What do you think?
Rate this book
Richard III: A Failed King?
Part of the Penguin Monarchs short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a collectible format
No English king has so divided opinion, both during his reign and in the years since, more than Richard III. He was loathed in his own time for the never-confirmed murder of his young nephews, the Princes in the Tower, and died fighting his subjects on the battlefield. This is the vision of Richard we have inherited from Shakespeare, villainous and hunchbacked. Equally, he inspired great loyalty in his followers, who saw him as a victim of circumstance, backed into a corner by his brother's in-laws, the self-aggrandizing Woodville family.
In this enlightening, even-handed study, Rosemary Horrox builds a complex picture of a king who by any standard metric failed as a monarch. He was killed after only two years on the throne, without an heir, and brought such a decisive end to the House of York that Henry Tudor was able to seize the throne, despite his extremely tenuous claim. Whether Richard was undone by his own fierce ambition, or by the legacy of a Yorkist dynasty which was already profoundly dysfunctional, the end result was the same- Richard III destroyed the very dynasty which he had spent his life so passionately defending.
No English king has so divided opinion, both during his reign and in the years since, more than Richard III. He was loathed in his own time for the never-confirmed murder of his young nephews, the Princes in the Tower, and died fighting his subjects on the battlefield. This is the vision of Richard we have inherited from Shakespeare, villainous and hunchbacked. Equally, he inspired great loyalty in his followers, who saw him as a victim of circumstance, backed into a corner by his brother's in-laws, the self-aggrandizing Woodville family.
In this enlightening, even-handed study, Rosemary Horrox builds a complex picture of a king who by any standard metric failed as a monarch. He was killed after only two years on the throne, without an heir, and brought such a decisive end to the House of York that Henry Tudor was able to seize the throne, despite his extremely tenuous claim. Whether Richard was undone by his own fierce ambition, or by the legacy of a Yorkist dynasty which was already profoundly dysfunctional, the end result was the same- Richard III destroyed the very dynasty which he had spent his life so passionately defending.
109 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2020
11 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 12, 2023
These Penguin monarch short biographies are really helpful and concise, especially when you’re not familiar with the monarch or period. They’re very good introductions to the reigns and monarchs.
One thing I find slightly off putting about these books is that there is very little on the consorts. For example, in this book I think there are only 4 mentions of Anne Neville in this book despite her being Richard III’s wife and the mother of his son. I know the book is about Richard, but I don’t think you can talk about a monarch without talking about his family.
Rosemary Horrox has certainly covered the important points of Richard’s reign, but I think has underestimated the importance of how earlier events shaped his reign. For example, the Readeption, exile abroad and first battle experiences are skated over in just a page or two.
Some monarchs I think it’s easier to do a short biography, but Richard III isn’t one of them and I think this means that some things are missed like the discovery of his bones and what we discovered from them, his relationship with Anne Neville and his son, the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, and his court more generally and how it differed from that of his brother. These topics would all have added to the overview but are skated over in just a line or two in some cases.
It’s a good introduction but there are better books on Richard III if you want something more overarching. The focus is on the reign itself and it is minimal outside that focus.
One thing I find slightly off putting about these books is that there is very little on the consorts. For example, in this book I think there are only 4 mentions of Anne Neville in this book despite her being Richard III’s wife and the mother of his son. I know the book is about Richard, but I don’t think you can talk about a monarch without talking about his family.
Rosemary Horrox has certainly covered the important points of Richard’s reign, but I think has underestimated the importance of how earlier events shaped his reign. For example, the Readeption, exile abroad and first battle experiences are skated over in just a page or two.
Some monarchs I think it’s easier to do a short biography, but Richard III isn’t one of them and I think this means that some things are missed like the discovery of his bones and what we discovered from them, his relationship with Anne Neville and his son, the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, and his court more generally and how it differed from that of his brother. These topics would all have added to the overview but are skated over in just a line or two in some cases.
It’s a good introduction but there are better books on Richard III if you want something more overarching. The focus is on the reign itself and it is minimal outside that focus.
June 6, 2022
This was concise and well researched but really too short to fully get into the complicated politics of this controversial King.
January 3, 2026
Rosemary Horrox’s Richard III: A Failed King is part of the Penguin Monarch series, which provides brief introductions (around 100-150 pages) to the kings and queens-regnant of England and Britain by experts in each monarch’s period. Richard III is one of the shortest reigning monarchs of the bunch but his contested reputation means that any account of his life and reign has to contend with numerous controversies.
Horrox’s account of his reign is clear-sighted. She eschews the emotionality of other accounts, both positive and negative, and avoids becoming bogged-down in the many debates about his reign, such as what happened to the Princes in the Tower, the motivations of the Duke of Buckingham and whether there was anything in Richard’s claims of a Woodville conspiracy against him. These debates are mentioned and outlined succinctly but there is no in-depth exploration of them . This may be disappointing but wise: these debates could easily take up hundreds of pages on their own.
