It has now been confirmed that human remains discovered by archaeologists in Leicester are in fact the bones of King Richard III. The body of Richard the third was buried in the churchyard of the Grey Friars in 1485. He had lost his life on the battlefield at Bosworth, defending his country and his right to be king. He was succeeded by his rival Henry Tudor. The Tudor dynasty continued for a hundred years after the reign of King Henry VII.
 
William Shakespeare wrote his famous play about Richard III while under the patronage of the Tudors, so his portrayal of Richard as an evil usurper can be taken as Tudor propaganda. Shakespeare deliberately provided the public with a hostile version of the late monarch.

During his lifetime King Richard the third was a popular monarch, although he did have many enemies, and he might have been responsible for the removal of many of those who stood in his way.
 
The debate continues about whether or not Richard was responsible for the deaths of two young Princes following the death of King Edward IV in 1483, when Prince Edward, then aged 12, became the new king, and Richard of Gloucester was officially appointed Protector. The young king was taken to the Tower of London and his status reduced to that of prince. Prince Edward and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, were never seen again. The bodies of two young boys were discovered in a chest, two centuries later, and they appeared to have died from suffocation.
 
Richard III was younger brother of King Edward IV. He became king in 1483. His father, Richard Duke of York(1410-1460), was descended from Edward III but was never a ruling monarch. During the reign of King Henry VI, when the king was temporarily indisposed due to insanity, the Duke of York was briefly appointed as Lord Protector.

The surviving children of King Edward IV were all said to be illegitimate, so none of them could succeed to the throne. The children of Richard’s elder brother, the Duke of Clarence, were also disqualified. Their father had been tried for Treason and was executed at the Tower of London in February 1478.

King Richard III reigned for just 26 months.