Many historian look upon Richard as a villain. Others attribute this view as tainted due to the perverse nature of England following his reign, and the need for support of Henry Tudor's ascension to the throne. One aspect that almost all of the historian agree with is that Richard did have some moments where his actions were for the better of England. Looking at such actions can shed light on the true characteristics of his rule, and that he quite may have been a beneficial part of English history.

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was the brother of King Edward IV of the House of York. The House of York ha

In order to solidify his claim to the throne, Richard decided to act upon the best interests of the land. One of his first actions was to travel the land and bestow gifts to many across the country. In his travels he performed many beneficial deeds. A major action that showed his compassion was his pardoning of Hastings wife. Hastings had opposed Richard and was thus beheaded. In order to make amends, Richard pardoned his wife and allowed her to keep her lands. In the north, Richard granted lands for public use, gave money to churches and embraced the people. His influence and good deeds reached the Bishop of St. David's who proclaimed,

Richard was at a disadvantage due to the shortage of nobility in England at the same time. Due to subsequent wars, many had been killed in battle. Richard needed to streamline his administration, which lowered the cost associated with government. With this it is hard to see how England was in financial trouble. Edward IV had left Richard an impressive treasury. Tracing back to the distribution of land, Richard should have sold the lands to the nobility to gain the spoils of his victory. Due to this situation, Richard was forced to reneg on one of his revolutionary legislative acts. Because he was now facing opposition from Henry Tudor and his imminent invasion, Richard needed to raise money to raise an army for defense. The financial drain of the rebellion, as well as charitable acts had left him with no choice except to take loans from his nobility. These loans were not on the terms of the nobility, as they were forced to contribute to the king as their duty. These loans almost directly conflicted with his legislature to make illegal royal benevolencies. This wore sown public support for the king, as well as the nobility's trust in Richard.

Richard was also dealt a personal blow that took on public meaning. With rumors circulating about the Richard's involvement in the murder of the princes, the ramifications of Richard's son dying took on new meaning. Not only was it a great personal blow to Richard, who had worked to ensure his son's place on the throne, but it had religious implications for the public. The public saw this and the Queen's death as a punishment from God for Richard's involvement in the killing of the princes. His hopes for an heir were further dashed across the ground when his wife died of a tragic disease. The public saw that the throne was unstable again due to the vacancy if the king died. This idea threw uncertainty into the minds of many that felt secure in the transfer of power from Richard to his son in the future.

These actions seem to be a result of a flawed policy Richard used to reward his supporters in the north after his rise to the throne. One of the duties given to the king is that of bestowing honors and titles to the nobility of the south. In comparison with his predecessor, Edward IV, Richard only called upon twenty-six barons for his first parliament, compared to forty-four by Edward. This further extended the rift after Buckingham's rebellion when the king seized the land of Buckingham's supporters. Richard had the ability to distribute such lands as he saw fit. The mistake he made was in rewarding those in the north that helped him in the past. Instead of expanding his support in the south, and unifying his power, he bestowed large pieces of land to his close circle of supporters from the north. His power was already solidified in the north. He should have looked to expand his influence in the south so he could bridge the gap in the nobility of England.

Richard was named protector of the prince and the country in Edwards will because Edward was in his minority. The new king would then take control of the country when he came of majority. This was commonplace in English history, even to the extreme of having infants play the part. Why was the Duke of Gloucester, Richard, so disturbed by this occurren

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Approximate Word count = 2686
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)