Nevertheless, despite Horrox’s avoidance of taking an apparent “side”, this is a scathing assessment of Richard’s reign. It is hard to see the “threat” that necessitated his seizure of the throne, hard to come to any conclusion but that he, at all times in the year 1483, held the initiative. It’s also hard to come away from the chapter detailing his journey to the throne with the sense that his justifications were entirely noble or truthful. Nor does his tenure as king suggest a great leader: as he reigned, he bled money and, more fatally, support. In the end, he was unable to make himself be a king that people loved or wanted.
Even if one is inclined to believe the Ricardian view – the image of a “man passionately committed to the house of York, fighting in defence of his brother’s legacy against the self-aggrandizement of the Woodvilles” – the result, Horrox tells us is the same: Richard was “a failed king, who in the end destroyed whatever it was that he sought to rescue and preserve, losing his crown, and his life, in the process”.
Obviously, this is not an account that’ll please the Ricardians. But, as someone who’s long been a sceptic of the Ricardian approach to history, this is a refreshing read. It reminds me of just interesting this period is when not viewed through a Ricardian lens.
The main flaw with the book is its brevity. It’s possible to identify gaps in Horrox’s account: as mentioned above, the various debates about Richard’s reign are briskly dealt with, Richard’s consort, Anne Neville, remains an obscure figure, the story of the rediscovery of Richard’s remains goes untold, and little attention is given to Richard’s controversial historiography. But the Penguin Monarch series aims to provide a brief introduction to a monarch, not a comprehensive overview of their life and reign, so decisions must be made about what to go into and what to elide. Here, I think Horrox made the right choice, focusing on Richard himself rather than his afterlives (and, as with all entries in the series, there’s a “Further Reading” section). Still, there were moments when I wished there was more detail given.
Horrox’s account is a fast-moving, engaging read, clear-eyed in its assessment of Richard. It is a brief account, as per the format, and ultimately I so enjoyed this so much I wished there was a longer, more comprehensive biography of Richard (which her Richard III: A Study of Service appears not to be) written by Rosemary Horrox that I could pick up.
Horrox’s account of his reign is clear-sighted. She eschews the emotionality of other accounts, both positive and negative, and avoids becoming bogged-down in the many debates about his reign, such as what happened to the Princes in the Tower, the motivations of the Duke of Buckingham and whether there was anything in Richard’s claims of a Woodville conspiracy against him. These debates are mentioned and outlined succinctly but there is no in-depth exploration of them . This may be disappointing but wise: these debates could easily take up hundreds of pages on their own.
Nevertheless, despite Horrox’s avoidance of taking an apparent “side”, this is a scathing assessment of Richard’s reign. It is hard to see the “threat” that necessitated his seizure of the throne, hard to come to any conclusion but that he, at all times in the year 1483, held the initiative. It’s also hard to come away from the chapter detailing his journey to the throne with the sense that his justifications were entirely noble or truthful. Nor does his tenure as king suggest a great leader: as he reigned, he bled money and, more fatally, support. In the end, he was unable to make himself be a king that people loved or wanted.
Even if one is inclined to believe the Ricardian view – the image of a “man passionately committed to the house of York, fighting in defence of his brother’s legacy against the self-aggrandizement of the Woodvilles” – the result, Horrox tells us is the same: Richard was “a failed king, who in the end destroyed whatever it was that he sought to rescue and preserve, losing his crown, and his life, in the process”.
Obviously, this is not an account that’ll please the Ricardians. But, as someone who’s long been a sceptic of the Ricardian approach to history, this is a refreshing read. It reminds me of just interesting this period is when not viewed through a Ricardian lens.
The main flaw with the book is its brevity. It’s possible to identify gaps in Horrox’s account: as mentioned above, the various debates about Richard’s reign are briskly dealt with, Richard’s consort, Anne Neville, remains an obscure figure, the story of the rediscovery of Richard’s remains goes untold, and little attention is given to Richard’s controversial historiography. But the Penguin Monarch series aims to provide a brief introduction to a monarch, not a comprehensive overview of their life and reign, so decisions must be made about what to go into and what to elide. Here, I think Horrox made the right choice, focusing on Richard himself rather than his afterlives (and, as with all entries in the series, there’s a “Further Reading” section). Still, there were moments when I wished there was more detail given.
Horrox’s account is a fast-moving, engaging read, clear-eyed in its assessment of Richard. It is a brief account, as per the format, and ultimately I so enjoyed this so much I wished there was a longer, more comprehensive biography of Richard (which her Richard III: A Study of Service appears not to be) written by Rosemary Horrox that I could pick up.
December 27, 2020
A concise biography of Richard III in the Penguin Monarchs series with a strong focus on his place in the English elite and the allies and enemies that he made on the path to kingship and how these relationships and conflicts influenced the outcome of the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Horrox emphasizes that there remain numerous unanswered questions about Richard III's motivations but notes the destabilizing impact of Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville on the Yorkist court and Richard's possible disillusionment with his brother's approach to kingship.
