Richard III: The Road to Leicester

by Amy Licence

Following the dramatic announcement that Richard III s body had been discovered, past controversies have been matched by fresh disputes. Why is Richard III England s most controversial king?The question of his reburial has provoked national debate and protest, taking levels of interest in the medieval king to an unprecedented level. While Richard s life remains able to polarise opinion, the truth probably lies somewhere between the maligned saint and the evil hunchback stereotypes. Why did he seize the throne? Did he murder the Princes in the Tower? Why have the location and details of his reburial sparked a parliamentary debate? This book will act as both an introduction to his life and reign and a commemoration to tie in with his reburial this summer in Leicester Cathedral.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Biography, Medieval History, Historical, British Literature

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Medieval and Tudor historian, with a particular interest in women's lives and experiences, also dabble in Modernism. I write fiction and non-fiction, also journalism for The Guardian, BBC History website, The New Statesman, The Huffington Post, The English Review and The London Magazine. I appeared in TV documentaries "The Real White Queen and her Rivals" and "The Private Lives of the Tudors." Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Reviews

[Éowyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call, me cynical, but this does feel like a bit of an attempt to cash in on all the interest stirred by the discovery of King Richard's last resting place. It's a pretty short book - around 90 pages of main text with colour plates and gives a brief overview. The problem is that there are lots of errors - the names of Elizabeth Wydevilles eldest children for starters and the rather sensationalist statement that Edward V disappeared into his room in the Tower "never to come out again" - well, he's evidently not still there, so he must have come out one way or another!

If you want something sensible and readable, John Ashdown-Hill is the author to go with IMO.

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Licence has once again done it the way no one else can. Richard III: The Road to Leicester doesn't just tell the story of the discovery of the long lost King; it gives his life and times vivid depth. She fleshes out the real man behind the myth and breaks through the stereotype, lifts the veil and allows you to see who he really was.
It is a delight to read with a smooth and effortless flow that tells its own story and leave you feeling that that the King has found a rightful and respectful resting place. Rest in Peace King Richard III and Bless your heart Amy Licence, I look forward to reading many more of your remarkable books.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forget the pseudo-Schama voice-over prologue which tends towards weak narrative style, once the more formalised, academic, informative prose begins, this book springs into life, much as Richard himself has of late. Overall, this is an enjoyable and engaging introduction to the Ricardian field and easily read in an hour or so. Well illustrated and relatively sympathetic towards Richard (though not overly so, which is a blessing), and if you know little about the former bad boy of the English monarchy (and wish to go beyond the realms of Philippa Gregory's fiction)this is a soundly written little opener. Word of warning, Richard III and the Ricardian realm is mildly addictive.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to see a new edition of this, since License wrote this before all the hullaballoo died down over where to re-bury Richard's bones.

Still, covering what had happened up until the book went to press is still exciting stuff. I thought it was a bit melodramatic to call it a "new war of the roses" but I do remember at the time how some people did have strong feelings on the issues. (For example, I distinctly remember one opinion piece earnestly explaining why it would be an insult to all current domestic abuse victims to re-bury Richard next to Anne.)

The book only lightly covers Richard's birth-to-death, without getting too into the weeds of all the details of the Plantagenet family squabble, but then, once he dies, we get a deep dive into what happened to both his body and his reputation.

Ironically, the body did better overall, as was found when most of the skeleton was recovered, including that all-important mitochondrial DNA in his teeth, as well as a host of other information about his life and death discovered from his bones.

His reputation, only the other hand, has been up and down, torn apart and re-glued together in all sorts of crazy ways by many, many people over the centuries, as License shows, making it hard to really "see" the real man today, even though we can now gaze into a reconstruction of his face.

Excellent biography of a post-death life, if that make sense.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had a long time interest in Richard III starting with the works of Halstead and Markham from many years ago. This book is quite short and a very high level view of the events of Richard's life and the aftermath of Bosworth. With the recent amazing discovery of his remains, interest in King Richard III has been reignited and this book would be a very good primer for someone interested in the subject but not well versed in it. The discussion of the sources and the evolution of how Richard has been viewed by later historians is very good. For those who might be reading this to find out about Richard and those of his orbit, a pedigree or genealogical chart would have been helpful. This would be a good starting point and I do hope the renewed interest in Richard keeps going.

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, as far as it goes.

I don't want to be unfairly harsh, because this clearly isn't meant to be a full biography of Richard III, or a full treatment of the ups and downs of his reputation, or even a full history of the discovery and analysis of his remains beneath a Leicester parking lot (not Licence's fault that it was published before the issue of Richard's final resting place was resolved). It covers the territory, and provides some interesting factoids for anyone interested in the life, the reputation, or the story of how his grave was discovered, 527 years (almost to the day!) after his disrespectful interment.

It's a good taster, an amuse-bouche.

[Andrew Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to Richard III, not only dealing with his discovery in Leicester, but also an outline of his life. It is written in a very absorbing and engaging style that makes the book difficult to put down. Being such a short book this will leave the reader wanting more and I would recommend Amy Licence's other books covering the period. More detail concerning Richard III can be found in Amy's biographies of Anne Neville, Cecily Neville, and Elizabeth of York.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly written book - only about 100 pages long but absolutely fascinating. Just the right level of detail for the general reader about Richard’s birth, life, and death, and the search for his body. I was gripped!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me 1 day to complete absolute brilliant book doesn’t just show the find of Richard III in Leicester but his life and family. Brilliant book and great resource

[Carolina Casas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an amazing, fast paced account about the life of Richard III and the discovery of his bones in 2012.
Richard has invaded our imagination since his death. In death he has become more famous and controversial inspiring tons of novels, plays, biographies and even beloved characters in fantasy novels such as in A Song of Ice and Fire. But just who was the real Richard? His image has gone many transformations from hunchback, evil, deformed to victim, popular anti-hero and angel king and it doesn't stop there. Amy Licence pierces through the veil of bias and examines primary and secondary sources, as well as archaeological evidence thoroughly to bring us the Richard that most likely was and not the Richard we want. The book examines these portrayals and asks why are they so important and what can they tells us about the attitudes of each period. Obviously the accounts that come right after his death were done to fit an agenda, yet they also relied on primary sources and people that were close to or knew him. Contemporary evidence tells us about this enigmatic king and what the reasons behind his possible actions may have been, and to understand his actions we are given a brief overview of the period which is always invaluable when we want to understand our subjects or at least his/her or their actions.
It is the job of a good historian to inform and also pique our interest. Amy Licence manages to do both this and much more by explaining why Richard III still thrills us even today. Because the study of Richard as it's put here, is more than just history, it is also looking at many portrayals and how these have affected history, sometimes for the worse. The truth as Licence put it, lies somewhere in between all these sources, portrayals and evidence. As for the fate and Richard and where he should be buried, we know the court's ruling now but at the time this book came out this was still unknown and the author wrote about the ongoing debate and how this sparked a firestorm of opposition and controversy which leads me to say: let him rest in peace.
For any history buff and historian looking for a good unbiased account on Richard, this is the one.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

ISBN? - 9781445621753

General Subject/s? - History / Biography / Archaeology / Politics / Wars of the Roses

Title? - The story of Richard III right through from his birth to the discovery of his bones in 2012.

General Analysis? - I thought that this book was very well researched. Not the most detailed biography of Richard III, but then shorter books means you don't get bogged down. Her sources are impeccable and very well referenced. The selection of pictures is astounding, not just from his life and times, but pictures of the bones and the dig. The only thing missing from this book is an index, but it is fairly easy anyway to find what you want.

Recommend? - Yes, a brilliant and succinct read.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made my day. I don't think I have ever read a book with such fury as i did this one. I love it! The preface had me in tears with the narration of what happened after Bosworth to Richard, and the end had me in tears again. I really enjoyed the bit in the debate as well about current proceedings with the British court system. Poor Richard, he needs a nice vacation some place sunny..so in other words, buy it, read this book and treasure it:) A+

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expertly written history book about Richard III and his journey from kingship to the grave under a car park in Leicester. Amy Licence is one of the best historical writers out there. Entertaining, with a wealth of precise information, she writes a readable history book that is written in a folksy, but interesting style. She is not an apologist, but a responsible historian out to give as much information as she can without imposing her own point of view. I will read more of what she's done!

[Nelina Kapetsoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written introduction to Richard III. The author manages to summarize in just over ninety pages the life of Richard III, his legacy and the current debates after the discovery of his remains. This is a great achievement by itself. The book is beautifully illustrated (no black and white photos!), easy to read and as unbiased as possible. The perfect introduction for anyone who is not familiar with the period and Richard himself.

[Finuala · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent overview of Richard III and his life and times, with an added informative section covering the discovery of the King's remains in 2012 and the events leading up to the point just before the judgement to re-inter him in Leicester Cathedral.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted this to have more details about the archeological dig, the redevelopment of Richard's likeness, and more details of the injuries he sustained. Sadly this information was skimmed over, in spite of this being the book's premise.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very basic introduction to the life and death of Richard III. I would have liked more detail but an easy to read little book. I'm not a fan of the facial reconstruction featured but some interesting illustrations from the discovery of his remains.

[Cathy Hartke · Rating 4 out of 5]

published before Richard's bones were reburied so there's a bit more to the story. But what we have is a good, quick overview. I liked that it was very middle odd the road and just presented both sides to the story. Very fast read!

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read