’s titles as Baron Stanley and King of Mann and his lands and offices in Cheshire and Lancashire. As the battles started for rival claimants to the throne, the leaders either promised great titles or had threatened Stanley. Thomas Stanley had joined his brother-in-law, Warwick and fought against the Lancastrian forces. During the time that the Earl of Warwick had joined with Margaret of Anjou and the Lancasterians, Thomas Stanley did not show any support for Warwick and stayed in Manchester, when Warwick had restored Henry VI to the throne. When Edward VI was restored back on the throne, he was appointed steward of the king’s household and became a member of the royal council. His power had prospered at this time, but when Richard had become King Stanley had been wounded during some brawl and had been imprisoned, when Hastings had been executed. He was released but closely watched, Thomas and William Stanley had proved their loyalty when they help suppressed the Buckingham Rebellion. Even though he had been rewarded well as he was given Buckingham’s position as Lord High Constable of England. Richard had known that Stanley’s new wife Margaret Beaufort had been involved with the Buckingham Rebellion. It was then that a solemn undertaking to keep his wife in custody and end her intrigues. Richard could never feel at ease with Stanley or trust him; Stanley was a man who was never true to anyone but himself. The fact Stanley had done quite well out since his wives downfall as he was able to enjoy her estates and assets.
During this time, Richard and his advisors had felt it prudent to ensure the safety of Edward IV children to live in the household of the Council of the North, which was at Sheriff Hutton, which was 10 miles North of York. Richard had considered it was the safest places in the realm as he had his most trusted that were loyal to the crown. The Residence had the Children of Clarence, Margaret and Edward the Earl of Warwick and was under the watchful eye of Lord Morley, a husband of one of Lincoln’s sisters and John of Gloucester, Richard’s natural son.
Richard had made a proclamation on 21st of June, as a customary from of defence.
‘Piers Bishop of Exeter, Jasper Tidder son of Owen Tidder calling himself Earl of Pembroke, John late Earl of Oxon, and Sir Edward Widevile, with other…rebels and traitors…have chosen to be their captain one Henry Tidder, which of his…insatiable covetousness…usurpeth upon him the name and title of royal estate of this Roialme…to be ready in their most defensible array, to do his Highness service of war…’
It seemed that the Marquess of Dorset had been taken off the list of named traitors. Tidder was the name of the bastard descent of Henry Tidder. When Henry came to the throne he used the name of Tudor to be more suitable for a King. It seemed now that Richard had been made aware of Henry had promised great lands, titles and offices and grand places in the Church of England, to those who would follow him.
The next day, Richard had sent instructions to all shires of England. He had wanted to let his people know how much he loved them and had their best interests at his heart.
‘first that they, in the King’s behalf, thank the people for their true and loving disposition showed to his highness the last year, for the…defence of his…person and of this his realm against his rebels and traitors; exhorting them so to continue and see that they be able men, and well horsed and harnessed and no rascal. To show all Lords, Noblemen, captains, and other, that the King’s noble pleasure and commandment is, that they truly and honourably all manner quarrels, grudges, rancours and unkindness laid apart attend and execute the King’s commandment, and everyone be loving and assisting to other in the King’s quarrels and cause’. On 22nd June all sheriffs were commanded to keep residence in their shire towns so that they might be ready at once to execute the King’s orders. The sheriffs of the shires were ordered to remain at their post and to be ready for instant action as soon as the invasion had been reported.
Richard had gone to great lengths to the people of his nation that Henry Tudor, whom he often addressed as Tidder, was an upstart and had no claim to the throne other than to usurp it. Richard did not consider that Henry Tudor had any right to the throne. On the other side Henry Tudor had throught that the marriage of the lady Elizabeth was his right to the throne. As to Richard had never considered the marriage between himself and the lady Elizabeth or any of her sisters. Richard had sent out a strong message to Henry Tudor when he declared that he would find suitable marriages for all Edward’s and Elizabeth Woodvilles Children, when the family were out of sanctuary. It was the Lady Elizabeth’s future destiny seemed to hang in the balance by a result of a battle. It was Fabyan, a London born Chronicler in the reign of Henry Tudor that had said, for defence against Henry’s invasion. ‘King Richard, for so much as he feared him little, made but small provision.’ As Fabyan’s evidence its not sure that it could be taken very seriously as he was an alderman and Sheriff, and had written the events that happened during the reign of Henry VII.