The focus on Richard III's path to power and then the abrupt end of his reign and dynasty on the battlefield means that other aspects of his life receive little attention including his religious observances, relationship with his wife and son and his cultural interests and the atmosphere of his court. I was surprised that the 21st century discovery of Richard III's remains was only mentioned in passing in the Horrox's analysis of the Battle of Bosworth Field and not elsewhere in the narrative because this excavation revealed new information about Richard's appearance and health in addition to his death and burial. An interesting read that provides a good overview of Richard III's reign and Yorkist elite politics but does not include all facets of Richard's life and reign. Additional resources are recommended in the further reading section.
The focus on Richard III's path to power and then the abrupt end of his reign and dynasty on the battlefield means that other aspects of his life receive little attention including his religious observances, relationship with his wife and son and his cultural interests and the atmosphere of his court. I was surprised that the 21st century discovery of Richard III's remains was only mentioned in passing in the Horrox's analysis of the Battle of Bosworth Field and not elsewhere in the narrative because this excavation revealed new information about Richard's appearance and health in addition to his death and burial. An interesting read that provides a good overview of Richard III's reign and Yorkist elite politics but does not include all facets of Richard's life and reign. Additional resources are recommended in the further reading section.
July 21, 2021
I think this is one the least successful of the Penguin Monarchs series. While it does explain how the political decisions that Richard made led to his loss of support it really did need to do a bit more than gloss over the death of his nephews as well as a proper description of the Battle of Bosworth.
May 16, 2024
I see some other reviewers were disappointed by the lack of discussion of the Princes in the Tower, which I think is because the author doesn't see it as much of a question, since the obvious culprit is Richard himself and if you agree with that then it doesn't really need much argument to back it up as he had access to them as well as a strong motivation to, shall we say, 'exclude them very permanently from the line of succession.'
I am overall sympathetic to RIII, mostly in a 'most medieval kings were just as bad' way, but the argument of this short book that he failed at kingship is well made and quite convincing. One thing though is that it doesn't make clear why importing northerners to rule in the south would be such a terrible idea - was the north/south divide in England a huge thing then too? Also we're told Richard went into battle without having done the sacrament, which I assume is the communion (bread & wine) one but I'm not 100% clear on the significance/importance of not having done that ceremony and it could probably have been explained in a sentence or two. Like was this a time-in-purgatory level offence or..?
Anyway it's a brief little book so it you can get a copy cheap enough it's worth a read even if you disagree with Horrox's conclusions. That said I knew the general gist of the period already and the background context of the Wars of the Roses is worth knowing as there isn't space in this book to go through it all, so I probably wouldn't say to start here if you're new to it all.
I am overall sympathetic to RIII, mostly in a 'most medieval kings were just as bad' way, but the argument of this short book that he failed at kingship is well made and quite convincing. One thing though is that it doesn't make clear why importing northerners to rule in the south would be such a terrible idea - was the north/south divide in England a huge thing then too? Also we're told Richard went into battle without having done the sacrament, which I assume is the communion (bread & wine) one but I'm not 100% clear on the significance/importance of not having done that ceremony and it could probably have been explained in a sentence or two. Like was this a time-in-purgatory level offence or..?
Anyway it's a brief little book so it you can get a copy cheap enough it's worth a read even if you disagree with Horrox's conclusions. That said I knew the general gist of the period already and the background context of the Wars of the Roses is worth knowing as there isn't space in this book to go through it all, so I probably wouldn't say to start here if you're new to it all.
March 13, 2023
Good book for an overview of such a short but interesting period. Much preferred the 2nd half of the book which was about Buckingham's rebellion and the threat of henry Tudor. First half was not as good in my opinion as it didn't explain, for me someone who knows little of the events of the wars of the roses, the true context around Richard's rise in easily understandable manner. Finally I think it could have talked a bit more about the princes in the tower which is undoubtedly the most intriguing debate point of his reign. I must admit that I liked the structure and analysis throughout the book to wether Richard was a Failed King or not and I mostly agree with the authors overall judgement. This is my second book in the series of penguin monarchs and although it wasn't a bad read by any means, I don't think it will be my favourite.
June 9, 2024
Big fan of the Penguin Monarchs series – very short and readable biographies of English kings. This one provides a balanced perspective on Richard III that’s clear about what the sources do and do not tell us. What emerges is a ruler whose behaviour is more in line with other medieval monarchs than Shakespeare’s Machiavellian depiction would have you believe.
May 22, 2024
A bit more skeletal than some of the books in this series. For example, the story of the Princes in the Tower is only really mentioned in passing, and if you didn't know some of the story already, this would leave you guessing.
December 19, 2023
Killing, sequestration, land confiscation, land grants and further confiscation, scheming, rebelling…power, power, power.
Pretty boring, to be honest.
Pretty boring, to be honest.
December 24, 2023
Great book if you want a shorter concise summary of a very short reign.
July 16, 2023
the book had some very interesting details! however i didn’t really like the writing style, i felt it was a bit scattered at times and hard to follow. i also wish the author focused more on richard’s early life (very quickly glossed over) and the reforms he made. it didn’t to much in the way of highlighting the good aspects of his reign. however i enjoyed certain bits of it. to get a good understanding of richard’s reign i would recommend this and dan jones ‘the hollow crown’.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews