A study in power encapsulated within a biography of England's last Plantagenet king.
Chris Skidmore is the author of four books on medieval and Tudor history: RICHARD III, BOSWORTH, EDWARD VI and DEATH AND THE VIRGIN. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He is also the Member of Parliament for Kingswood and in December 2018 was appointed Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation. www.chrisskidmore.co.uk @bosworthbattle
Exhaustively researched, scrupulously even-handed and a genuinely
fresh approach to one of the most ploughed-over and controversial
reigns in English history. Skidmore neatly sidesteps the by-now
sterile controversy about Richard's character and draws instead on
the unusually full documentation of the reign to offer a detailed
and persuasive narrative of what Richard actually did - and, at
least as importantly, what he was thought to have done
*David Starkey*
A fresh, gripping and vivid portrait of a Richard III who is not
just chilling, ruthless and terrifying but also a practical
politician in a brutal age - a man of his time
*Simon Sebag Montefiore*
A bold and fresh new biography of one of the most enduringly
fascinating monarchs in all of British history, steeped in the
latest research and majestically narrated
*Dan Jones*
A deeply absorbing account - intelligent, forensic and
thought-provoking - of one of the most dramatic, disturbed and
disturbing moments in English history
*Helen Castor*
Thrillingly paced, meticulously researched, refreshingly free of
psychological speculations, Skidmore's supremely insightful
biography is a joy to read
*John Guy*
A portrait that chills you to the bone ... Skidmore describes
Richard's death in horrifying detail ... It marks the bloody climax
to a biography in which the unfolding horror comes from the slow
burn of detail drawn from manuscript sources and recent scholarship
judiciously presented, and in a story well told
*The Times*
Richard III, of all the English monarchs, deserves a fair hearing
and Chris Skidmore's meticulous account does justice to this
vilified king. With forensic detail, Skidmore looks at sources as
well as rumours to build a picture of the last Plantagenet monarch.
What shines out from this modern biography is the author's attempt
to be fair to the last English king to ride in battle, who took
murderous decisions in life; but died a hero
*Philippa Gregory*
Scholarly and genuinely objective ... Skidmore is adept at placing
in proper perspective the dilemmas that faced Richard ... Highly
readable
*Wall Street Journal*
Skidmore's new biography of Richard is a full and measured account
of his subject ... [He] tells the story with style and the empathy
of a well-trained historian ... Skidmore has given us an eminently
readable account of Richard's life and reign, firmly anchored in
fifteenth-century politics and culture
*Times Literary Supplement*
It is all but impossible to write either something fresh, or
something fair, about Richard III, yet Chris Skidmore has pulled
off both feats. Wide-ranging research brings out a Richard who is
neither the crookbacked villain nor the victim, but a man for all
political seasons, whose fall illumines his violent, complex
age
*Sarah Gristwood, author of Game of Queens*
[Examines hostile indictments of Richard III] with sharp writing
and a marvellously exhaustive command of contemporary documentary
sources ... In the author's hands, there's no lack of thrilling
details in Richard's saga ... His biography bids fair to become the
definitive account for the twenty-first century
*Washington Independent Review of Books*
King Richard III is one of the most divisive figures in history,
but this new biography aims to ignore the controversy and return to
the facts: his personality, motivations and allegiances. How
single-minded was his pursuit of power, and what role did he really
play in the deaths of his young nephews?
*History Revealed*
This first-rate book ... will be read with great profit and
pleasure by fellow historians, and by all those who simply enjoy
learning about dramatic episodes in the past from a fine writer
*The London Magazine*
Skidmore successfully creates a balanced biography of the famously
complicated last king of the Yorkist line ... [T]his carefully
researched biography effectively captures Richard's turbulent reign
and intense personality up to the violent end
*Publishers Weekly*
No monarch in British history excites greater curiosity ... This
first-rate book of some 400 pages will be read with great profit
and pleasure by fellow historians - and by all those who simply
enjoy learning about dramatic episodes in the past from a fine
writer
*The House Magazine*
His portrayal of Richard is balanced; his narrative detailed and
engaging. For those familiar with Richard's life, this will be a
refreshing read; for those not, this will be an excellent
introduction
*Historical Novel Society*
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