Why did Richard III usurp the throne?
- Created by: Alice
- Created on: 05-04-14 10:14
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- Why did Richard III usurp the throne?
- Means, motive and Opportunuity
- Edward IV named him (on his deathbed) as Lord Protector of his two sons
- Made him responsible for the two princes, giving him the opportunity to control what happened
- But did have to get Parliament to accept as the Earl of Rivers and some of the Woodvilles believed they had been made Lord Protector
- Had them executed for trying to take charge of the throne, but more likely to gain more control
- Executed Lord Hasting as he was a threat to Richard's plan
- Once in full control of the Princes, began to bully parliament into postponing the coronation, put the princes in the tower
- Ordered a public Sermon declaring that Edward IV was a bigamist and illegitimate because his mother's affair with a french bowman
- This made all his children illegitimate
- Therefore had successfully taken the means, motive and opportunity to usurp the throne.
- Edward IV named him (on his deathbed) as Lord Protector of his two sons
- Legitimate Claim
- Direct descendant of Edward III
- Therefore as much reason as the Prince who he had named illegitamate
- But even if the Princes were illegitamate the throne should have passed the George Duke of Clarnece's son, Edward Earl of Warrick
- Therefore unlikely to be the reason he made himself King
- Direct descendant of Edward III
- England's Stability
- Richard experienced many battles during War of the Roses
- Wanted to bring peace to England - many noble lines died out and bankrupting England
- Civil War made England more vulnerable to foreign invasion and financial problems
- Putting a 12 year old, unexperience boy on such a unstable throne could restart civil war that Edward IV managed to calm down
- Henry Tudor could be more of a threat
- Civil War made England more vulnerable to foreign invasion and financial problems
- Therefore better for him as the older, more experienced leader (control of the North) to take the thrine
- Richard experienced many battles during War of the Roses
- Was acting as Temporary Regent
- Protect his nephew on a temporary basis
- Regent was someone who was appointed to administer a country because the monarch is either a minor, absent or incapacitated
- Protect the country until Edward V came to age
- Possible that while Richard was acting as regent the princes were murdered so Richard was forced to become King
- Means, motive and Opportunuity
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