in June, 1469, Warwick’s forces captured and executed Elizabeth Wydville’s father and brother, John. King Edward was captured a few days later and taken first to Warwick Castle, then to Middleham. Richard’s whereabouts at this time are unknown.
Unable to govern with Edward still alive and yet unwilling to see to his death, Warwick had no option but to release the young King after a few weeks of captivity. Encouraged by the Queen to avenge the death of her father and brother, Warwick and Clarence were branded traitors. By this time Richard was old enough to bring an army of his own to bear, but not quick enough, and Warwick and Clarence were able to escape to France.
In desperation, Warwick negotiated an arrangement with Margaret of Anjou. In exchange for the return of all his properties, Warwick promised to support the Lancastrian cause, restore Henry VI to the throne of England and defeat Edward with a combined army of Lancastrian, Neville and French forces. As a token of his faith, he offered his younger daughter, Anne, in marriage to the Queen’s son, Edouard. George Clarence’s dream of a crown vanished and worse, he realized that there would be no place in a Lancastrian realm for a son of York.
Warwick succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, despite the fact that Edward, Richard, the Queen’s brother Anthony (Earl Rivers) and William, Lord Hastings managed to take ship for the Low Lands. For the second time Richard was to know the bitterness of defeat and exile. He was not quite eighteen.
On the 2nd of November, 1470, Elizabeth Wydville gave birth to a son within the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey. With the knowledge of a healthy male heir after a succession of daughters, Edward was inspired to reclaim his throne and put an end to the House of Lancaster forever. With help from Charles, Duke of Burgundy, Edward set sail for England with a fleet of fourteen ships and a small army. Caught off guard, Warwick was at Coventry when news of Edward’s triumphant arrival in London reached him. Disillusioned by Warwick, George Clarence defected and the three brothers were reunited.
At the Battle of Barnet, the forces of the Earl of Warwick were defeated. Warwick and his brother Montague were slain, their bodies publicly displayed at St. Paul’s. French forces landed at Weymouth, and although Margaret of Anjou was initially disheartened to hear the news of Warwick’s death, she was determined to raise a new army in Wales and Lancashire. Heavy rains, however, hampered her journey north so by the time she reached Tewkesbury, her army was too exhausted to continue.
The battle that followed was brutal and decisive. Richard’s forces played a major role in the ultimate defeat of the enemy, many of whom died on the “Bloody Meadows”. Young Edouard was slain on the field although it has been suggested by many, including Shakespeare, that he was captured then murdered by Edward, aided by his two brothers. What is known is that those Lancastrians who sought sanctuary within Tewkesbury Abbey were dragged out, given a hasty trial then executed in the marketplace. A few days later Margaret of Anjou was captured and handed over to Edward, who displayed her like a prize of war during his triumphal procession through the streets of London.
With the son dead, it was the father’s turn. On the morning of the 22nd of May, 1471, Henry the Sixth was found dead in the Wakefield Tower. Although the official cause of death was reported as “pure displeasure and melancholy”, the chronicler John Warkworth wrote the following: -
‘And the same night that King Edward came to London, King Henry, being inward in prison in the Tower, was put to death, the 21st of May, on a Tuesday night, between eleven and twelve of the clock, being then at the Tower the Duke of Gloucester, brother to King Edward, and many others; and on the morrow he was chested and brought to Paul's, and his face was open that every man might see him; and in his lying he bled on the pavement there; and afterward at the Black Friars was brought, and there he bled new and fresh; and from thence he was carried to Chertsey Abbey in a boat, and buried there in our Lady Chapel.’
‘So,’ Gail mused, her head tilted to one side, ‘Richard did murder the old King, just like Shakespeare said he did.’
‘Looks like it,’ Laura replied with a shrug. ‘Chalk one up under the heading “regicide” Gail.’
‘What’s that?’
‘A king killer.’
‘Nice one.’
‘Well, you asked about Richard's early years and, there it is. Fair to say isn't it, that late in the evening of May 21st, 1471, not yet nineteen years old, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester, became a major force in his own right. He had learned some powerful lessons on the road to adulthood, many from individuals whose ruthlessness was as uncompromising as it was heartless. A product of his age, we can tut-tut all we want but, unless we’re prepared to put ourselves in his shoes and see the world as he saw it, none of us can pass judgment.
‘Richard Gloucester lived in a violent age, rent with civil war, treachery and sudden death. Twice he was exiled, declared a traitor and stripped of wealth and power. His father, brother and an uncle were brutally slain, their bodies defiled. He had seen Edward betrayed by his own brother George, and by Warwick, a man Richard had looked up to and admired almost like a father. In the final frame Richard walked from the Tower of London with the blood of a dead king on his hands, as cold and ruthless as all the rest. Political pragmatism expressed in its most lethal form.’
‘Is it too late to do Mary, Queen of Scots instead?’
‘I’m going after this man Gail, and before I’m done, I’ll have some answers to quite a few questions. One thing I do know already though, he was a thoroughly not nice proposition.’ Slowly she began to gather her material together.
When she looked up, Gail was gnawing at her lower lip, her concern obvious. ‘What do you mean by go after?’
‘You’ll see.’
*****
‘Leave her alone Gail,’ Wayne said as he tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn.
‘I’m worried about her. Roger says she’s practically obsessed with this man. She’s not eating. I bet you she’s lost ten, fifteen pounds since you last saw her.’
‘So what? Laura’s tall and slim, and you’re neither. Sometimes I think you’re jealous of her.’
‘That’s not fair,’ Gail huffed. ‘If anything, she’s jealous of me. You know she loves the girls. If she’d just stop and even consider the idea of starting a family, then maybe everything would be okay again.’ Tears came to her eyes. ‘I know Roger’s not happy.’
‘I’ve told you before, it’s none of your business,’ Wayne warned.
‘Roger says that …’
‘Roger says, Roger says. That’s the problem, isn’t it? The both of you, nattering at her all the time. Let her be. Losing her parents like that and no family to turn to, I’d think that you, of all people would be more supportive of her.’
‘I am, but …’
‘No buts. Laura’s paying for this trip, so why don’t you just enjoy it. If she’s got an interest in this king, whoever he is, I think that’s great. At least she’s getting out of herself.’
‘This king is a nasty piece of work.’ Gail tugged the bed covers up to her chin.
