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.
Chapters:
- The Youngest Brother
- The Protector
- By the Grace of God, King
- Picking Up the Pieces
- Defeat
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