During the summer, the Nation was gripped by uneasy peace; it seemed like that Richard had brooded on you he could really count on. Being traitors seemed to be the order of the day, it was a sad reflection on the morals and loyalty to his fellow man. Those principles were installed into Richard all those years ago when he was a young boy. In the fifteenth century treason was considered a highly personal insult, it went against the law of being a Knight. Any knight that went against word or a desertion of an oath that he had made to his lord was considered a personal offence and was unforgivable. It must have saddened Richard that some of his lords that he did not trust, he had been lenient towards those that betrayed him. Apart from the worry that Stanley would not keep to his word, even though he had his son, lord Strange was under close surveillance, but was kept in Richard’s close circle. Richard was uncertain of Northumberland’s movements. It had come increasingly hard to get Northumberland to be forth coming about the army that he was raising and Richard had started to hear some discouraging reports that Northumberland was far from committed to raising an army. He knew he could rely on the Duke of Norfolk, and his closest friends and advisors and the men of York. It was towards the end of July when Richard had received word from his agents in France that Henry Tudor was about to set sail. He had written to his Chancellor asking him to send the Great Seal at once on the 24th of July, by Thomas Barowe, Master of the Rolls. He needed the Seal in his keeping, and he needed his Bishop of Lincoln to remain at the head of the government in London.
Despite living with the threat of the Tudor invasion during that summer the Portuguese Council of State were in negotiations with Richard’s advisors about the marriage between Richard and Joanna of Portugal. There had also been marriage negotiations with lady Elizabeth of York and the future Manuel I. Joanna was only one year older than Richard and had turned down other marriages and she preferred the religious life, she was known as ‘The Holly Princess’ in Portugal. She had heard that Richard was a religious and pious man, who had been devout and loyal to his last wife Anne. Her brother King John of Portugal had urged her to accept Richard’s offer of marriage. In August of 1485 she had made a statement in concerning the proposal of marriage.

“Joanna retired for a night of prayer and meditation. She had either a vision or a dream of a ‘beautiful young man’ who told her that Richard had gone from among the living. The next morning she gave her brother a firm answer. If Richard were still alive, she would go to England to marry him. If he were indeed dead, her brother John was not to press her again to marry. It is not necessary to believe in the supernatural to accept that Joanna may have had a premonitory dream of Richard’s death. Within a few days of her decision, the news of Bosworth had reached Portugal.”

She had never married, and King John had continued the family line. She had never become a nun, but continued to support her brother. She had lived on five years later after Bosworth and had died on 12th of May 1490 at Aveiro. She had later to have been known as Princess Saint Joan and was beatified in 1693 by Pope innocent XII.
A strange kind of uneasiness had hang around Richard’s court at Nottingham as they had waited on news of any landings from the invaders. Richard had spent a lot of his time alone hunting in Sherwood Forest. He never had any army, only his Esquires of his Body and close intimate friends. A messenger had arrived at Beskwood lodge on the 11th of August with bad tidings of Henry Tudor had landed at Milford Haven in South Wales on Sunday, 7th of August and his army were joined by Thomas ap Rhys. Tensions had mounted when Richard had ordered the two Stanley brothers to raise the men of their regions and to join him without delay. Lord Stanley had excused himself on the grounds of illness ‘the sweating sickness’. Lord Strange had attempted to escape from Richard’s court and he was then in close confinement, and had confessed that his father and his Uncle William Stanley had conspired with Henry Tudor. Richard had immediately issued proclamation stating that both of the Stanley brothers were traitors, and let it be known that Lord Strange was the hostage for his father’s loyalty in the coming conflict. It been known that Richard had allegedly issued orders for Lord Strange’s execution on the battlefield, but the execution had never had been carried out. William Stanley response to Richard’s threat was “Sire, I have other sons”.