Richard III

The last king of the House of York, killed in battle at Bosworth, whose remains were found under a parking lot in 2012.

Life

Loyal younger brother

Richard was a son of the Duke of York. During the reign of his elder brother Edward IV he served him loyally, was known as a capable military commander, and governed the north of England.

Princes in the Tower

When Edward IV died in 1483, Richard became Lord Protector to his young nephew Edward V, then declared his nephew illegitimate and took the throne himself. The two little princes, confined in the Tower of London, were never seen again; later generations have generally believed that Richard ordered them killed, though this has never been proven.

King under the car park

In 1485 he died after defeat at Bosworth, the last King of England to fall on the battlefield. In 2012 archaeologists found his remains under a parking lot in Leicester; DNA confirmed his identity, and the skeleton showed that he had scoliosis. He was reburied in 2015.

Legacy

Richard III is the most controversial king in English history: William Shakespeare portrayed him as a hunchbacked tyrant, but this image derives largely from Tudor propaganda, and the "Richard III Society" has long defended him.

Did you know? When his remains were found, the parking space above them happened to be painted with the letter "R," meaning "reserved."

Key dates

• 1471Helped his elder brother regain the throne
• 1483Accession
• 1485Killed in battle at Bosworth
• 2012Remains discovered
• 2015Reburied in Leicester Cathedral