Oh Ricky, You're So Fine (part I)


Dear Folk,

On June 26, 1483, Richard Duke of Gloucester took the English throne as Richard III. He became the last Plantaganet and arguably the last medieval king of England.

Now some of you out there are saying "Whoopie-turtle, another stinking king!" Okay, you might be right. Ricky III is interesting, though. The play that Shakespeare (or somebody) wrote of that title is one great slam-dunk of a king. In the play, we find Ricky engineering the deaths of two little kids, his brother George, and few others. Kills one enemy and tricks that dead guy's wife into marrying him. Tragically-cool king stuff.

Ricky came to power finally within the last two years of the War of Roses (1455-85), thirty years of civil war which had just wasted England. A guy by the name of Dick York, you may remember him from "Bewitched," thought that Hank VI was not very smurfy and also did not have as much right to the throne as he did. Dick was directly descended from Eddie III (remember poor Eddie II? Well, Eddie III was his son.). Dick York and his second son Edmund were killed by Hank VI's wife Margaret (actually her forces but Maggie of Anjou was no slouch when it came to hammering on) in 1460. Hank was pretty mellow. Some say a little dotty. That is the rep you get when you just don't like killing.

Hank VI was a Lancaster (sort of the Hatfields of the drama) descended from Hank Bolingbroke who murdered Dick II, grandson of Eddie III back in 1399. The McCoys were the Yorks. With Dick York out of the way, it looked like the next one to pick up the banner was Dick York's eldest son, Eddie IV. Eddie lost no time in running Maggie back to France and locking up good, but spacey Hank VI (for his own safety).

Eddie kept the peace, his peace but a peace ne'ertheless, until 1469. How it got broken is interesting.

Poor Eddie IV, he screwed things up when he went and fell for a commoner. The whole War of the Roses thing was about whom was more kingly. Nothing like diluting the claim to the throne. Okay, Lizzie Woodville was rich and a babe but had some really tacky relations -- not as bad as some of our presidents, but close. Eddie and Lizzie got together just as Warwick was off trying to arrange a marriage of Eddie IV to the sister of the French king.

Warwick, who was Eddie's cousin, had raised George and Ricky as children. Warwick had two daughters and no sons and was kind of looking to cement his royal way of life. George (Eddie's bro.) even married the eldest daughter Isabel without Eddie's knowledge or consent. Eddie hit the roof. Then he had to go embarrass Warwick again in front to the French.

What have we gotten from this so far? Although we may be very kingly, there are always folks who fancy themselves our betters? When you marry a lady, you tend to marry her whole family? I think I find that no
matter how nice you tend to be and how loyal, someone in power can forget your feelings entirely.

This is getting long. How about I continue this later? Say "yes."
(Part II tomorrow)

Getting ready to watch "Looking for Richard," again,
Ells