Richard III: a white man with brown hair and a black cap

Richard III of England

For a project on the Wars of the Roses, you can’t do better than Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote a play about the Wars of the Roses. He called the play “Richard III” after one of the main characters. The play starts at the point in the war where Edward IV is king, and it ends with the death of Richard III and the victory of Henry VII at the Battle of Boswell Field in 1485 AD. Shakespeare wrote the play in 1592, so about a hundred years later.


Or watch this movie of Richard III

If you have at least four people, get comfortable on couches and read through the whole play. Bring up copies of the play on your iPads or laptops, or take them out from your library. Reading it aloud only takes about three hours, and there are many great speeches. If you’re alone, pick an interesting speech from the play and memorize it. Recite it for your parents or for your friends, or for your class.

Wars of the Roses
More about Shakespeare
What happened next? Henry VIII and the Reformation

Bibliography and further reading about the Wars of the Roses:

   

Wars of the Roses
Late Medieval history
Middle Ages
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