Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes (Paperback)
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| Author: Bertram Fields |
| Format: | Paperback |
Product Summary
| After 500 years of fervent debate by traditional historians and revisionists alike, the mystery of King Richard III and the murder of his nephews, Edward, Prince of Wales, and Richard, Duke of York, has now reached another milestone in the realm of critical analysis. In Royal Blood, Bertram Fields applies modern courtroom techniques to uncover the hidden truths surrounding the events described in Shakespeare's infamous play. Dispelling the political and cultural biases of the past, Fields attempts to answer the captivating questions that are fundamental in the case: Did Richard murder the two "tender princes", or was he victim of Tudor spin doctors? Is it possible that, in fact, the young boys weren't murdered at all? And if they were not killed, whose skeletons were found in the London Tower? Filled with puzzling queries and hundreds of years' worth of evidence, Royal Blood skillfully combines the gripping nature of true crime writing with the romance and intrigue of the English royal court, culminating in an irrefutable conclusion: Everything we think we know about Richard III is wrong. |
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From the Publisher:
Notoriously immortalied by Shakespeare and historians, he is history's most infamous royal villian:Richard III, king of England from 1483 to 1485.Crazed with power and paranoia, he is generally supposed to have killed the youthful Prince of Wales and the aged Henry VI, drowned his brother in a vat of wine, poisoned his wife, and, worst of all, murdered his two young nephews, the older of whom was the rightful king--a reign of terror ending only with his own cowardly death on the blood-soaked field of battle. But is all this true?Modern revisionists, citing the unreliability of Shakespeare's sources and the political agenda of historians in Richard's own day, have offered a far different portrait.A brave and valiant soldier, a loyal brother, and an intelligent, able king popular with his subjects and defeated only through treachery, their Richard is the victim of a deliberate campaign of slander devised by his Tudor successors to the throne. In this comprehensive, meticulously researched book, renowned litigator Bertram Fields outlines and evaluates the arguments of both sides, sifting through five hundred years of legend to apply his highly successful courtroom techniques to the available evidence.Clearing away the dust of time, Fields reconstructs one of the most dramatic and turbulent episodes in history, analyzing the motives and machinations of the many players and emerging with the most definitive account yet of this most fascinating figure--and a powerful argument against acquiescing to common belief. |
Chapter OneA number of factors should be considered in attempting to determine guilt or innocence of murder. Motive must, of course, be considered. Did the accused have a sufficient reason to commit that ultimate, most heinous of crimes? What did he stand to gain or accomplish by the victim's death? Wealth? Power? Revenge? Terrorism? Without a strong motive, the inference of guilt is a difficult one to draw. There are killings that appear to be motiveless; but these are typically committed by psychopaths. Even there, a "motive" exists, even though it may be delusional. Another essential factor is opportunity. Could the accused have been present at the time and place of the crime? If there is evidence that he had an alibi, the inference of guilt is harder to draw. It may even be impossible, unless, of course, the murder was committed by another at the behest of the accused. In weighing the factor of opportunity, establishing the time of death become |