Society Archive 2004

August 2004

Murder Mystery at the Bloody Tower - Who killed the Princes in the Tower? Play detective at the Tower of London

Murder mystery at the Bloody Tower Weekends 7-30 August 2004 What happened to the Princes in the Tower, last seen in 1483? In this interactive, crime-solving event, visitors turn detective, interviewing the prime suspects, inspecting the crime scene and searching for incriminating evidence. Cast your vote and name the guilty party!

February/March 2004

Medieval Lives by Terry Jones

A new book and television series debunking myths grown up around 8 different Medieval archetypes.

Hard on the heels of the book which accompanies this series, Terry Jones, Python turned scholar, brought Medieval life to Television, concentrating on 8 different archetypes: Peasant, Outlaw, Physician, Minstrel, Monk, Knight, Damsel and King with a view to debunking all the myths that have grown up around them. Were peasants really downtrodden, ignorant and die young? Were all women damsels in distress, helpless and dependant on knights in shining armour to rescue them? Were knights all chivalrous and honourable? Were kings all tyrants? Terry Jones proved that in every case, the truth was very different from the myth.

In the episode on kings, Terry Jones showed Richard III in a favourable, fair and positive light. The Society released a press release to coincide with this episode. It reads as follows:

"The Richard III Society welcomes the episode in Terry Jones' series Medieval Lives which focused on kings and was broadcast on the 29 March on BBC2. The programme took an enlightened view of King Richard III, contrasting the mythological king of Tudor propaganda with the known facts about his life and reign. Mr Jones recognised a king who is both able and energetic, and demonstrated an understanding of the circumstances in which Richard became king and a realistic analysis of the realpolitik issues he faced.

Terry Jones has recently stated that there is a real need to challenge many of the assumptions we hold about the Middle Ages and his television series and accompanying book have certainly done this. He has addressed the need for a reassessment of the reputations of a number of our medieval monarchs. Those reputations in many instances have been determined by either favourable or hostile contemporary propaganda; never more so than with Richard III. All efforts to restore some balance to our understanding of these monarchs are to be welcomed."

January 2004

The Society's Response to Channel 4's programmes on the character and motives of Richard III and the true descendents of the House of York

The Richard III Society welcomes the new insights into the life and times of Richard III highlighted in the two Channel 4 programmes presented by Tony Robinson on 3 January 2004.

The Society is particularly pleased that the programmes emphasised many of the positive qualities of Richard as King and Duke of Gloucester. However, we feel that the first programme could have handled the key period between April and July 1483 with more balance, recognising the realpolitik issues facing Richard and the fact that he was legally the Lord Protector. The crucial relationship with William, Lord Hastings in particular was over-simplified. The Society does however recognise that the circumstances in which Richard became king and the fate of the Princes in the Tower and their possible illegitimacy remain areas of controversy.

The debate over the illegitimacy of Edward IV and the implications that this has both for Richard's motives and his claim to the throne, is one to which the Society will contribute. The debate is in its early stages, but is an interesting new angle on the House of York and the behaviour of its members during the late fifteenth century.

The quest to establish the current Yorkist heir through the line of Margaret Pole was a thorough and entertaining exercise. However, no account was taken of the attainder of her father, George, Duke of Clarence, which rendered his heirs ineligible for the throne. Additionally the fact that Henry Tudor's claim was also based on the right of conquest (as was the claim of the illegitimate William the Conqueror) was not addressed. There was also no mention of the various pretenders to the throne during Henry VII's reign claiming to be the sons of Edward IV.

The Society congratulates the programme makers for its handling of a complicated subject and making it accessible to a wider audience. We look forward to building on the positive publicity generated by the programmes.