Richard III
/ˌrɪtʃəd ðə ˈθɜːd/
/ˌrɪtʃərd ðə ˈθɜːrd/
- (1452-85) the king of England from 1483 to 1485, following his nephew King Edward V. He is often thought of as a cruel and violent king, who probably ordered the murder of the Princes in the Tower, but not all historians accept this view. He was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII.
- an early play (c. 1592) by William Shakespeare. It presents King Richard III of England as a cruel and violent man who murders several people to become king, and is killed at the battle of Bosworth Field. During the battle Richard is forced to fight on foot, and shouts the famous line: ‘A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!’ At the start of the play he delivers the famous speech that begins: “Now is the winter of our discontentMade glorious summer by this sun of York.”