Richard's is his poor judge of character, causing him to trust certain people he really ought not. As he all but publicly admits before the final battle, had he taken a firmer, more lethal hand with proven traitors and the disloyal, he would not have arrived at the final hour in such a weak position. Jerkass: Elizabeth Woodville has a constantly acidic personality, and passages written from her point of view exude her vindictiveness. George is worst of all, plotting at one point to have Anne kidnapped and disappeared so that he can claim her half of the Neville fortune. Replacement Goldfish: In a rare endearing version of this trope, Edward declares that Richard has succeeded their deceased brother Edmund as the brother Edward is closest to.

Those who know Richard III from Shakespeare will find that Sharon Kay Penman presents a contrasting view of the English monarch . . . He's an altogether nice man, a romantic hero as suitable to our late twentieth-century standards . . . as he was to those of medieval England . . . There is a vengeful quality to her insistence that is appealing; it makes for a good story." Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Edmund, whose early death sets the tone for the novel. Anne, whose tragic decline and death marks the beginning of the end for Richard. Death by Childbirth: happened to Nell Percy, wife of Rob Percy and later possibly Isabel. Richard was afraid that it'd happen to Anne too after the difficult birth of their son Ned. When Richard grows up, he steps into the "noble" role to Edward's rogue, becoming a fierce warrior and fair governor of his own lands. He is intensely loyal to Edward, even standing by him when he is deposed for a brief time. After some youthful dalliances, he becomes a loving and faithful husband to Anne, and he very much frowns upon the debauchery of his brother's court.Siddons, Michael Powell (2009). Heraldic Badges in England and Wales. Vol.2.1 (Royal Badges). Woodbridge: Society of Antiquaries/Boydell. ISBN 9781843834939. He was no longer drowning in fear; the wave was receding. In its wake, he felt shame burn his face and was grateful that none had been there to witness his flight. He thought himself to be too old to yield so easily to panic for, in just eight days’ time, he would be seven years old. He rolled clear of the bushes and sat up. After a moment’s deliberation, he retreated to the shelter of a lightning-scarred beech. Bracing himself against the trunk, he settled down to wait for Ned to find him. for FeuillesMortes Fandoms: 15th Century CE RPF, The White Princess (TV), Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England - Thomas Penn, The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016), Richard III - Shakespeare, The White Queen (TV), The Tudors (TV), The Cousins' War Series - Philippa Gregory, The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman, The Shadow of the Tower, Elizabeth of York: a Tudor Queen and her World - Alison Weir Ms. Penman's novel, rich in detail and research, attempts to set the record straight . . . it is an uncommonly fine novel, one that brings a far-off time to brilliant life. "Chattanooga Daily Times""

Perfectly Arranged Marriage: the marriage between Bess and Henry Tudor turned out surprisingly well. Anne Neville had fallen in love with Richard when they were both mere children. And he returned her love with an all-consuming passion that was to last a lifetime, enduring forced separation, a brutal marriage, and murderous loss. She was the daughter of his father’s closest ally who was now his brother’s worst enemy and she became an innocent pawn in a deadly game of power politics. That game was to inflict wounds of the soul that only Richard’s patient tenderness could heal. The Sunne in Splendour is the story of Richard’s fight to win her and to heal her. One-Steve Limit: Henry VI's son, who was known as Edward of Westminster, is here called Edouard, while Richard III's son Edward of Middleham is called Ned, to distinguish them both from Edward IV. Elizabeth of York is called Bess to tell her apart from Elizabeth Woodville. It was actually Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York who adopted the Plantagenet name for him and his descendants in the 15th century. It is obscure why Richard chose the name but it emphasised Richard's hierarchal status as Geoffrey's, and six English kings', patrilineal descendant during the Wars of the Roses. The retrospective usage of the name for all Geoffrey's male descendants became popular in Tudor times probably encouraged by the added legitimacy it gave Richard's great-grandson, King Henry VIII of England. [5]The reader is left with the haunting sensation that perhaps the good a man does can live after him---especially in the hands of a dedicated historian."

a Hart Argent (to reinforce his succession from Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March the heir of Richard II) Big, Screwed-Up Family: The Plantagenet-Yorks and their Neville cousins sure do count as one, what with the adultery, Malicious Slander, betrayal and full-on treason. Poor Cecily does try to keep the family together, but it doesn't go well. Despair Event Horizon: The last stretch of a book is a long one for Richard; see below. Having lost nearly everyone he loves and jaded by a string of constant betrayals, he goes to his final battle a broken man determined to either win or die.

This novel provides examples of:

for ancslove Fandoms: 15th Century CE RPF, The White Queen (TV), The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman, Historical RPF And in my Afterward, I said that Francis Lovell was not seen alive after the battle of Stoke Field and probably drowned trying to cross the River Trent. Well, now we know he actually reached safety in Scotland, for he was granted a safe-conduct by the Scots king in June, 1488. Sadly, he then disappears from history’s notice, leaving us to determine for ourselves whether he died soon afterward or perhaps chose to fly under the Tudor radar for the remainder of his days. Law of Inverse Fertility: Anne suffered one miscarriage after another after giving birth to Edward. Edward died at age 10. The book was written long before Richard's remains were discovered, and it imagines that his uneven shoulders were the result of a fall from a horse compounded by other injuries. In truth, Richard had scoliosis. a Rose Gules within a white one, impaled with a demi-roundel parted palewise Vert and Azure, charged with a bundle of arrows Argent, ensigned with a crown, surrounded by rays Or