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Richard Iii.: As Duke Of Gloucester And King Of England. By Caroline A. Halsted. In 2 Volumes, Volume 1
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- GenresNonfiction
478 pages, Hardcover
First published August 8, 2015
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April 29, 2021
Richard III as Duke of Gloucester and King of England, Volume 1
by Caroline A. Halsted
Reviewed May 2019
Caroline A. Halsted’s two volume biography of King Richard III, originally published in 1844, is one of the earlier, and definitely one of the most thorough, defenses of this controversial monarch. The two volumes combined are over 1,000 pages in length. This includes numerous appendices of transcripts of original documents, and copious footnotes, many of them filling half a page or more. This review is for volume 1.
From the start, she makes no bones about her position. “Had Richard III. Survived the battle of Bosworth,” she writes in the first chapter, “and lived to perfect in a series of years the wise laws, the profound views, and judicious measures framed in the course of a few short months, posterity would in all probability have heard but little imputation against the Duke of Gloucester; whilst his ambition and alleged usurpation would have been overlooked, like that of Henry IV. And other of his predecessors, in the benefits which resulted to the realm at large from his powerful rule, and the brilliancy which marked his kingly career.” She then goes on to thoroughly analyze Richard’s career, both as Duke of Gloucester and his brother Edward IV’s right hand man, and later as king of England.
Volume 1 focuses on Richard’s life, from his birth to the death of his brother Edward. When Caroline Halsted wrote her biography, the Shakespearean version of Richard III was accepted by most as fact, and so it’s not surprising that she spends extra time pointing out why this allegation or that is patently false. Although she points out, and rightly so, that Shakespeare “did not profess to be an historian; his vocation was that of a dramatist”, much like today’s writers of historical fiction and producers of historically inspired dramas.
And while some of her research is dated, as she didn’t have access to many documents that have only recently come to light, in many instances she is spot on. For example, in discussing Richard’s appearance, she was able to prove through first-hand accounts by people who actually knew or saw the man, that contrary to the crippled hunchback presented by Tudor era historians and playwrights, he was “slight in figure, and short of stature”, and that “he was fragile and slightly built.” This matches up exactly with what we recently learned about him when his skeletal remains were found.
As for Caroline A. Halsted herself, there seems to be little information available about her. There is no author’s bio in the book, and a search online resulted in only a few facts being found, that she was born about 1804, married William Lombe Atthill in 1847, and died a few years later and is buried in Middleham, England (which just happens to be where the subject of her biography, Richard of Gloucester, lived much of his life).
She wrote three other books: The little botanist : or, Steps to the attainment of botanical knowledge (1835), The obligations of literature to the mothers of England (1840), and Life of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby : Mother of King Henry the Seventh (1839).
All in all, this book is well worth reading and should be in every Ricardian’s library.
by Caroline A. Halsted
Reviewed May 2019
Caroline A. Halsted’s two volume biography of King Richard III, originally published in 1844, is one of the earlier, and definitely one of the most thorough, defenses of this controversial monarch. The two volumes combined are over 1,000 pages in length. This includes numerous appendices of transcripts of original documents, and copious footnotes, many of them filling half a page or more. This review is for volume 1.
From the start, she makes no bones about her position. “Had Richard III. Survived the battle of Bosworth,” she writes in the first chapter, “and lived to perfect in a series of years the wise laws, the profound views, and judicious measures framed in the course of a few short months, posterity would in all probability have heard but little imputation against the Duke of Gloucester; whilst his ambition and alleged usurpation would have been overlooked, like that of Henry IV. And other of his predecessors, in the benefits which resulted to the realm at large from his powerful rule, and the brilliancy which marked his kingly career.” She then goes on to thoroughly analyze Richard’s career, both as Duke of Gloucester and his brother Edward IV’s right hand man, and later as king of England.
Volume 1 focuses on Richard’s life, from his birth to the death of his brother Edward. When Caroline Halsted wrote her biography, the Shakespearean version of Richard III was accepted by most as fact, and so it’s not surprising that she spends extra time pointing out why this allegation or that is patently false. Although she points out, and rightly so, that Shakespeare “did not profess to be an historian; his vocation was that of a dramatist”, much like today’s writers of historical fiction and producers of historically inspired dramas.
And while some of her research is dated, as she didn’t have access to many documents that have only recently come to light, in many instances she is spot on. For example, in discussing Richard’s appearance, she was able to prove through first-hand accounts by people who actually knew or saw the man, that contrary to the crippled hunchback presented by Tudor era historians and playwrights, he was “slight in figure, and short of stature”, and that “he was fragile and slightly built.” This matches up exactly with what we recently learned about him when his skeletal remains were found.
As for Caroline A. Halsted herself, there seems to be little information available about her. There is no author’s bio in the book, and a search online resulted in only a few facts being found, that she was born about 1804, married William Lombe Atthill in 1847, and died a few years later and is buried in Middleham, England (which just happens to be where the subject of her biography, Richard of Gloucester, lived much of his life).
She wrote three other books: The little botanist : or, Steps to the attainment of botanical knowledge (1835), The obligations of literature to the mothers of England (1840), and Life of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby : Mother of King Henry the Seventh (1839).
All in all, this book is well worth reading and should be in every Ricardian’s library.
Displaying 1 of 1 review