July 6th 1483: Richard III crowned

On this day in 1483, Richard III was crowned King of England. He had previously served as protector of the realm for his nephew the 12 year old King Edward V. Supposedly to protect him in the run up to his coronation, Richard had the young king and his brother lodged in the Tower of London. However Richard claimed the throne for himself and soon after his coronation ‘the Princes in the Tower’ disappeared; many believe Richard had them killed in order to consolidate his claim to the throne. Richard’s reign, and indeed much of that of his predecessors, was dominated by the Wars of the Roses. These wars for the throne were fought during the mid to late 15th century between the houses of Lancaster and York, both rival factions of the royal House of Plantagenet. Richard III was a Yorkist and contributed to many of his house’s early victories in the conflict, helping ensure his brother and then his nephew’s reign. However, Richard III was destined to become the last king of both the House of York and the Plantagenet dynasty itself. He was defeated by the forces of Lancastrian Henry Tudor in the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22nd August 1485. Richard III was killed in battle, the last English monarch to be so, allowing Henry to become King and begin the rule of the Tudors. The hastily buried remains of Richard III were lost for centuries, until an excavation in 2012 found his skeleton under a car park in the city of Leicester.