Richard III and the Stability of England

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Richard III and the Stability of England

Richard became King of England on July the sixth 1483 after the heir

to the throne was proclaimed illegitimate. Whether this claim was true

or not is questionable. During Richards reign, the stability of

England has been debated. Was he the ruler England needed to end the

'Wars of the Roses' and bring stability back to the English people? Or

did he cause England to be restless and unsettled? Is it a good thing

that Henry Tudor defeated him in the Battle of Bosworth? This essay

will look at the different points, which, under the reign of Richard

III made the country stable or unstable.

England under Richard III was stable in that he had lots of

experience. He had been made ruler of the North of England in 1471 and

had been allowed to Marry Anne due to his loyalty to his brother

Edward IV whilst he was King. He was a loyal supporter even when

Edwards other brother Duke Of Clarence became a traitor and sided with

Edwards enemies. The fact that he had already had experience in ruling

land meant that he knew what he was doing. This helped to maintain

stability. He was successful in putting an end to the Wars of the

Roses because of his ability to appeal to lots of people. He was a

powerful manipulator and he was able to put their minds at ease by

telling them how stable and strong the country was.

Richard also made England stable because of the simple fact that he

was not a minor and Edward V was. If Edward had been crowned England

would have been under turmoil because the choice of people who would

want to help Edward run the country would have caused upset and unrest

amongst them. Ric...

... middle of paper ...

...ellions suggest that England under Richard III was unstable.

The very fact that there were rebellions means that many people were

unhappy with Richard and the way the country was being run. These

influences would have unsettled people who mightn't otherwise question

the way the country was being run.

After explaining both sides of the argument the conclusion is that

England was unstable under the rule of Richard III. Although he had

popularity, he didn't have the loyal aristocratic support he needed to

run the country. Some people thought he was the rightful king but many

others doubted him due to the executions. The majority were just

waiting for Henry Tudor to come along and side with them. He

maintained the country as well as he could but nothing could stop his

enemies plotting together to undermine his authority.

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