Coronation Day

On this date in 1453, Richard was coronated Richard III, King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, in Westminster Abbey.

Here is what the Abbey website has to say about it:

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was crowned in the Abbey as Richard III on Sunday 6 July 1483. The day before he and his Queen Anne (Neville) rode in procession from the Tower of London to Westminster. On the day of the ceremony they walked barefoot on a red carpet from White Hall to Westminster Hall and then to the Abbey. The queen's train was borne by Margaret, Countess of Richmond whose son would become Henry VII after defeating Richard at the battle of Bosworth. Richard was crowned by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury and the queen's coronation followed. Almost the entire peerage of England was present at what was a magnificent spectacle. The traditional coronation banquet in Westminster Hall followed.

How very ironic that Queen Anne's train was carried by the woman who would play a huge part in the downfall of Richard. What was Margaret Beaufort, the Countess of Richmond, thinking that day as she walked behind Anne? Was she thinking of her only child, Henry, and how he should have been there instead?

Was Margaret Beaufort a pious woman or a schemer?
She is known to have taken Richard's Book of Hours
from his tent at the battle scene and kept it for her own.

It must have been a wonderful occasion at the time and, with the peerage all attending, does that indicate widespread support? Maybe only as appearances go. There were undoubtedly still rumours circulating about the Princes and Richard's quick takeover.

Contemporary Illumination from the Rous Roll

Richard and Anne's son, Edward, was about 9 years old at this time and was not present at the ceremony. Some say he was a delicate child and his ill health prevented him from attending. Only a few short months later, he would be dead, and Queen Anne, too. Richard would have no legitimate heirs to pass on the crown, leaving him open for the conflict to come.

Today I am giving my first presentation on this King and my experiences as outlined in this blog and the public library. Although I lived through the Reinterment week and have studied Richard for some months now, I feel I know him less than when I started. He and his times are so very complicated. Motivations are lost in history and some things we might never know about what he did and why, or even if he did them.

History is like that, slow to reveal its secrets, and that is the fascination for many of us. No wonder we are addicted to the search!