Richard III of England ruled as king from 1483 to 1485 CE. Richard succeeded Edward V of England (r. Apr-Jun 1483 CE), the son of Edward IV of England (r. 1461-1470 CE & 1471-1483 CE) in mysterious circumstances. The young Edward V and his brother Richard were imprisoned in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester who was their guardian as Protector of the Realm. The Princes in the Tower, as they became known, were never seen again. Duke Richard made himself king in 1483 CE but, widely accused of murdering his nephews and unable to unite his barons behind the Crown, his reign would be short and troubled. The dynastic squabbles between the houses of York and Lancaster known to history as the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487 CE) finally came to an end, in terms of major events, with Richard's death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 CE. Henry Tudor, a distant relation of Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377 CE) and victor at Bosworth Field, would become King Henry VII (r. 1485-1509 CE). The Plantagenet line of kings, which had started with Henry II of England (r. 1154-1189 CE), was finally ended and the new Tudor Dynasty began.
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Definition
Timeline
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2 Oct 1452Birth of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, future Richard III of England, at Fotheringhay Castle.
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1455 - 1487Wars of the Roses in England.
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1470Birth of Prince Edward (eldest son of Edward IV of England), the future Edward V of England.
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1471Richard, Duke of Gloucester, is made Constable and Lord High Admiral by Edward IV of England.
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14 Apr 1471Edward IV of England wins the Battle of Barnet where the Earl of Warwick is killed.
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4 May 1471Henry VI of England’s only son Edward is killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Henry VI is imprisoned in the Tower of London by Edward IV of England.
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21 May 1471Henry VI of England is murdered in the Tower of London.
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1472Edward IV of England makes his younger brother Richard the Duke of Gloucester.
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12 Jul 1472Richard, Duke of Gloucester, future Richard III of England, marries Anne Neville.
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1473Birth of Prince Richard, second son of Edward IV of England.
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1473Birth of Edward of Middleham, son of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, future Richard III of England.
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1482Richard, Duke of Gloucester, future Richard III of England, leads a successful campaign in Scotland which recaptures Berwick.
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1483 - 1485Reign of Richard III of England.
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1483Richard III of England imprisons and then likely murders the two young sons of the late Edward IV, the 'Princes in the Tower'.
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Apr 1483 - Jun 1483Reign of Edward V of England.
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9 Apr 1483Edward IV of England dies of a stroke at Westminster.
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6 Jul 1483Coronation of Richard III of England in Westminster Abbey.
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Nov 1483A plot to overthrow Richard III of England is foiled. The Duke of Buckingham is executed.
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1484Richard III of England establishes the Royal College of Arms.
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9 Apr 1484Death of Prince Edward, Richard III of England's son and heir.
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Jul 1484Richard III of England creates the Council of the North.
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Mar 1485Death of Queen Anne Neville, wife of Richard III of England.
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8 Aug 1485Henry Tudor, future Henry VII of England, lands with an army of French mercenaries at Milford Haven in South Wales.
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22 Aug 1485Henry Tudor, future Henry VII of England, wins the Battle of Bosworth Field where Richard III of England is killed.
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30 Oct 1485Coronation of Henry VII of England in Westminster Abbey.
