'Old Dick'

That's what William Stanley called Richard. Suggests that Richard's
personality was rather dull & plodding. With his lofty moral stand
and the hard work he put in, does this make him seem rather boring?

Stanley was a terrible turncoat of course, who was virtually directly
responsible for Richard's death at Bosworth & may've been a cynic.

But I do get the impression that Richard's forte was as a soldier, not
a debater. Hence, his quick move against the Woodvilles & other foes,
his use of Buckingham to do the talking during his bid for the crown,
the rather clumsy precontract claim in Titulus Regius and his
impetuous charge at Bosworth.

A more subtle commander would've let Tudor join Stanley exposing
Stanley's hand, rallied Northumberland's troops and waited. But
Richard dived straight in against Tudor, was caught in the rear by
Stanley & died!!!

Sorry,

That one's been disproved as well. This idea came about as the result
of a bad bit of paleography. Apparently the old dyk (can't remember
the actual spelling) Stanley couldn't get leave from was an old dyke
(wall). The letter came in context of repairs to his Cheshire estate
including rebuilding of this dyke. Stanley was of course much much
older than Richard anyway.

Actually, my impression, reading through Richard's surviving letters,
is that he had an irrepressible if rather dry sense of humour.

Marie


--- In , "willison2001"
<willison2001@y...> wrote:
> That's what William Stanley called Richard. Suggests that
Richard's
> personality was rather dull & plodding. With his lofty moral stand
> and the hard work he put in, does this make him seem rather boring?
>
> Stanley was a terrible turncoat of course, who was virtually
directly
> responsible for Richard's death at Bosworth & may've been a cynic.
>
> But I do get the impression that Richard's forte was as a soldier,
not
> a debater. Hence, his quick move against the Woodvilles & other
foes,
> his use of Buckingham to do the talking during his bid for the
crown,
> the rather clumsy precontract claim in Titulus Regius and his
> impetuous charge at Bosworth.
>
> A more subtle commander would've let Tudor join Stanley exposing
> Stanley's hand, rallied Northumberland's troops and waited. But
> Richard dived straight in against Tudor, was caught in the rear by
> Stanley & died!!!